North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro, NC, USA
Track History
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a living monument to NASCAR's origins, a 0.625-mile short track in the North Carolina foothills that hosted Cup Series races from 1949 through 1996 before falling into a decades-long slumber. The track's revival has been one of the most anticipated stories in modern NASCAR, as a new generation of fans discovers a venue that helped birth the sport. The uphill-downhill layout is unique among NASCAR tracks — cars accelerate uphill into Turns 1 and 2, then plunge downhill through 3 and 4, creating a rhythm that rewards commitment and punishes hesitation. Junior Johnson, who grew up just down the road, won here with a regularity that bordered on unfair, and the connection between driver and track became part of North Wilkesboro's mythology. The Wilkes County fans are as loyal and knowledgeable as any in the sport, and the atmosphere at North Wilkesboro — intimate, loud, saturated with history — represents everything that made NASCAR special before the corporate era.
Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference
| Date | Race | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 19 | Window World 450 | TNT |
Top Drivers at North Wilkesboro Speedway
Richard Petty leads all drivers at North Wilkesboro Speedway with 15 wins across 66 starts.
All-time stats across Cup, O'Reilly & Trucks (min 3 starts)
| Driver | Races | Wins | Avg Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Petty | 66 | 15 | 10 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 47 | 10 | 10 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 36 | 5 | 6.3 |
| Cale Yarborough | 24 | 5 | 7.6 |
| Terry Labonte | 36 | 4 | 9.2 |
Race Winners (1949-2025)
North Wilkesboro Speedway has crowned 44 different Cup Series winners since 1949.
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NASCAR Truck Series at North Wilkesboro | Chandler Smith |
| 2023 | NASCAR Truck Series at North Wilkesboro | Kyle Larson |
| 1996 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte |
| 1996 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1996 | Lowe's 250 | Mark Martin |
| 1995 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1995 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | Mark Martin |
| 1995 | Lowe's 150 | Mike Bliss |
| 1994 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte |
| 1994 | Holly Farms 400 | Geoffrey Bodine |
| 1993 | First Union 400 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1993 | Holly Farms 400 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1992 | Holly Farms 400 | Geoffrey Bodine |
| 1992 | First Union 400 | Davey Allison |
| 1991 | Holly Farms 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1991 | First Union 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1990 | First Union 400 | Brett Bodine |
| 1990 | Holly Farms 400 | Mark Martin |
| 1989 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1989 | Holly Farms 400 | Geoffrey Bodine |
| 1988 | First Union 400 | Terry Labonte |
| 1988 | Holly Farms 400 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1987 | Holly Farms 400 | Terry Labonte |
| 1987 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1986 | First Union 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1986 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1985 | Holly Farms 400 | Harry Gant |
| 1985 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Neil Bonnett |
| 1985 | Coca-Cola 300 | Jack Ingram |
| 1984 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1984 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Tim Richmond |
| 1984 | Coca-Cola 300 | Sam Ard |
| 1983 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1983 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1983 | Coca-Cola 400 | Tommy Ellis |
| 1983 | Holly Farms 399 | Sam Ard |
| 1982 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1982 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1981 | Holly Farms 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1981 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1980 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1980 | Holly Farms 400 | Bobby Allison |
| 1979 | Holly Farms 400 | Benny Parsons |
| 1979 | Northwestern Bank 400 | Bobby Allison |
| 1978 | Staley 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1978 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1977 | Wilkes 400 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1977 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1976 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1976 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1975 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1975 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1974 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1974 | Wilkes 400 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1973 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1973 | Wilkes 400 | Bobby Allison |
| 1972 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1972 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1971 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1971 | Wilkes 400 | Tiny Lund |
| 1970 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1970 | Wilkes 400 | Bobby Isaac |
| 1969 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Bobby Allison |
| 1969 | Wilkes 400 | David Pearson |
| 1968 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1968 | Gwyn Staley 400 | David Pearson |
| 1967 | Wilkes 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1967 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Darel Dieringer |
| 1966 | Wilkes 400 | Dick Hutcherson |
| 1966 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Jim Paschal |
| 1965 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Junior Johnson |
| 1965 | Wilkes 400 | Junior Johnson |
| 1964 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Fred Lorenzen |
| 1964 | Wilkes 400 | Marvin Panch |
| 1963 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1963 | Wilkes 400 | Marvin Panch |
| 1962 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Richard Petty |
| 1962 | Wilkes 320 | Richard Petty |
| 1961 | Gwyn Staley 400 | Rex White |
| 1961 | Wilkes 200 | Rex White |
| 1960 | Wilkes 320 | Rex White |
| 1960 | Gwyn Staley 160 | Lee Petty |
| 1959 | Gwyn Staley 160 | Lee Petty |
| 1959 | Wilkes 160 | Lee Petty |
| 1958 | 100 Miles at North Wilkesboro Speedway | Junior Johnson |
| 1958 | Wilkes 160 | Junior Johnson |
| 1957 | Wilkes County 160 | Fireball Roberts |
| 1957 | Wilkes 160 | Jack Smith |
| 1956 | Wilkes County 160 | Tim Flock |
| 1955 | Wilkes County 160 | Buck Baker |
| 1955 | Wilkes 160 | Buck Baker |
| 1954 | Wilkes 160 | Dick Rathman |
| 1954 | Wilkes 160 | Hershel McGriff |
| 1953 | Wilkes County 200 | Herb Thomas |
| 1953 | Wilkes 160 | Speedy Thompson |
| 1952 | Wilkes County 200 | Herb Thomas |
| 1952 | Wilkes 200 | Herb Thomas |
| 1951 | Wilkes County 150 | Fonty Flock |
| 1951 | Wilkes 200 | Fonty Flock |
| 1950 | Wilkes 200 | Leon Sales |
| 1949 | Wilkes 200 | Bob Flock |
Race Dynamics
Short tracks feature close-quarters racing with higher caution rates. Aggressive drivers and bump-and-run tactics thrive here. Strong restarts and late-race speed are essential. Track-specific history matters more here than at any other track type.
Top Rated Drivers at North Wilkesboro Speedway
Top-rated drivers at North Wilkesboro Speedway based on the NR-Rating Elo system, measuring historical performance at this specific track.
NR-Rating Elo rankings based on track-specific performance
| Rank | Driver | Elo Rating | Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 1656 | 413 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 1648 | 389 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 1623 | 732 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 1594 | 227 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | 1577 | 626 |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | 1575 | 369 |
| 7 | William Byron | 1550 | 299 |
| 8 | Ty Gibbs | 1544 | 134 |
| 9 | Ross Chastain | 1539 | 270 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 1536 | 604 |
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