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Asheville–Weaverville Speedway

Coordinates: 35°44′25″N 82°33′28″W / 35.740382°N 82.557793°W / 35.740382; -82.557793
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Asheville–Weaverville Speedway
Location890 Clarks Chapel Rd Weaverville, NC 28787
Coordinates35°44′19″N 82°33′31″W / 35.738671°N 82.558649°W / 35.738671; -82.558649
Capacityover 7,000
OpenedAugust 20, 1950
Major eventsGrand National Series
Dirt oval track
Length0.54 miles (0.87 km)

The Asheville–Weaverville Speedway near Weaverville, North Carolina a site for NASCAR races in both the Grand National and Winston Cup Series eras. From 1951 to 1969, races at the track were won by drivers like Richard Petty, Bob Flock, Fonty Flock, Lee Petty, Rex White, and Fireball Roberts. As a dirt oval track, the speedway helped serve its purpose during the dirt-dominated formative years of NASCAR's premier series. The track was paved in 1957.[1] Other NASCAR legends like Banjo Matthews, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, and Cotton Owens had made notable appearances here.

The track was closed in 1970, until North Buncombe High School was built on the property. 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. 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.

Winners of the circuit

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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

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The Asheville-Weaverville Speedway is not to be confused with the "New Asheville Speedway", which was a 13 mi (0.54 km) oval circuit located on Amboy Road in Asheville, about 12 miles south of the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. This track was closed after the track owners sold the track in 1998 to RiverLink, an organization that promoted making the French Broad River area of Asheville a public park. New Asheville became Carrier Park, with its racetrack becoming a banked concrete bicycle track.

References

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  1. ^ "Asheville-Weaverville Speedway". Racing Reference.
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35°44′25″N 82°33′28″W / 35.740382°N 82.557793°W / 35.740382; -82.557793