INFLUENCE MATTERS: How a former NASCAR driver has impacted history.

You don’t have to be the most talented or best person in your field. — READ MORE —Sometimes it is better to be decently talented but IMMENSELY influential.

In the late 80’s a college friend really got me hooked on NASCAR. For many years I was a raving fanatic.?My love for it has ebbed and flowed over the years but I have always had an interest.

When I moved to North Carolina 6 years ago, I was excited because it put me closer to the heart of NASCAR. Several NASCAR Cup and Xfinity teams have their shops just 15 minutes down the road from me in Welcome.

About an hour northwest of me lies North Wilkesboro Speedway, one of the oldest NASCAR tracks in the nation. The place just oozes history!

SEEING THE HISTORY UP CLOSE

Back in 1992 my best friend and I took in the fall race there. It was a two day event as it got rained out on Sunday due to a tropical depression.?It ended up being a "Green to Green" race. The only wreck was before the race started when a tow truck, drying the track, hit the wall coming out of Turn 4.?

I’ll spare you the full story of the “kitty litter” from that wreck getting in my eye on lap 1 and pretty much staying there. Nor will I go into the ear ringing I had from that race for the next three days (stock cars running in a 0.625 mile track with metal bleachers 3/4 the way around will do that).

But just a few years after I watched that race….the speedway closed, and pretty much sat dormant after that.

ROTTING HISTORY

After moving to NC, on two occasions I have stopped by the speedway, which sits off of Hwy. 421 on my way to the mountains, to see what was left.?It was heartbreaking to see such a storied facility essentially collapsing, rotting, and going back to nature.

IS THERE A BUD ON THAT ROTTEN TREE?

But in late 2019, something interesting happened.?Dale Earnhardt, Jr, son the late great NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, took a bunch of friends and some mowing equipment to the old track and tried to clean it up.?Their only intention at the time (reportedly) was to get it in good enough shape to scan it digitally so that it could become a track in the virtual racing world iRacing.?

ENTER COVID

In early 2020, COVID hit, effectively shutting down…well…just about everything. NASCAR was no exception.?Not to be deterred, NASCAR turned to iRacing and pitted some of their most talented drivers against each other in the virtual world (along with a few iRacing exclusive talent) and aired it on network TV.?

Amidst this, the North Wilkesboro track became ready to make its iRacing debut. NASCAR and iRacing selected it to be the final virtual race before real-life racing resumed (minus the fans of course, it was still 2020).

IT WAS A HIT!

The fans LOVED it! The drivers, most of whom never had the chance to run the track for real (because they were kids or had yet to be born when the track closed) loved it! That event really began to fuel a drive to bring the track back!?

THE EARLY BLOSSOM

Just last month (August 2022), real-life racing resumed on the track in the form of regional series (mostly late models) action during a multi-day event. The event included appearances by Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself piloting a car and it SOLD OUT!

Following the event the intention was to tear up the asphalt, make it a dirt track, and run more regional events in October.?But, those events have been cancelled.?Why?

FULL BLOSSOM

Because NASCAR just announced TODAY, (9/8/22) that in 2023 the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race is being run at North Wilkesboro Speedway! There is life in the old place!

INFLUENCE MATTERS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed his father’s footsteps and raced in NASCAR for several years.?He did have above average success, but never made it to the success level that his father or other drivers like Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, and Jimmy Johnson did.

But, he was voted the fan’s most popular driver nearly every year he was in the sport as a driver.?People loved him!?Even when he exited racing as a driver (due to concussion concerns) he retained that following.?

He is a host on NBC for NASCAR racing. He has his own Peacock series “Lost Speedways” where he displays his passion for older, defunct?tracks and tries to give a glimpse into their past. He has a very successful podcast on racing. In short, his words carry weight!

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

So do his actions.?Taking that step to grab a few volunteers to clean up a track just enough to allow it to be preserved digitally in an iRacing simulation has lead eventually to NASCAR returning to racing there in 2023.?Not bad for a track that was closed 26 years and looked like a forgotten ruin.

Dale Jr. may not have been the best driver NASCAR ever had,?but his influence has made an impact that has rocked the NASCAR world!

So yes….INFLUENCE MATTERS!