NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The green flag is set to drop at NASCAR’s All-Star race this weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Fans are already making their way to the big event.
The state and town have made improvements to North Wilkesboro Speedway that have benefited local businesses and drawn more people to the area.
North Wilkesboro Mayor Marc Hauser said hosting three consecutive All-Star races has been a huge success.
“We were tickled that we were going to get a third year in a row for the All-Star race. But there's reasons for that. One is that it's a historic track. It's been around about 77 years now. Also, they fill it. That capacity is a little over 25,000. And there's a lot of loyal NASCAR fans here,” he said.
All those fans in one place help give local businesses like The Dispensary Restaurant & Pub a sales boost.
“We cater for the patrol officers at the racetrack, and so we have two different meals that we will be catering this year. One of them is about 125 people. So that does bring us a nice little boost to our business,“ The Dispensary Restaurant & Pub manager Angela Anderson said.
NASCAR’s All-Star Race has been held at various tracks in recent history, and there is no guarantee it will stay put for a fourth year.
Anderson said if the race were to change locations it could hurt the progress the area has been making.
“It would be pretty disheartening to a lot of the people in the community who have grown up around here, and that were so excited to bring it back. And it would take away some of the economic improvements that have taken place and what it's brought back to the county,” she explained.
Hauser said he is in talks often with NASCAR but has not confirmed next year's return.
But he said racing will still have a presence in North Wilkesboro going forward.
“They have one or two in the fall, not the big NASCAR Cup series, but it's a race. But there's always something going on at the track,” Hauser said.
In 2023, the governor’s office did a study on the economic impact of racing’s return to North Wilkesboro.
That study found race attendees spent nearly $29 million for race weekend, and the overall impact to Wilkes County was just shy of $50 million.
Gates open for the Reverend Whiskey 75 at 6 p.m. Thursday, and events will continue through the All-Star race on Sunday.