Hickory Motor Speedway
Encyclopedia
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track
located in Hickory, North Carolina
. It is one of stock car racing
's most storied venues, and is often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR
Stars".
The track first opened in 1951 as a half mile dirt track. Gwyn Staley
won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson
, Ned Jarrett
, and Ralph Earnhardt would also become track champions in the 1950s, Earnhardt alone winning 5 of them.
In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (now the Sprint Cup) paid visit to the track for the first time. Tim Flock
won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National Schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there 7 times.
The track has been re-configured 3 times in its history. The track became a .4-mile (643.738 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season. In 1970, Hickory was shortened a second time to its present length of .363 miles (584.192 meters).
Hickory was dropped from the Grand National schedule after the 1971 season when R. J. Reynolds began sponsoring the series and dropped all races under 250 miles (402.336 kilometers) from the schedule. It remained in use, however, as a popular NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series venue. When the series was reformed as the Budweiser Late Model Series (now known as the Nationwide Series) in 1982, Hickory played a prominent part of its first season, hosting 6 of the series' 28 races. Drivers Jack Ingram
and Tommy Houston
, two former track champions, would each win 8 times at the track in the Busch Series.
As more tracks began hosting Nationwide Series races, Hickory's involvement was progressively reduced to 2 races a year by 1987, and then just the Easter weekend by 1995. By 1998, the Nationwide Series began adding more races at Sprint Cup Series tracks, and Hickory was dropped from the schedule after 17 years.
Hickory is still used as a venue for NASCAR's club racing division, the Whelen All-American Series
. The USAR Hooters Pro Cup also features a race at the track.
Short track motor racing
In North American auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a racetrack of less than one mile in length. Short track racing, often associated with fairgrounds and similar venues, is where stock car racing first got off the back roads and into organized and regulated...
located in Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Hickory has the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The city's population was 37,222...
. It is one of stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
's most storied venues, and is often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Stars".
The track first opened in 1951 as a half mile dirt track. Gwyn Staley
Gwyn Staley
Gwyn Staley was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Burlington, North Carolina, USA.-Career:...
won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
, Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
, and Ralph Earnhardt would also become track champions in the 1950s, Earnhardt alone winning 5 of them.
In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (now the Sprint Cup) paid visit to the track for the first time. Tim Flock
Tim Flock
Julius Timothy Flock was one of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.- NASCAR career :...
won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National Schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there 7 times.
The track has been re-configured 3 times in its history. The track became a .4-mile (643.738 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season. In 1970, Hickory was shortened a second time to its present length of .363 miles (584.192 meters).
Hickory was dropped from the Grand National schedule after the 1971 season when R. J. Reynolds began sponsoring the series and dropped all races under 250 miles (402.336 kilometers) from the schedule. It remained in use, however, as a popular NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series venue. When the series was reformed as the Budweiser Late Model Series (now known as the Nationwide Series) in 1982, Hickory played a prominent part of its first season, hosting 6 of the series' 28 races. Drivers Jack Ingram
Jack Ingram (NASCAR)
Jack Ingram is a former NASCAR Busch Series race car driver and champion. Nicknamed the "Iron Man", during eight seasons in the Busch Series, he won 31 races and 5 poles, as well as the 1982 and 1985 championships. Unlike most younger competitors, Ingram won his 31 races between the age of 45 and...
and Tommy Houston
Tommy Houston
Tommy Houston, is a retired NASCAR Busch Series' drivers. Over his career, Houston and Jack Ingram became known as the pair journeymen drivers that helped that series grow throughout the 1980s and early 1990s....
, two former track champions, would each win 8 times at the track in the Busch Series.
As more tracks began hosting Nationwide Series races, Hickory's involvement was progressively reduced to 2 races a year by 1987, and then just the Easter weekend by 1995. By 1998, the Nationwide Series began adding more races at Sprint Cup Series tracks, and Hickory was dropped from the schedule after 17 years.
Hickory is still used as a venue for NASCAR's club racing division, the Whelen All-American Series
Whelen All-American Series
The Whelen All-American Series is a points championship for NASCAR sanctioned local racetracks around the United States and Canada....
. The USAR Hooters Pro Cup also features a race at the track.