Asheville–Weaverville Speedway
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (November 2009) |
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| Location | 890 Clarks Chapel Rd Weaverville, NC 28787 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°44′19″N 82°33′31″W / 35.738671°N 82.558649°W |
| Capacity | over 7,000 |
| Opened | August 20, 1950 |
| Major events | Grand National Series |
| Dirt oval track | |
| Length | 0.54 miles (0.87 km) |
The Asheville–Weaverville Speedway near Weaverville, North Carolina a site for NASCAR races in both the Grand National and Winston Cup Series eras. From 1951 to 1969, races at the track were won by drivers like Richard Petty, Bob Flock, Fonty Flock, Lee Petty, Rex White, and Fireball Roberts. As a dirt oval track, the speedway helped serve its purpose during the dirt-dominated formative years of NASCAR's premier series. The track was paved in 1957.[1] Other NASCAR legends like Banjo Matthews, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, and Cotton Owens had made notable appearances here.
The track was closed in 1970, until North Buncombe High School was built on the property. In the 1970s and 1980s the track was used as softball fields and sports practice fields. The track itself had been disabled by first placing earthen barriers on opposite sides of the track, and later, concrete barriers at 8 locations around the track.
An anti-noise ordinance was used to shut down the track after years of racing; this fight was staged as early as the 1970 racing season when a group of citizens petitioned their city council to shut down the track. 75% of people who read the Asheville Citizen wanted that track to be closed in a poll done in the summer of 1987. However, by that time, the track had already been physically disabled for racing purposes. Urbanization and progress forced the property to be closed, demolished, and re-zoned for educational purposes.
The property is now occupied by North Buncombe High School.
Winners of the circuit
[edit]Winners of the circuit during the Grand National Series.
| Year | Winner | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Fonty Flock | Oldsmobile |
| 1952 | Bob Flock | Hudson |
| 1953 | Fonty Flock | Hudson |
| 1954 | Herb Thomas | Hudson |
| 1955 | Tim Flock | Chrysler |
| 1956 | Lee Petty | Dodge |
| 1957 | Buck Baker | Chevrolet |
| 1957 | Lee Petty | Oldsmobile |
| 1958 | Rex White | Chevrolet |
| 1958 | Fireball Roberts | Chevrolet |
| 1959 | Rex White | Chevrolet |
| 1959 | Bob Welborn | Chevrolet |
| 1959 | Lee Petty | Plymouth |
| 1960 | Lee Petty | Plymouth |
| 1960 | Rex White | Chevrolet |
| 1961 | Rex White | Chevrolet |
| 1961 | Junior Johnson | Pontiac |
| 1962 | Rex White | Chevrolet |
| 1962 | Joe Weatherly | Pontiac |
| 1962 | Jim Paschal | Plymouth |
| 1963 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1963 | Fred Lorenzen | Ford |
| 1964 | Marvin Panch | Ford |
| 1964 | Ned Jarrett | Ford |
| 1965 | Ned Jarrett | Ford |
| 1965 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1966 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1966 | Darel Dieringer | Mercury |
| 1967 | Richard Petty | Plymouth |
| 1967 | Bobby Allison | Ford |
| 1968 | David Pearson | Ford |
| 1968 | David Pearson | Ford |
| 1969 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge |
| 1969 | Bobby Isaac | Dodge |
New Asheville Speedway
[edit]The Asheville-Weaverville Speedway is not to be confused with the "New Asheville Speedway", which was a 1⁄3 mi (0.54 km) oval circuit located on Amboy Road in Asheville, about 12 miles south of the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. This track was closed after the track owners sold the track in 1998 to RiverLink, an organization that promoted making the French Broad River area of Asheville a public park. New Asheville became Carrier Park, with its racetrack becoming a banked concrete bicycle track.
References
[edit]- ^ "Asheville-Weaverville Speedway". Racing Reference.