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North Wilkesboro Speedway's NASCAR Cup Series brings historic firsts to the racetrack

2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway
Courtesy North Wilkesboro Speedway
Fans filled the grandstands to watch the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. The historic Speedway will soon host its first NASCAR Cup Series points race in 30 years.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend. This year’s event will bring a series of historic firsts to the racetrack.

Since reopening its doors in 2023, the Speedway has hosted three consecutive All-Star Race sell-outs. This weekend’s Window World Cup Series will be the first 450-lap event in the track’s history.

Executive Director Graig Hoffman says that, unlike the previous exhibition races held at the Speedway, this will be a points race drawing the top level of NASCAR racing.

"You're going to have double the amount of drivers that start that race, double the amount of laps that the All-Star race had," says Hoffman. "The Cup cars have 750 horsepower, more horsepower than they've ever had. Throw all that in a pot of stew, stir it around, and we are going to have fantastic racing here at North Wilkesboro Speedway this week." 

Festivities begin Thursday night with the NASCAR hauler parade through the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro. NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott headlines the late model stock car tour on Friday. The Truck Series begins Saturday, followed by live music. And Sunday’s pre-race concert features multi-Gold Album country music band Sawyer Brown. The main event is Sunday. 

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.