Wilson Speedway was a half-mile dirt oval located in Wilson, North Carolina that held 12 NASCAR Cup Series between 1951 and 1960 and 5 races in the NASCAR Convertible Series from 1956 to 1958. and continued to hold local races until 1989 when the track was closed. The track was located at the Wilson County American Legion Fair Grounds.
History The track opened in 1934 and originally held horse racing before switching to becoming an auto racing track in 1935 the track was accredited three years later by AAA and held races until the United States' entry into World War II in 1941. Racing continued following the war until 1989.
Hours before the 1959 NASCAR race, the grandstands burned to the ground and 8000 fans in attendance watched the race from the ground. In the 1960 NASCAR race, Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified for his fuel tank being too large after winning the race.
During the 60's the track was one of the venues Dale Earnhardt raced at very early in his career.
As of 2022 the track is abandoned but still partially intact, with all of the track surface in turns 3 and 4 turning into grass and turns 1 and 2 being slightly off from the original track.
NASCAR results Cup Series Results +Race NumberWinnerManufacturerAverage Speed (mph)1951-30Fonty FlockOldsmobileUnknown1952-29Herb ThomasHudson35.3981953-18Fonty FlockHudson53.8031953-34Herb ThomasHudson56.0221954-11Buck BakerOldsmobile52.2791956-08Herb ThomasChevrolet46.2871956-56Buck BakerChrysler50.5971957-06Ralph MoodyFord55.0791958-05Lee PettyOldsmobile48.4591959-07Junior JohnsonFord50.3001959-22Junior JohnsonFord58.0651960-12Joe WeatherlyFord55.113 Reference
Convertible Results +Race NumberWinnerManufacturerAverage Speed (mph)1956-21Curtis TurnerFord54.9871957-09Joe WeatherlyFord55.3251957-35Billy MyersFord54.9871958-08Curtis TurnerFord47.3621958-18Bob WelbornChevrolet45.196 Reference
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