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After Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Hard Work Sees Success, Another Piece of NASCAR Heritage Beckons Similar Fate

Published 12/08/2022, 11:15 AM EST

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Race track revivals have become a talking point, ever since Dale Earnhardt Jr put in the effort to revive North Wilkesboro Speedway. That was not the only track in the states that had once been host to regular events but slowly died out. In fact, nature has now claimed back several such tracks. Back in the day, the inaugural winner of the Talladega 500 erected a track called Pender County Speedway. But just like most short tracks in the country today, it too slowly disappeared.

Of late, there have been speculations about whether the Pender County Speedway will ever make a comeback. But that only depends if there is enough interest surrounding the whole aspect of it. The track came to life back in 1979 and former NASCAR driver, Richard Brickhouse, created it. The former driver is regarded to have won the first round of the infamous Talladega 500 race.

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The Pender County Speedway was a four-tenths of a mile-long short dirt track. It had some good racing over the years. However, due to low interest in the area, the track closed its gates in 1987. It has been roughly 35 years and nature has slowly reclaimed the area. What was once a playground for cars to race past each other is now home to trees and vegetation.

Will the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. help the race track come back to life?

Well, when one talks about bringing back old and dilapidated racing venues, almost everyone looks toward former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. His initiative to bring the North Wilkesboro Speedway to life sparked a newfound interest in the racing community to bring back other old venues to life.

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The Pender County public information director of tourism, Tammy Proctor, was asked if there was a chance to bring ghost tracks like the Pender County Speedway back to life. He responded that it certainly was not out of the question. But he also mentioned, for someone to bring back such a track, they would have to invest and spend a lot of time doing so.

Moreover, the community would have to pitch in their support, too. Because at the end of the day, if they revive a track after sending immense sums of money, it would need to balance the ledger with fans attending in the first place.

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Currently, the Pender County Speedway is less than what it used to be. The once prime racing spot is now engulfed in forestation. With enough interest in a ghost track like this, anything would be possible. After all, if North Wilkesboro can make it back, with time and money, anything can.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal

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Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog as well, covering NASCAR, F1, F2, W Series, MotoGP, DTM, IndyCar, WRC, and WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bubba Wallace, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare