North Wilkesboro Shows Off Its New Look at Open House

North Wilkesboro Speedway opened its gates for an open house on Wednesday, giving fans and racers alike a first look at many of the updates at the historic facility.

Several drivers who will be part of next week’s ASA STARS National Tour and CARS Tour races leading into NASCAR All-Star Week were in attendance, taking in the atmosphere, signing autographs for fans and more.

Some drivers on hand competed at North Wilkesboro last year, like Katie Hettinger. She was in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour field one year ago at the Racetrack Revival, and returns in a Pro Late Model in 2023.

“It’s a lot different,” said Hettinger. “There’s a lot of new things, grandstands and everything. It looks really nice, they’ve done a great job here. I’m really excited to race at such a big, historic track. I’m excited for next week.”

Others were at North Wilkesboro but not racing one year ago, such as Brett Suggs. Suggs was “behind the camera” with his marketing company during the Racetrack Revival, but now comes to North Wilkesboro fourth in CARS Pro Late Model points.

“It’s truly incredible,” said Suggs. “I was here last year doing some media stuff behind the camera. To trade that in and get behind the wheel is pretty special. They’ve done so much to the facility, inside and out, it looks amazing.”

“Obviously, everything has gotten a lot nicer,” added Luke Baldwin. “They redid the whole infield, there’s no potholes. More grandstands, more places for people to sit, new amenities. It definitely looks a lot better.”

Part of the new amenities included celebrating some of North Wilkesboro’s history. The temporary grandstands that have been erected in turn three to accommodate the demand for next week’s All-Star Race festivities have been named the Junior Johnson Grandstand. Meanwhile, the seating area that wraps around turns one and two have been named the Benny Parsons Grandstand.

The fans who pack into those grandstands on Tuesday and Wednesday night will see close to 150 different Late Models in action. While the CARS Late Model Stock Car field is capped at 38 entries, more than 50 entries are confirmed for the ASA STARS National Tour Super Late Model event. The series was forced to cap its entries at 55 due to limited space to park teams in the infield.

It is believed the CARS Pro Late Model entry list will also be a massive one, although a complete list has not been made available at this time.

“I’m expecting a lot of action, a lot of fan interaction,” said Suggs. “We’re going to have 38 cars on track for the Late Model Stocks and Pro Late Models. It’s going to be super busy, we’ve got to put our best foot forward to have a good qualifying effort and hopefully lock into the show and go for 75 laps.”

One thing that remains the same from last year is the racing surface, the venerable asphalt that has withstood the test of time even while the track sat dormant for more than two decades outside of a few one-off racing events such as the PASS Super Late Models in 2010 and 2011.

A common refrain from drivers was that managing tire wear on that surface will be critical for success.

“There’s a lot of cars here, but I think we’ll be alright,” said Hettinger. “I raced here last year, so we should be okay. It’ll be important to save tires and everything, since the tire wear is so bad, and be there at the end.”

“There’s going to be a lot of conserving. It’s a rough, worn-out race track,” said Baldwin. "A lot of saving tires. Hopefully, the success at New Smyrna, a bigger track, will carry over here. I’m excited to be in this atmosphere and take in the whole deal. Being at a historic place like this is super exciting.”

“I’ve heard a lot of people talking about, in the race, you’re going to drive like you’re in a taxi for the first 75, 100 laps of the race,” echoed Connor Zilisch. “Just take it easy, save your stuff, and be there at the end is the main thing. Stay out of wrecks and stay out of trouble, there’s going to be a lot of cars on track, especially in Late Model Stock.”