AND HERE’S SOME OF THAT SPECIAL COVERAGE RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE MANY PASSIONATE RACING FANS ALL THROUGHOUT THE PIEDMONT TRIAD, BUT VERY FEW HAVE A RICH FAMILY HISTORY IN THE SPORT LIKE COLBERT GRAVES, HE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WINSTON CUP MUSEUM IN THIS EVENING, HE IS SHARING HIS THOUGHTS ON THE UPCOMING NORTH WILKESBORO ALL STAR RACE, THE CURRENT STATE OF NASCAR AND HIS FATHER’S LONG LASTING INFLUENCE ON THE SPORT. FROM 1972 TO 1996, I WENT TO EVERY RACE WHEN IT COMES TO NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY OR NASCAR HISTORY IN GENERAL. COLBERT SAID. GRAVES KNOWS ABOUT AS MUCH AS ANYBODY AT THE WINSTON CUP MUSEUM IN WINSTON-SALEM, WHERE HE’S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. YOU’LL FIND TICKET STUBS FROM THE FINAL RACE, AN OLD SEAT CUSHION AND ALL KINDS OF OTHER COOL STUFF. NORTH WILKESBORO IS A MAGICAL RACETRACK AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRACKS. I WAS GLAD TO SEE NASCAR GOING BACK TO THEIR ROOTS. I THINK THEY’VE GOTTEN AWAY FROM IT A LITTLE BIT AND I THINK GOING TO WILKESBORO IS GOING TO HELP BRING SOME OF THE FANS THAT HAVE GONE AWAY BACK INTO THE SPORT, SEAGROVE SAYS. DALE EARNHARDT SENIOR’S DEATH, THE RETIREMENT OF DALE EARNHARDT JR AND OTHER GREATS, AND A LACK OF CURRENT RIVALRIES HAVE CAUSED SOME FANS TO LOSE INTEREST, AS THE NAME OF THE MUSEUM SUGGESTS. A LOT OF HIS FONDEST MEMORIES COME FROM A DIFFERENT TIME IN THE SPORT AND CENTER AROUND HIS FATHER, R.J. REYNOLDS, EXECUTIVE AND NASCAR HALL OF FAMER RALPH GRAVES. IN 1969, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BANNED ADVERTISING ON TELEVISION AND RADIO FROM THE TOBACCO COMPANIES. THE TOBACCO COMPANIES HAD $70 MILLION TO SPEND, AND SO THEY BROUGHT IN THEIR TOP SALES DIVISION MANAGERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SPEND THAT MONEY. THE BEST WAY TO ALLOCATE IT. SO MY FATHER WAS ONE OF THOSE AND JUNIOR JOHNSON APPROACHED HIM ABOUT SPONSORING HIS RACE TEAM. AND WHEN MY DAD ASKED HIM, YOU KNOW WHAT HE NEEDED, HE SAID ABOUT $150,000 A YEAR. AND MY DAD SAID, WELL, WE GOT 70 MILLION. WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU GOT? JUST TWO YEARS LATER, NASCAR’S TOP LEVEL OF COMPETITION BECAME KNOWN AS THE WINSTON CUP SERIES. NASCAR. WHEN R.J. REYNOLDS GOT INVOLVED, DID NOT HAVE HARDLY ANY MARKETING EXPERIENCE OR ANYTHING. I DON’T THINK THEY HAD. BUT 2 OR 3 PEOPLE THAT WORKED IN THEIR MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT R.J. REYNOLDS HAD HUNDREDS. AND, YOU KNOW, WE KNEW HOW TO DO THINGS AND SHOWED AND IT WAS IT WAS A PERFECT MARRIAGE. THE MARRIAGE LASTED UNTIL 2003, SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE FINAL CUP RACE AT NORTH WILKESBORO. NOW SEE GRAVES AND OTHER FANS OF A BYGONE ERA GETTING SET FOR A TRIP BACK IN TIME. THE SHORT TRACKS ARE ARE WHERE THE MOST ACTION IS. YOU YOU GET THE BIG WRECK AT DAYTONA, YOU GET THE BIG WRECK AT TALLADEGA. BUT YOU GET A WHOLE LOT OF LITTLE WRECKS AT THE SHORT TRACKS AND THEY’RE BEATING AND BANGING WILKESBORO IS AN EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE RACETRACK. IT’S A THE DRIVERS LOVE DRIVING THAT TRACK AND AND IT’S GOING TO BE AN EXCITING RACE. IT’S REALLY GOING TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. WILKES WILKES COUNTY A LOT. AND I THINK IT’LL I THINK IT’LL TRICKLE DOWN TO TO WINSTON-SALEM IN THE TRIAD AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S GOOD FOR THE SPORT. I THINK IT’S GOOD FOR THE STATE. I THINK IT’S GOOD FOR FOR NASCAR. GILBERT SEAGRAVE SAYS