NASCAR sees return of North Wilkesboro Speedway to host All-Star Race in 2023

NASCAR will host the 2023 All-Star Race from May 19 to 21 at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. The sanctioning body on Thursday announced that the revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway will return to the 2023 edition of the All-Star Race during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season next year.

The announcement of North Wilkesboro's return to the 2023 calendar was made Thursday morning at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh in a press conference attended by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell, Speedway Motorsports' President and CEO Marcus Smith, and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 2023 All-Star Race includes a three-day weekend of racing from May 19 to 21 and NASCAR is yet to announce the full schedule for the All-Star weekend. Meanwhile, it has also not been revealed whether Xfinity Series and Truck Series will be a part of the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway next year.

The 0.625-mile short track owned by Speedway Motorsports opened in 1947 and began hosting Cup races in 1951. It became an annual stop on the schedule and even started hosting two races a year in 1952. The venue hosted more than 90 Cup races before it last hosted a Cup race in 1996, and the track missed out on its slots as Texas Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway took over.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcus Smith react to the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway to NASCAR

The return of North Wilkesboro Speedway created excitement among both old and new NASCAR fans about it. In a press release, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been at the center of the track’s revival, said:

“Some of my best memories as a little boy were going to North Wilkesboro. And it got even better when I raced there as a teenager. I never thought I’d see that place full again, and then I got to race there this summer in a late model before a full house. There’s just something special about it. I know the track, the fans, and the community will put on a show when we’re back with the Cup cars for the All-Star race.”

The CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Marcus Smith, admitted the excitement he has in reviving the sport at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He said:

“It’ll be something that people want to come from all over the country and enjoy – NASCAR All-Star week at North Wilkesboro Speedway – to enjoy the culture, the festivities, the history. We’re excited to revive it.”

The 2023 All-Star Race weekend is scheduled to take place between May 19 to 21, 2023.