North Wilkesboro Speedway begins repaving ahead of 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race
North Wilkesboro Speedway announced Monday that the historic racetrack will be repaved ahead of the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race.
North Wilkesboro, which had last hosted a NASCAR event in 1996, was revitalized for this past season’s All-Star Race. The racetrack hasn’t been repaved since 1981, although that will change in preparation for the 2024 event.
“We are very grateful that NASCAR and FOX Sports have supported our efforts to bring the NASCAR All-Star Race back to North Wilkesboro in 2024,” Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said in September, via Motorsport. “While NASCAR’s current 75th anniversary season still has some memorable moments to come, it’s hard to imagine a more magical moment than what we witnessed with NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway this past May.
“The success of the 2023 All-Star Race with fans coming from all 50 states and seven foreign countries would not have been possible without the support of the NASCAR industry, our state legislature, Gov. Roy Cooper and the Wilkes County community. We’re thankful to have the opportunity to bring back an international spotlight for the second consecutive year to North Wilkesboro and the great state of North Carolina.”
NASCAR running it back at North Wilkesboro for 2024 All-Star Race
Kyle Larson won the inaugural All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, leading 145 laps and pocketing the $1 million purse. The race itself drew a mixed reaction from fans who were upset at the lack of passing that took place over the duration of the 200-lap event.
Denny Hamlin went as far to call North Wilkesboro a “one-lane track.”
“The top three were the ones that pitted for tires,” Hamlin said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast in May. “They drove to the front because they had new tires on Lap 16 and they never looked back. It was that difficult to pass because of the tires. And it was difficult to pass because that track, you know, unfortunately is a one-lane track. I mean, I heard Chase Briscoe talk about it — that the second lane was non-existent. You couldn’t even try to battle someone on the outside.
“That’s why I think it needs to get repaved because our cars don’t race as well on single file tracks. That’s just a fact, they don’t. And especially if it’s a short track. So, I encourage the staff, Marcus Smith to repave it, but get the drivers feedback on the repaving. I think that they could do some things with the asphalt.”