The North Wilkesboro Speedway opened in 1947 and was a classic NASCAR venue. The last race was held there on Sept. 29, 1996. Since then, the .625-mile asphalt oval (which featured a unique uphill and downhill straightways) has been silent and the 40,000 seats empty. This demise of the venerable track came as the result of track owners Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre purchasing the track and each ripping one of the 2 track's race dates to bring Winston Cup racing to Texas Motor Speedway while Bahre took the other date to secure a second race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Since September 1996 the track has been silent. Though Texas opened a new market for Winston Cup, it was yet another 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. And the September 2000 race at New Hampshire took the award for most boring race in years as Jeff Burton led all 300 laps.
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