While there may be a lot of controversy surrounding the potential return of NASCAR to the Nashville Fairgrounds, another legendary short track and small town in North Wilkesboro is ecstatic for the return of racing at the iconic facility.
The small business owners of Wilkes County, North Carolina are stocking up and gearing up to host the largest tourist crowd they’ve seen since 1996.
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Whether a yay-sayer or a nay-sayer, the All-Star race at Wilkesboro is happening and the small business owners and citizens are excited for the potential shot in the arm the event can give to their local economy. North Wilkesboro welcomes NASCAR home later this month.
Highlighting this story is the people of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Racing has a long-storied history in the town and when NASCAR packed its bags and left in 1996, they lost their primary claim to fame. Now with racing returning, however, they hope that this new-old attraction can once again breathe life into their local economy.
NASCAR legend and Hall-of-Famer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was honored to create the format for this year’s All-Star event. He has long been a champion of bringing racing back to the historic short track, even running in a CARS Tour late model stock even last August. He will once again strap into his No. 3 green Sundrop car during All-Star week for the CARS Tour race in May.
Johnmanley7859 says that with so many NASCAR tracks living and dying, it’s good to see one come back from the dead.
missyhammons wishes everyone, from the racers, to the track operators, to the local small business owners, luck. Her boyfriend can’t believe that it isn’t a dream.
missyhammons then comes back to comment this. She’s ready for flags to be flying over the Wilkesboro start-finish line.
SpenceSmithback on Reddit warns fans of major traffic congestion, stating that the area is not equipped to handle an event of this size.
joshjarnagin claps back, stating that they’ve handled massive crowds even bigger before and that they surely should be able to handle All-Star weekend.
So, Daily Downforce readers, are you excited about North Wilkesboro returning to the NASCAR schedule this month? Do potential traffic issues concern you? Or do you acknowledge them as a reality but are still excited to see the legendary occasion? Let us know! And stay right here for more developing NASCAR stories.
Following comments about Carson Hocevar on his podcast Actions Detrimental, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin made an interesting comparison of Hocevar in a social media post late Monday night.
This past weekend, EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta offered fans another classic race weekend full of solid racing and an exciting finish.
While the sport itself had a great weekend, the attention of the NASCAR community was lasered in on one driver, Carson Hocevar, whose aggressive driving, while nothing new, always seems to catch the attention of his peers.
This week, the key incident involving Hocevar was a wreck involving Christopher Bell during an overtime restart, in which Hocevar attempted to shoot for a gap between Bell and race leader Bubba Wallace.
While Hocevar was gunning for the lead, many commenters, such as FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick, said the young Spire Motorsports driver had “nowhere to go.”
Much like anything involving Hocevar, there has been a somewhat mixed reaction to this crash, with some praising his unapologetic style of racing and others, such as Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, disapproving of this decision.
During the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin called the situation “tough to watch,” saying that while the media loves Hocevar’s somewhat brash on-track style, as a competitor, he knows that Spire Motorsports driver’s actions will come back to bite him.
“It’s going to come back around. He’ll be in a position where he thinks he’s about to win, and then someone will decide that he’s not going to, and that’s gonna suck.” — Denny Hamlin
Following this episode, in which Hamlin also said Hocevar lacks the “craftsmanship” needed to win races, “beyond just having a fast car,” fans reacted to Hamlin’s take after Dirty Mo Media uploaded the clip on X.
In response, one user responded by comparing Hocevar’s competitiveness to a changing of the guard, saying, “Same old story, old dog doesn’t like puppy.” Hamlin, the proverbial old dog in this case, using this same symbolism, responded to this fan saying:
“Puppies are great, but if they shit in your bed you gonna just lay in it? Or teach the puppy where to properly take a dump?” — Denny Hamlin via X
The fan reaction to Hamlin’s comment ranged from praise to support for Hocevar, and even questions of past on-track actions made by the future Hall of Famer.
Of course, this comment, paired with the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, paints a broader picture of how Hamlin sees this lesson playing out for Hocevar.
Hamlin said on the podcast that he understands that this is just how Hocevar races, but that style will come with consequences, as the former Rookie of the Year is never going to get a break from the rest of the Cup Series garage.
“You’re just never gonna get anyone to give you a break when you clearly won’t give anyone else a break,” Hamlin said. “His style is his style, and he’s free to be whoever he wants to be.”
Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem that Hocevar has reached a point where Hamlin feels a need to take action into his own hands, with the veteran driver adding, “I don’t think we’re gonna do anything about it. I think you gotta just let it play itself out over time.”
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Road course racing is back, and with the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas up next, it’s the perfect time for a special conversation. Josh Bilicki joins the show to talk COTA prep, a new season with SS-Green Light Racing, why he loves the O’Reilly cars, and his new partnership with Mando.
From winning a recent endurance race at COTA to breaking down the challenge of managing brakes and tires in the O’Reilly car, Josh offers insight into why road courses are such an opportunity for drivers like him. It’s a great look at the grind smaller teams embrace every week and how preparation can make the difference.
Huge thanks to Mando for supporting Josh and the show this season. Don’t just mask it, Mando it. Available at Walmart and Target.
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Five years ago, turning Atlanta into a drafting track felt like madness. Drivers were mad, fans were skeptical, and the history of track reconfigurations didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Now, nine races into the new era, it’s fair to ask a wild question — is EchoPark Speedway actually one of the best tracks in NASCAR?
From instant classic finishes to all three national series delivering intensity, the new configuration has built a reputation quickly. What once looked like a risky overreach now feels like a bold move that paid off in a big way. The bigger debate might be what happens next. If the surface keeps wearing and the style evolves again, Atlanta could shift yet another time. For now, though, this track has gone from controversy to cornerstone.
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