Staff Reports

The USARacing Pro Cup Championship Series plans to make a stop at the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2010, it was announced over the weekend.

The North Wilkesboro race is planned for Oct. 3, 2010, falling on the same traditional fall weekend that the speedway hosted one of its annual NASCAR races until the track closed in 1996.

“We are extremely pleased to be the first national touring racing series to return to the true roots of stock car racing,” USARacing Managing Partner Larry Camp said in a press release. “We know the people of Wilkes County and the surrounding area of North Carolina have missed stock car racing on this storied track.

“All of us at the USARacing Pro Cup Series are proud to be a part of this rebirth. Personally, I know the Staley family, Junior Johnson and the many stock car racing purists will mark Oct. 3, 2010, as a red letter day in the sport. I know Benny Parsons would be extremely proud of (his wife) Terri for helping return stock car racing to the county that he and his family so dearly loved.”

In addition to Mrs. Parsons, the new ownership group consists of Alton McBride Sr., Alton McBride Jr., Dave Ehret, John Burwell and Bosco Lowe.

With the addition of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the USAR Pro Cup Series schedule contains five tracks that played key roles in NASCAR’s first 50 years. The series travels to Hickory Motor Speedway on May 1, Rockingham Speedway on May 15, South Boston Speedway on June 12 and for the season finale on Nov. 6, and Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 11.

Gresham Motorsports Park, site of the USAR Pro Cup Series season opener on March 27 and a Championship Series race on Oct. 23, is on the site of the old Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Ga., which hosted NASCAR Cup races in the late 1960s.

“We are very excited to add the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway to the 2010 USARacing Pro Cup Series schedule as this completes our 2010 schedule and adds another high profile venue to our already impressive list of quality and historic tracks,” Jimmy Wilson, vice president and series director said in a release.

“In addition to North Wilkesboro, we have solidified our date with Hickory Motor Speedway, moving it earlier in the season compared to years past. This is truly a schedule everyone can get excited over.”

The Web site www.savethespeedway.net — started by Speedway enthusiast Rob Marsden in 2005 — trumpeted the USAR announcement on its site over the weekend.

“Today we at Save The Speedway would like to announce the closure of North Wilkesboro Speedway has come to an end, and racing will return in 2010 with the USAR Pro Cup Series on October 3, 2010,” the Web site stated. “Since 2005 we have been here as guardians of the history and the speedway.

“We dedicated ourselves to a greater cause that has now come true. With new owners in place we hope that North Wilkesboro Speedway will now begin a new life.”