#ThrowbackThursday – A History of Late Model Racing at North Wilkesboro

The history of Late Model racing at North Wilkesboro is not as deep as one might think. The NASCAR venue hosted many events for the NASCAR feeder series like the NASCAR Baby Grand Series, and Late Model Sportsman. Beyond that we see a lot of series that never took to the North Carolina track.

Early on, Late Model Sportsman had a run of success in the 1950s with drivers like Ralph Earnhardt, Billy and Bobby Myers winning races at the half-mile track when it was dirt. The track was paved in 1957.

Late Model Sportsman would not return to the venue until the late 1970s. Then it was guys like Harry Gant, Butch Lindley and Sam Ard taking wins before the division was merged into the NASCAR Busch Series in 1982. Late Model races would continue till the tracks closure in 1996.

The NASCAR Southeast Series, which purchased the All-Pro Series in 1990, never took to the historic track. It’s strange to think such a venue remained almost unused by these Late Model Series.

The Pro All Stars Series took to North Wilkesboro in 2010 and 2011. Chase Elliott won the 200-lap Labor Day show in September of 2010, and in 2011 the series hosted a $75,000 to win event known as “The Race”. Overall 75 cars were on the grounds with 44 starting the main event. Chris Eggleston landed in victory lane during the 300 lap race. It was the biggest win of his career. Ironically, Stephen Nasse set fast time for the race and finished 17th.

READ MORE: Chase Elliott Adds North Wilkesboro, Hickory SLM Races to Schedule

After that Super Late Model fans had to wait till 2022 for the next race when the ASA Southern Super Series and ASA/CRA Super Series hosted a 75-lap event won by Sammy Smith. That was the precursor to this year’s event for the ASA STARS National Tour to take part in history at the track. The only other ASA named race that was held was in 2010 for the Sunoco National Tour King’s Ransom that was won by Jeff Choquette.

This upcoming event will be the first ASA National Tour race held on this venue. It will be the second for the Southern Super Series, who operates under the ASA flagship banner.

Single-day general admission tickets for the May 16 ASA Stars ECMD 150 are $30 and available at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Children six and under are admitted free. Advance parking is also available for purchase online. Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding NASCAR All-Star week and North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

The ASA STARS National Tour opened the ten race, six-state schedule at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on March 11. Georgia racer Casey Roderick won the Sunshine State 200. Ty Majeski is the most recent winner with the series, taking the win at Madison International Speedway on May 7.

The ECMD 150 will be co-sanctioned with the ASA Southern Super Series, which will be the third race of the ASA SSS season. William Byron and Casey Roderick won the first two races at New Smyrna Speedway and Five Flags Speedway.

For more information regarding the Southern Super Series, visit the series website at www.southernsuperseries.com. Follow us on Facebook at Southern Super Series, on Twitter at @SoSuperSeries, and on Instagram at @officialsouthernsuperseries.

For the full ASA STARS National Tour schedule, plus Super Late Model rules and other information, please visit the series website at starsnationaltour.com, or be sure to follow the series on social media (Facebook: STARS National Series | Twitter: @racewithstars | IG: @starsnational).

ASA STARS National Tour
The ASA STARS National Tour debuted in March of 2023 for Super Late Model racing in America. Announced last October, many of the best drivers in America will compete in the ten-race national tour with a minimum $100,000 point fund. The championship team will be guaranteed $25,000.

The ASA STARS National Tour is made up of three races from each of the regional pavement Super Late Model Series under the Track Enterprises banner; the ASA CRA Super Series, the ASA Midwest Tour and the ASA Southern Super Series.

The Team Construction Winner’s Circle program has been announced as a part of the ASA STARS National Tour for licensed drivers/teams with perfect attendance. The program provides additional financial incentives to those teams who support the Series, thanks to Team Construction.

Track Enterprises, a Racing Promotions Company based in Illinois, will operate the ASA STARS National Tour. It announced the acquisition of the CRA sanctioning body in January and followed that up with the purchase of the Midwest Tour in July. In October, Track Enterprises President, Bob Sargent announced a partnership with the Southern Super Series which set the table for the formation of the ASA STARS National Tour.

-ASA STARS National Tour Press Release
-Photo credit: Norm Marx