Asheville-Weaverville Speedway (Redirected from New Asheville Speedway)

Asheville-Weaverville Speedway
LocationFlat Creek Township, Buncombe County, near Weaverville, North Carolina
Capacityover 7,000
Opened1951
Closed1987
Major eventsGrand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series)
Dirt oval track
Length0.54 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 Monster Energy Cup Series). None of the active drivers that are in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series today have ever raced at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. 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 Monster Energy NASCAR 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 / 35.740382; -82.557793


This page was last updated at 2019-11-09 21:47 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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