NASCAR’S PRESTIGIOUS CUP SERIES IS RETURNING TO NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY. THIS YEAR’S ALL-STAR RACE IS THREE WEEKS FROM SUNDAY AT THE HISTORIC TRACK, WHICH HOSTED 93 CUP RACES BETWEEN 1949 AND 1996. THE STORY OF NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY ACTUALLY PREDATES NASCAR ITSELF. THERE ARE INCREDIBLE HIGHS AND HEARTBREAKING LOWS IN ITS MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY, AND THERE’S NOBODY WHO CAN TELL THE STORY BETTER THAN FORMER TRACK PRESIDENT MIKE STALEY, WHOSE FATHER WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FOUNDERS. TONIGHT, WE KICK OFF OUR SERIES BACK ON TRACK RACING RETURNS TO NORTH WILKESBORO FOR THAT IS PRETTY COOL, TOO. IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEN MIKE STALEY’S, THREE CAR GARAGE IN NORTH WILKESBORO HAS TO BE WORTH MILLIONS OF THEM. IT’S NOT AN ACCIDENT THAT HE HAS ALL OF THESE RACETRACK ARTIFACTS, EVERYTHING FROM THE PACE CAR USED IN ITS FINAL SEASON TO THE OLD CONCESSION STAND SIGN 250 FOR A PACK OF CIGARETS. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, MIKE’S FATHER, ENOCH STALEY, WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY. I REMEMBER ONE WELL PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I EVER WENT DOWN THERE. I WAS PROBABLY 5 OR 6 YEARS GO OLD. MAMA TOOK ME DOWN THERE AND SAID, I WANT TO GO IN THE TRACK AND THERE’S GUYS AT THE GATE. YOU KNOW, BIG OLD GUYS, YOU KNOW, I WAS AFRAID TO GO IN. I SAID, TELL WHO YOU ARE. I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST SHY, YOU KNOW, SO I FINALLY SAID, MY DAD SAID, GO, MIKE SAYS THE WHOLE THING STARTED AFTER HIS FATHER AND SOME FRIENDS WENT TO A RACE IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE MID 1940S AND THOUGHT, LET’S BUILD A RACE TRACK HERE AT HOME. SOMEBODY HAD SOME MONEY AND SOMEBODY HAD SOME EQUIPMENT AND SOMEBODY HAD THE LAND AND THAT’S HOW THEY PARTNERED UP NORTH WILKESBORO HOSTED ITS FIRST RACE ON DIRT IN 1947. AT THE TIME, NASCAR DID NOT YET EXIST. THEY EXPECTED MAYBE 3000 PEOPLE. AT THE FIRST RACE. THEY HAD 10,000. THEY KNEW THEY WERE ON TO SOMETHING, AND IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG BEFORE ENOCH WAS WORKING FOR NASCAR FULL TIME, STARTING IN 1949, NORTH WILKESBORO WENT ON TO HOST 93 CUP SERIES RACES AND EVENTUALLY MIKE BECAME TRACK PRESIDENT. IT WAS THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, WORKING WITH MY DAD AND THEN RUNNING THE SPEEDWAY. OH MAN, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS THE LAST ONE. AND BUT ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 1996, THE TRACK HOSTED ITS FINAL CUP RACE. NASCAR DECIDED TO GIVE NORTH WILKESBORO TWO RACES A YEAR TO MUCH NEWER TRACKS IN TEXAS AND NEW HAMPSHIRE. I JUST HATE TO LEAVE IT NOT GOOD. I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE STAYED. IT’S A SOUTH. IT’S THAT’S WHERE THE SPORT COME FROM. FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF SHORT TRACKS OR DIRT TRACKS AND ALL THAT IS NOW JUST IT’S JUST A MONEY RACKET. 80% OF THE RACE TRACKS I EVER WANT TO RACE ON. THEY’RE NOT IN EXISTENCE ANYMORE. SPORTS RUN IN WINSTON CUP. SO IT’S JUST ANOTHER RACE. SO FOR DECADES, NORTH WILKESBORO JUST SAT. I DIDN’T LIKE TO LOOK AT IT. IT WAS JUST A LITTLE DETERIORATED LIKE THAT. AND THE BUILDING WAS FILLED IN AND YOU COULD SEE IT AND JUST WHAT WAS THERE AT ONE TIME? HOW VIBRANT AND ALIVE AND THE PEOPLE THAT CAME IS JUST AMAZING THAT IT COULD GO DOWN THAT WAY. NOW, ALMOST 27 YEARS LATER, THE TRACK IS GETTING AN $18 MILLION FACELIFT AND THE CUP SERIES IS COMING BACK. DID YOU HONESTLY EVER THINK WE’D GET TO WHERE WE ARE NOW? NO, NOT NOT WITHOUT THE INFLUX OF A LOT OF MONEY TO COME BACK. AND THAT’S LUCKILY THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED. YOU COULD ARGUE IT’S ONE OF THE ONLY GOOD THINGS TO COME OUT OF COVID, COULDN’T YOU? YEAH, THAT’S TRUE. THAT’S TRUE. WHAT WOULD YOUR DAD THINK OF ALL THIS? HE’D BE PRETTY AMAZED. HE WOULD. HE WOULD LIKE IT. I’M SURE. MIKE STALEY SAYS WHEN THE ALL-STAR FESTIVITIES ARE OVER, HE’D LOVE TO SEE RACING CONTINUE WITH THE TRACK, PARTICULARLY IN THE MODIFIED SERIES, WHICH IS THE SIGNATURE EVENT AT BOWMAN GRACE STADIUM IN WINSTON-SALEM. BE SURE TO STAY WITH US. IN THE RUN UP TO THE ALL STAR RACE WE’VE GOT CONTINUING COVERAGE FOR YOU, INCLUDING AN HOUR LONG SPECIAL BACK ON TRACK RACING RETURNS TO NORTH WILKESBORO. YOU CAN SEE IT ONLY HERE ON WXII 12 NEWS MONDAY, MAY 15TH AT 7