Construction crews work in the infield at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, N.C., on Dec. 13, 2022. (Adam Fenwick | NASCAR photo)
Work is well under way at North Carolina's North Wilkesboro Speedway as the historic facility undergoes a major face-lift in advance of the 2023 running of the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 21.
While many improvements are being made to the existing infrastructure, track officials told NASCAR.com that they are doing everything they can to keep the historic look and feel that makes the facility and its 0.625-mi.-long track unique.
"We want to maintain the patina," said Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations and development of Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI), owner of the western North Carolina track. "The facility will look like it did, as close as possible to when it was running back in the '80s and the '90s."
That includes touching up the historic murals and classic graphics that once greeted race fans when they entered North Wilkesboro Speedway. Many other historic signs around the facility will also be preserved.
NASCAR last visited North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sept. 29, 1996, when Jeff Gordon triumphed in the 93rd NASCAR Cup Series race at the facility.
In the time since that event, many of the structures at the speedway fell into disrepair. Track officials have worked with contractors to make sure any structures that need repairs or replacement keep a similar look and feel to what was there before the current construction project.
Extensive Upgrades, Rebuilds Taking Place
Perhaps the most notable change made thus far to North Wilkesboro Speedway has taken place in the infield, which has undergone a complete excavation so that new pavement can be installed in advance of race week next May.
As part of that process, a major infield drainage problem that existed long before the track closed in 1996 has now been repaired.
"We've addressed a lot of the drainage issues," explained Swift. "We would get rain, and if there was a big storm, the pipe that led out of Turn 2 was the only place the water could get out. We'd have a lake in the infield and on the racing surface. Those pieces had to be fixed."
In addition, NASCAR.com reported the process to repair and replace the speedway's retaining walls also has begun, with new concrete walls poured into some areas of the track in preparation for the installation of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers expected to be delivered onsite in late January. Also known as soft walls, SAFER barriers are found at many oval automobile racetracks to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during the impact of a high-speed crash.
New catch fencing also will be erected at North Wilkesboro.
The contractors working at the speedway also have dug up the stalls on pit road and will replace them with new, wider concrete pit stalls. Once construction is complete, North Wilkesboro Speedway will have 40 new pit stalls — three less than it had before.
Iowa-based MUSCO Lighting is in the planning stages of installing its system of speedway lights to allow for nighttime NASCAR Cup Series races at the historic track for the first time in its history, according to Swift.
He added that the foundations for the lights will be built in January and, soon after, the new LED MUSCOs will be ready for placement. During a race, Swift said the speedway's lighting personnel will be able to utilize several "cool features that will be really new to NASCAR," such as make the lighting dance, flicker on and off, and cast as a spotlight.
The North Wilkesboro track still plans to use a hydraulic lift to transport the winning race car into Victory Lane on top of the infield media center, he explained. There also are plans in place to refurbish the scoring pylon in the infield so that it is operational in time for race week next spring.
Return of Manual Billboard in the Works
NASCAR.com noted that one of the most unique parts of the speedway's revitalization project will take place in Turns 3 and 4. Officials plan to bring back the manually updated billboard that once stood there outside the track for use when NASCAR returns to the facility.
Swift said that Marcus Smith, president, CEO and director of SMI, as well as general manager of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, found old photos of the North Wilkesboro track that had the scoreboard showing five positions and the number of laps driven during a race.
"Marcus came across those pictures and was adamant that [the scoreboard would go] back in place," Swift explained. "We will have a person up there putting laps and the top-five positions [after] every 10 laps on that board."
A little more than five months remain before the NASCAR Cup Series returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway, but he is confident all the required work will be finished well before the event.
"A lot of planning went into place in a short time frame," Swift said. "[We have] got a lot of people in place, and a lot of parts and pieces into place to make this all happen."
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