North Wilkesboro Speedway was a home for short-track racing in NASCAR between 1949 and 1996. Since NASCAR’s inception in 1949, North Wilkesboro was one of the first races in the Cup Series. Bob Flock would end up winning the inaugural race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the “Wilkes 200.”
Over the course of the 47-year span, NASCAR held 93 Cup Series races. Generally, NASCAR ran a fall and spring race at the historic .625-mile track. The last race was held on September 29th, 1996. With the track coming to a close, a NASCAR icon would end up winning the final race at North Wilkesboro, which was Jeff Gordon.
Some historic names from North Wilkesboro include Richard Petty with 15 race wins, Darrell Waltrip with 10 wins, Dale Earnhardt with 5 wins, and Cale Yarborough with 5 wins. Richard, Darrell, Dale, and Cale are all members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
In 2023, North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race (won by Kyle Larson), which was followed by NASCAR’s return the following year. Marcus Smith, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Governor Roy Cooper would help revive North Wilkesboro.
Speedway Motorsports currently owns the track and has since bought the property in 2007. Marcus Smith, one of the names that helped with the revival, is the CEO of Speedway Motorsports. With the running of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 NASCAR All-Star races, this has shown that there is still interest in keeping North Wilkesboro Speedway running at the Cup Series level.
All-Star Race Moved from North Wilkesboro
In 2026, NASCAR moved the All-Star race to Dover Motor Speedway. The All-Star Weekend will take place on May 17th, 2026. As for North Wilkesboro Speedway, the track will be host for the Window World 450 on July 19th, 2026. NASCAR decided that North Wilkesboro was ready to hold a regular-season race. Championship points will be up for grabs this season at North Wilkesboro. This year’s Window World 450 is the longest-running race at North Wilkesboro since the revival.
The Cup Series will be running the Window World 450 on May 17th, 2026. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be coming to town as well with the Window World 250 on July 18th, 2026.
