Dale Earnhardt Jr. Helps to Bring North Wilkesboro Speedway to iRacing

One of NASCAR’s most beloved historic tracks will finally host racing again in 2020, this time virtually, as North Wilkesboro Speedway will make its debut on iRacing.

Opened in 1947, the legendary North Carolina short track hosted racing for 50 years, including 93 NASCAR Cup Series events, before it closed down at the end of the 1996 season. For years, NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been a tireless advocate of preserving the .625-mile short track, and this week his efforts came to fruition.

A huge crew of supporters, ranging from Speedway Motorsports Inc.’s Marcus Smith and the track operations crews of Charlotte and Bristol Motor Speedway, to current NASCAR drivers Chris Buescher and Myatt Snider, to broadcaster Marty Snider all pitched in to help get North Wilkesboro in condition for iRacing to scan it for use in the sim. With that data now collected, iRacing will work to digitally recreate the track as it looked in the 1987 race season.

If you have reference photos of North Wilkesboro Speedway from its heyday, get in touch!

Check out more photos from our time at North Wilkesboro below:

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