Speedways of North Carolina: Past, Present, and Future
Photos & Historical Research by Charlie Haywood
Short track racing is central to any discussion about motorsports in the Carolinas, whether it’s on dirt or asphalt, stock car racing is king. We decided to take an excursion around the state and check out the past, present, and hopefully future of speedways in the Tar Heel state.
Benefits of keeping the old navigation system memory card installed…
To start off this journey into time, a visit to the location of the former Metrolina Speedway, located close by in northeast Charlotte, was in order. The track opened in 1968 as a ½ mile dirt and clay speedway with the early races being promoted by C.L. “Buddy” Davenport. It was paved for a short time in the mid-70s hosting many NASCAR races, including a 200-lap invitational Grand National race. Numerous Cup series stars competed in this event including a 23-year-old Dale Earnhardt who made his unofficial Cup debut in the race won by his future team owner and close friend Richard Childress. By the early 80s, the track returned to its original dirt configuration, hosting some of the first World of Outlaws sprint car races in North Carolina and continuing a tradition of “run what you brung” weekly dirt late model racing. Winners at this track read as a who’s who of oval racing royalty: Harry Gant, Bobby Isaac, Ray Hendrick, Sammy Swindell, Steve, and Mark Kinser.
Racing continued until 1998 when the track finally closed and sat abandoned for over 20 years. When we visited the location, there was hardly any sign that a speedway once stood there. On the property there now sits a FedEx distribution center that was recently built as yet another part of a massive industrial and office development. Unfortunately, all that remains as a reminder of the track’s existence is a walking route with signs detailing the history of the property. Unfortunately for us Charlotte area residents, there are no longer any local speedways for weekly racing. Charlotte Motor Speedway refuses to run weekly races save for the short summer series on the quarter-mile infield oval, and the only other nearby track that does hold races often, Millbridge Speedway, a good spot for micro sprints and midget cars, is a good 40 miles from Uptown Charlotte. Metrolina is another victim in the endless sprawl of suburban development that has choked out many a well-loved and historic racetrack over the years. It wasn’t the first and most certainly won’t be the last, and I can assure you that there will probably never be another racing circuit built inside Charlotte city limits.
Now we move to the present of short track racing, after a day out at Rockingham which I will touch on next, we headed an hour up the road to the historic Hickory Motor Speedway, the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars”. A long-time home of NASCAR Grand National racing, this 3/8 mile bullring is a true blast from the past. The place immediately reminded me of my hometown short track growing up, Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. With the sketchy worn-down grandstands, the old-school scoreboard, and the cheap and delicious concession stand fare, it felt just like being a kid again. The fact that it was the night of the season opener, which meant a packed house, and that there were plenty of late models on the bill, made it even better. On this particularly cold Saturday night, we would be treated to twin 40-lap features for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series points chase that did not disappoint. We were treated to massive pileups, rough drivin’, and tight battles, all of which make late model stock cars so damn great. Street stocks and modifieds were the cherries on top, however, we didn’t stay for the final 100 lap Carolina Pro Late Model Series feature as the prior races had run so long, the feature wouldn’t have started until about 10 or 11! My only gripe about the races was the excess of caution laps which were not counted, a single car spin with no damage or fluids down would result in caution periods of 5 to 10 minutes, far too long. Small complaints about an otherwise perfect night, next time we’ll have to dress better for the weather…
Finally, we take a look at what is hopefully the future of stock car racing in North Carolina, Rockingham Speedway, the coolest part of this whole odyssey. We took a drive south, through tobacco and paper country, deep into the sandhills, and as we arrived, the old jewel rose up out of the pines looking just as it did when the last checkered flag fell for the NASCAR Truck Series race 10 years ago. What had brought us there was the 2nd annual open house event, which this year featured vintage stock cars making demonstration runs on the beautifully repaved surface paid for in part by the state of North Carolina, imagine that! The event also featured drifting demonstrations put on by MB Drift, who have made their home at the Rock for a few years now since the closure of Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina. We were also treated to a road race on the infield road course for a few drivers of the Allison Legacy Series featuring ¾ size stock cars with 80s-era bodies powered by Mazda B-2200 truck motors, fascinating little machines running on an odd road course layout that featured some of the Turn 3 banking and some very awkward tire bundle chicanes in the infield. The true stars of the show were the vintage stock cars, showcasing every era of stock car racing, it was a real treat with some significant cars to boot.
Information board for MWR Chassis #547
The Stock Car Classics group hosted the vintage stock car portion of the event. Over 30 cars were on display throughout the garage and making laps around the track. You’ll probably recognize many cars, such as the classic Kyle Petty Mello Yello SABCO Pontiac, or one of the many Richard Petty STP replicas. There was even an ex-Bobby Isaac Dodge Charger Daytona. Unfortunately, we did not catch every car’s story but we were able to pick up some info on Roush Racing Chassis #JR51 and Michael Waltrip Racing Chassis #547. Some of our readers might be familiar with the JR51 chassis as its period driver Mark Martin took this car out during the pace laps prior to the Las Vegas Cup race last fall. It is the very same car that he drove to the win leading a Roush 1-2 in the inaugural 400-mile event in Las Vegas back in 1998, starting off a 3-year run of Roush racing victories at the 1.5-mile track. The car was restored and is currently owned by Landon Best; further details on the car and its restoration can be found on his YouTube channel. MWR #547 is a car that in its current form is rather interesting, a Frankenstein if you will. The car features a Gen 5 “Car of Tomorrow” center section, with a 2017 Gen 6 Toyota Camry nose, and an Xfinity Series spec rear spoiler. This car was first raced by Michael Waltrip Racing in 2009 but has lived many lives in the years since as a show car, a vintage racer that even tackled the famed hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, and then ended up at the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience. After being bought by the now-current owner Bob Lupini, who raced the car in vintage road racing events, he suffered a massive crash in a SVRA event at Sebring, FL. So violent was the crash, that he considered walking away from racing, and junking the car. Thanks to the help of an ex-Joe Gibbs Racing employee, Chris Sauer, the car was completely rebuilt to its current specification and now runs with Stock Car Classics. Walking through the paddock at this event, you could feel the passion of each and every crew. Everyone was there for one reason, to celebrate racing and its history, and thanks to their collective blood, sweat, tears, and dollars, we all got to enjoy a lovely vignette of days gone by. That’s what Rockingham Speedway is all about, a truly historic race track that is rising from the ashes just like Lupini’s car “The Phoenix”. We certainly hope that the Rock finds its way back onto the national stage in the coming years. Both the speedway and dragstrip have several events planned this year and have launched a new marketing campaign, “Believe In The Rock” to broadcast the community’s passion and show the public that Rockingham isn’t content with being a “Lost Speedway”.
As for Stock Car Classics, they have previously hosted multiple events at Rockingham and other tracks in the area including taking part in parade laps during North Wilkesboro’s Racetrack Revival last summer. There is a good possibility that some of the cars featured at this event will appear at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina for the HSR Stock Car Invitational as a part of NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend.
Exploring the Rockingham Speedway Infield
So there we have it, one track dead and gone, another thriving and blowing up social media every week, and another, ever so slowly being brought back to life. Stock car racing is part of the heart and soul of the Carolinas and this little trip has shown us why. These speedways serve as meeting places, a home away from home. Each and every event is a little family reunion whether those relatives be by blood or not, we’re all part of the same racing family. There is one thing that binds us all together and that is a love of speed, being on the bleeding edge of control, and when you step back from that edge, you’ve always got a whole brotherhood and sisterhood behind you who knows what it’s all about. We’ll always lament the loss of a local race track, but we can always take a look back at those grainy photos and shakey film reels and get an idea of what it was like, even if we were never there. There will always be another track, even if that means a longer journey, that passion drives us forward and tells us deep down that we have to support what we have now while we have it, that is why on any given Saturday, the grandstands at Hickory are at near capacity. It is the same case with Rockingham, we have the power to bring about real change by supporting the reconstruction and rebirth of this historic speedway, whether it’s participating, spectating, or simply sharing some social media posts around, regular people like you and me can help preserve a piece of living history. So vote with your wallets and your attention, if you’re in the area, go check out Rockingham Speedway when you get the chance and when you do, pick up some merch or a hot dog and an ice-cold beverage, it’s the least you can do.
