Wilson Speedway Explained

Wilson Speedway
Location:Wilson, North Carolina
Coordinates:35.699°N -77.93°W
Opened:1934
Closed:1989
Events:NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Convertible Series
Layout1:oval
Surface:dirt
Length Km:0.8
Length Mi:0.5
Miles First:true

Wilson Speedway was a half-mile dirt oval located in Wilson, North Carolina that held 12 NASCAR Cup Series between 1951 and 1960 and 5 races in the NASCAR Convertible Series from 1956 to 1958.[1] and continued to hold local races until 1989 when the track was closed. The track was located at the Wilson County American Legion Fair Grounds.[2]

History

The track opened in 1934 and originally held horse racing before switching to becoming an auto racing track in 1935 the track was accredited three years later by AAA and held races until the United States' entry into World War II in 1941. Racing continued following the war until 1989.

Hours before the 1959 NASCAR race, the grandstands burned to the ground and 8000 fans in attendance watched the race from the ground.[3] In the 1960 NASCAR race, Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified for his fuel tank being too large after winning the race.[4]

During the 60's the track was one of the venues Dale Earnhardt raced at very early in his career.

As of 2022 the track is abandoned but still partially intact, with all of the track surface in turns 3 and 4 turning into grass and turns 1 and 2 being slightly off from the original track.

NASCAR results

Cup Series Results

!Race Number!Winner!Manufacturer!Average Speed (mph)
1951-30Fonty FlockOldsmobileUnknown
1952-29Herb ThomasHudson35.398
1953-18Fonty FlockHudson53.803
1953-34Herb ThomasHudson56.022
1954-11Buck BakerOldsmobile52.279
1956-08Herb ThomasChevrolet46.287
1956-56Buck BakerChrysler50.597
1957-06Ralph MoodyFord55.079
1958-05Lee PettyOldsmobile48.459
1959-07Junior JohnsonFord50.300
1959-22Junior JohnsonFord58.065
1960-12Joe WeatherlyFord55.113
Reference[5]

Convertible Results

!Race Number!Winner!Manufacturer!Average Speed (mph)
1956-21Curtis TurnerFord54.987
1957-09Joe WeatherlyFord55.325
1957-35Billy MyersFord54.987
1958-08Curtis TurnerFord47.362
1958-18Bob WelbornChevrolet45.196
Reference[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WILSON SPEEDWAY . April 7, 2022 . speedwayandroadracehistory . en.
  2. Book: Wood . Perry Allen . Silent Speedways of the Carolinas: The Grand National Histories of 29 Former Tracks . October 16, 2012 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-0261-5 . en.
  3. Web site: Boland . Marc . NASCAR History: The Good Old Days, Pennsylvania Style . Bleacher Report . April 10, 2022 . en.
  4. News: Meredith . Luke . NASCAR denies Ross Chastain's appeal over Sunday's post-race disqualification at Iowa Speedway . April 9, 2022 . . June 19, 2019.
  5. Web site: Tracks . April 7, 2022 . Racing-Reference . en-US.
  6. Web site: Tracks . April 7, 2022 . Racing-Reference . en-US.