Dale Earnhardt Jr. among group honored for North Wilkesboro restoration efforts

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among four being honored for helping preserve and restore North Wilkesboro Speedway. The other individuals include Terri Parsons, Marcus Smith and Steven Wilson.

The National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) announced the four individuals as recipients of the second quarter NMPA Pocono Spirit Award. Earnhardt, Parsons, Smith and Wilson played a pivotal role in the preservation and restoration of North Wilkesboro.

NEWS: @DaleJr, @TerriPa61540204, @MarcusSMI, and @savethespeedway have been recognized by members of the @NMPAonline as recipients of the Second Quarter @PoconoRaceway Spirit Award for their efforts in preserving and restoring @NWBSpeedway.#NASCARhttps://t.co/hjiqChPeLy

— Justin Schuoler (@JSchuoler) June 20, 2023

In a statement, the NMPA praised Earnhardt for using his platform to bring attention to the historic track.

“Earnhardt used his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, to press Smith on the issue,” the release said. “He also organized a cleanup day at the racetrack on a cold and rainy day in 2019 so iRacing could scan the track for its platform.”

North Wilkesboro Speedway used to be part of the NASCAR circuit for decades. However, the decline of the track forced the sport out, running its last regular season race in 1996.

This year, NASCAR made a triumphant return to the historic racing venue. The league hosted its annual All-Star race at North Wilkesboro, with plenty of interest from fans around the country.

It wasn’t the most entertaining race, but it did appeal to many because of the historic venue. And since NASCAR’s return, there’s speculation that the track could host a regular season race at some point in the future.

NASCAR legend Dale Jarrett talks about North Wilkesboro

Although he didn’t participate in the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro, NASCAR legend Dale Jarrett was a huge fan of the event. He couldn’t say enough positive things about the sport’s return to the historic track.

“All I know is it was jam packed and you couldn’t have put another person in there,” Jarrett told NBC Sports. “And that’s appealing to the eye. And I know NASCAR had to be thrilled.”

Jarrett said the sport’s history at the track proved to be appealing to the masses. And the fact there was still so much interest — even after nearly a three-decade absence — indicates NASCAR might look into hosting a regular season race at the venue.

“North Wilkesboro was a big part of why this sport continued to grow through the 80s and 90s until we quit racing there. It was great to see that,” Jarrett said. “The fan support was just unbelievable … it was a good vibe and a good scene to be part of. … So, I think it was a huge success.

“Will we see a race there, a points race? I don’t see why not. … The surface just needs to be redone and I think we’ll see better racing then.”