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Saw this and thought I would share it. Sad to see another historic track go to waste. worth the few minutes to read this, and some great pictures too.
http://gizmodo.com/nascars-original-rac ... 1/+pgeorge

Its eerie that we were just talking about this, this very day, first thing this morning. I googled abandoned and defunct rcaetracks, and the results were worldwide. The original Monza, Nordshleifer (Nurmburg), the original Gran Prix tracks of England, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, and others are still there, rotting into the ground with their history. The American race tracks that are gone are so numerous that no one site has all of them. There are dozens of track that are gone to crappy suburbs or covered in weeds and irreparable. Its heartbreaking.

Depressing, seeing this brings out the same feelings I get when I'm on an abandoned airfield. I'm afraid the younger generation doesn't appreciate the history that's going away. My stepson and his family live about 25 minutes from Warm Springs, Georgia....when I explained the importance of the location my daughter-in-law responded with "so what?" :(
If you are into this kind of thing related to flying check out Lou Thole's series of books "Forgotten Fields".
Thanks Bob

To me the story of North Wilkesboro mirrors the image and attitude NASCAR has for it's heritage and it's roots. I agree with old johnny that everything old can not be saved and in all reality North Wilkesboro was too small and too far out in the country to be able to host what has become a monster sized, made for TV entertainment package that is today's NASCAR. What I do not and can not understand is why NASCAR and Smith did not see the potential for a perfect site and venue for a monument to the history and roots of NASCAR. Wilkesboro is in the hub of Wilks county and former home to "The Last American Hero", it was also the track that gave birth to the former Baby Grand Division of NASCAR and stands among the true image that is still what NASCAR was. I agree that Charlotte is the hub of Today's NASCAR and the Hall of Fame was always destined to be there (despite the Fake Deal of making a decision from several cities) and is part of the "Total NASCAR Experience" that can be had in a visit to the Queen City. I also understand that the glitz and glamour or the Hall of Fame has nothing to do with it's beginnings and roots. How many people would pay to go to a site that was a part of the beginnings of NASCAR and see the real earthy reality of the beginnings of the sport and take a lap around the old track that was the home to "The Last American Hero"?

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2015/3 ... ter-nascar

The story above is one of the best accounts I've read about the saga of North Wilksboro Speedway.
Gives a good assessment of what happened and why. Sounds like reviving the track would cost too
much money to ever be a viable business again. The aging of the track along with the aging of
Junior Johnson is bittersweet.

Many of our race tracks of the past, like Riverside in California and Westwood in BC, have gone under the bulldozer to make way for subdivisions or other commercial ventures. It is obvious this is not the case in Wilkesboro. It is a shame to see tracks like this moulder away.
The monster sell-out crowds of ten or twenty years ago aren't there anymore, and maybe there is still a chance to bring back smaller tracks. It has got to be cheaper to restore one than to start from scratch on a new one. As least the land is already designated, eh?