If one were to hop in the time machine and head to a short track, that’s got more stories than their grandpa’s attic, where would that be? The machine would precisely land at the Hickory Motor Speedway. Nestled in the Foothills of North Carolina, this place is a total legend, nicknamed “The World’s Most Famous Short Track” and “The Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars,” and those titles are well-earned.

Since it first opened back in 1951 as a half-mile dirt track, Hickory’s been the stomping ground for racing icons like Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, and Ralph Earnhardt, who bagged five championships there in the ‘50s. It’s the kind of track where drivers either rose to glory or went home in pieces, and you can still feel the rumble of those old engines in the air.

Hickory’s been through a few glow-ups over the years—shrunk down to a 4/10-mile dirt track in 1955, paved over in 1967, and then trimmed to its current 0.363-mile length by 1970. Back in the day, it hosted NASCAR Grand National Series races, and even the Busch Series rolled through, before it all stopped in 1998.

Nowadays, Hickory keeps the vibes alive, showcasing Late Model Stocks, Limited Late Models, Street Stocks, Super Trucks, and Renegades, plus some of the best short track series around. Sure, NASCAR’s top dogs haven’t been back in over two decades, but Hickory’s still a driver’s playground, and Chase Elliott just let us in on why it’s still got that magic.

Chase Elliott on Hickory’s enduring allure

Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champ, knows a thing or two about short tracks, and he’s got a soft spot for Hickory. He races Late Models often, as that’s the car he grew up in and learned his race craft in. This week, Elliott will be taking on Hickory Motor Speedway in the ASA STARS National Tour Ross & Witmer 255. It’s a race he has run every year since 2023, finishing sixth and eighth so far, and this time, he needs a win more than ever. However, before diving into his will to win, he reflected on why Hickory gains so much traction each year.

Apart from Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch‘s son, Brexton will make his Legends Car debut there, and defending track champion Keelan Harvick, son of Kevin Harvick, will be taking the track in stock cars along with Elliott. In a recent interview with Stever Taranto, he opened up about why this North Carolina gem still draws top talent, even though NASCAR’s big leagues haven’t rolled through in years. “I think it attracts a lot of good, talented racecar drivers and teams, too, because it’s close to Charlotte. That kind of being the hub for everybody—a lot of healthy car counts, parts and pieces that migrate around the Charlotte-Concord-Mooreseville area, it just seems like a lot of cars, like late model cars in general, around the area.” Hickory’s proximity to Charlotte, the heart of NASCAR country, makes it a hotbed for competition, and Elliott’s not wrong—where the car counts are high, the racing is fierce.

Elliott’s love for short tracks like Hickory isn’t just restricted to words, his numbers do the talking for him. Elliott boasts an impressive 11.1 average finish across 77 starts on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series. Out of those starts, he’s racked up 7 wins, 28 top-5 finishes, and 43 top-10s, with a 9.1% win percentage and a 55.8% top-10 rate. He’s led 2,115 laps on short tracks, showing he’s not just hanging around—he’s dominating the races. Elliott’s been particularly strong at tracks like Martinsville, where he’s won multiple times, and Bristol, where he’s consistently in the top 10. His return to Hickory for Super Late Model races—like the one he mentioned from last year—fits right into his wheelhouse, and if there was ever a time when he could use a win, it’s right now.

Chase Elliott has had a struggle-filled 2025 Cup Series Campaign. With his last win coming in 2024 at Texas Motor Speedway over a year ago, Elliott has been struggling for form. While he consistently finishes in the top-10 and never outside the top-20, he has not as many laps as he used to, just 74, and is yet to pick up a stage win. The speed seems to be missing from the #9 car, and unsurprisingly, his best races have come at short tracks. The exhibition race at Bowman Gray saw Elliott lead 174 laps en route to victory in the season-opening Clash. But since then, it’s been a fight to stay in the mix. It’s no surprise that Elliott wants to run Late Models at Hickory. After all, a win at a storied track like this would be a huge confidence boost heading into the Coca-Cola 600.

Elliott admitted that Hickory’s proximity to where NASCAR races on Sunday (Charlotte) is a driving factor for him to race here, along with the fact that there aren’t many Late Model races on a Thursday night. “Just on a Thursday night, on a week where it’s close… I can kind of slot in where my schedule allows and where it makes sense,” he explained.

What makes Hickory so special, according to Elliott, is also the competition it breeds. “The Southeast has really become a pretty solid foundation of asphalt short track racing,” he added, and Hickory’s legacy as a driver’s track lives on. It’s not just about nostalgia; it’s about the challenge, the talent, and the raw, unfiltered racing that keeps drivers coming back.

While NASCAR may have moved on, Hickory Motor Speedway remains a proving ground where the past and present collide, and Elliott’s words prove it’s still got a grip on the hearts of racers everywhere. Do you think Chase Elliott can take the win at Hickory in his third attempt? Let us know in the comments!