There’s no story in NASCAR history that delivered poetic justice quite like the revival of the North Wilkesboro speedway. What was a glorious track home to five of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s Cup Series wins fell from grace in a tragic way in 1996 after being sidelined to make room for the Texas Motor Speedway and bigger markets. However, things started changing when, in 2019, Dale Earnhardt Jr visited the abandoned speedway to help iRacing scan the track for its game. Seeing the dilapidated condition of the iconic track, it was only a matter of time before it was brought back for good.

And it wasn’t only Dale Earnhardt Jr who kick-started the track’s revival. The CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Marcus Smith, not only invested millions of his own wealth into resurrecting North Wilkesboro but also ensured the iconic speedway would host the 2023 All-Star Race, making not only the entire Wilkesboro community happy but also delighting fans from across the country who loved visiting the short track during its golden days. And now it seems like the efforts into the track’s restoration didn’t go to waste as not only is the venue back but the stakeholders behind its revival, including Earnhardt Junior, Marcus Smith, and a few others were aptly rewarded for their commitment.

Dale Earnhardt Jr and Marcus Smith delivered poetic justice

According to NMPA’s official website, the Pocono Raceway Spirit Award is “designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports.” So when the time came to honor the 2023 winners, the NASCAR community was not surprised to know that Dale Earnhardt Jr and Marcus Smith were in the lineup. They were also joined by Terri Parsons and Steven Wilson and were all rewarded for their efforts to resurrect the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr and Marcus Smith were definitely caught off guard. Junior chimed in to share on X, “Wow. That’s cool.” and Smith also commented, “Very cool! It’s amazing what can be accomplished when people work together!” What started as a fortunate plane ride for Earnhardt Jr with Marcus Smith after his plane had crash-landed turned into one of the biggest stories of 2023.

In many ways, North Wilkesboro was left to rot by Speedway Motorsports all those years ago to favor two events at Texas Motor Speedway. And now, it was Texas Motor Speedway that was getting sidelined to accommodate the fan-favorite short track. What could possibly be more poetic than that? This revival also came at a time when the community needed a major turnaround owing to factories moving overseas and local jobs diminishing.

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While many believe it was only due to Dale Earnhardt Jr’s proposition to Marcus Smith that any significant efforts were made to restore the track that was once beyond repair, the real voice of demand that was truly heard was actually from the fans themselves, who had never stopped advocating for a return to North Wilkesboro.

How the NASCAR community played a bigger role than Earnhardt Jr and Smith in North Wilkesboro’s revival

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Ever since North Wilkesboro made its exit from the Cup Series calendar, the community left no stone unturned to ensure their opinion on the matter was heard. The CEO of Speedway Motorsports remembers exactly how much the outcry was, sharing, “There was a tsunami of support. It grew and grew, and as it continued, I was like, ‘People don’t get it’,” Smith said. “They don’t get it. They didn’t really understand how far dilapidated the track was beyond repair,” he added.

No matter how far gone the track was in the officials’ eyes, its return was expected to shatter all previous NWS attendance records by quite a margin, and boy did the all-star weekend deliver. However, not everything was perfect on the organiser’s side. With temporary grandstands in place and last-minute sound systems installed, there was a hint of nervousness in the air all around. But as the race unfolded and the V8s once again filled the speedway with thundering echoes, the fans did not have a single complaint to make!

Earnhardt Jr was quoted by The Arkansas Democrat: “The grace the fans showed was incredible. They didn’t care about all of those things falling short. Everybody was just so happy to be there, so excited. They were basically in utter disbelief that this was actually happening.” Junior went on to claim that he had never experienced the energy and excitement quite like that night at North Wilkesboro ever before. Smith also chimed into state, “That was the first time it became apparent we could really do something if we really put our minds to it.”

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With Earnhardt Jr and Marcus Smith’s grand plan for North Wilkesboro paying dividends, it’s safe to say the NMPA award recipients are far more than deserving. But do you think the hype around the iconic track will last forever? Or will it begin to dwindle once again?