Dale Earnhardt Jr. went to North Wilkesboro Speedway in December 2019 and cleared weeds off the cracked track with a string trimmer, in the rain, with friends and track crews. NASCAR's Cup Series had last raced there in 1996, and the clean-up let a racing simulator scan the surface. The interest that followed helped bring racing back, and in July 2026 Joey Logano won the track's first Cup points race in 30 years.
Dale Jr. Grabbed a Weed-Eater at a Dead Racetrack
North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina last hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in 1996. On a rainy Monday in December 2019, Dale Earnhardt Jr. showed up with friends, track crews and string trimmers to clear the weeds off its cracked surface.
A Track Left to the Weeds
The 0.625-mile track opened in 1947 and hosted 93 Cup Series races before it closed after the 1996 season. Racing came back briefly in 2010, but the owners shut it down again in May 2011 for lack of funding.
By 2019 the surface was cracked and overgrown. Earnhardt, a retired Cup driver and now a broadcaster and team owner, had been pushing to preserve it, and he talked with Speedway Motorsports president Marcus Smith about scanning it for the iRacing simulator.
Rain, Weed-Eaters and Friends
The scan needed a clean surface, so on December 9, 2019, Earnhardt organized a clean-up. Smith brought track operations crews from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Cup driver Chris Buescher, truck driver Myatt Snider, iRacing's Steve Myers and NBC Sports' Rick Allen and Marty Snider were among those who came, along with two team spotters.
Despite the weather, the group cleared weeds and hauled away debris. Earnhardt joined in the work himself, with a weed-eater in hand, and Buescher later recalled him circling the track on a street sweeper, covered in mud. "She's getting a trim for an important date with @iRacing," he posted that day.
The Scan Went Live
iRacing laser-scanned the cleaned track and rebuilt it as it looked in the 1987 season. It went live in the simulator in May 2020, and sim drivers were racing there before anyone could in person.
Racing Came Back
The attention that followed the scan helped build momentum for a real comeback. The owners and North Carolina, which put in about $18 million of COVID-19 relief money, repaired the track, and racing resumed on August 2, 2022, with roughly 9,000 people in attendance.
NASCAR moved its All-Star Race there for 2023, the Cup Series' first visit in 27 years. On July 19, 2026, the Window World 450 became the first Cup points race at North Wilkesboro since 1996. Joey Logano won it.
The track Earnhardt cleared by hand is racing again.
Source:NASCAR.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was the last NASCAR Cup race at North Wilkesboro before it reopened?
What did Dale Earnhardt Jr. do at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2019?
Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. reopen North Wilkesboro Speedway?
When did North Wilkesboro host a Cup points race again?
Verified Fact
Verified Oct 7, 2026 · 5 sources checked
Source: NASCAR.comShow verification details
Claims checked
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a clean-up of the overgrown track on December 9, 2019, in the rain, with friends and track crews
- Earnhardt worked on the track himself with a weed-eater; a driver recalled him circling on a street sweeper
- The clean-up let iRacing laser-scan the track for its simulator
- The Cup Series last raced there on September 29, 1996
- The attention that followed helped bring racing back; the owners and North Carolina money paid for repairs
- The July 19, 2026 Window World 450 was the first Cup points race there since 1996
Sources: NASCAR.com, Lee Enterprises, Racing News, Frontstretch, Wikipedia
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