Asheville-Weaverville Speedway
| Location | Flat Creek Township, Buncombe County, near Weaverville, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Capacity | over 7,000 |
| Opened | 1951 |
| Closed | 1987 |
| Major events | Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series) |
| Dirt oval track | |
| Length | 0.54 mi (0.87 km) |
The Asheville-Weaverville Speedway near Weaverville, North Carolina, USA was considered to be site for the old-school NASCAR races in both the Grand National and the Winston Cup eras (which is now known as the Sprint Cup Series). None of the active drivers that are in the Sprint Cup Series today have ever raced at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Even some of the legends like Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Petty have never raced on the track due to the timing of their careers. From 1951 to 1969, the race course offered some wins from drivers like Richard Petty, Bob Flock, Fonty Flock, Lee Petty, and a win by Fireball Roberts. As a dirt oval track, the speedway helped served its purpose during the dirt-dominated formative years of what is now called the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was later paved over. Other NASCAR legends like Banjo Matthews, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, and Cotton Owens had made notable appearances here.
The track was closed from the 1970s to racing, until North Buncombe High School was built on the property of the former track. 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. Originally, the objectors were hotel operators but 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 with 1117 students.
Winners of the circuit
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
The Asheville-Weaverville Speedway is not to be confused with the "New Asheville Speedway", which was located on Amboy Road in Asheville, approximately 20 miles south of the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. This track was closed after zoning ordinances forced the track owners to sell the track to the River-Link Organization, an organization that promoted making the French Broad River area of Asheville a public park.
References
Coordinates: 35°44′25″N 82°33′28″W / 35.740382°N 82.557793°W