This Once Popular Nascar Track Has Tragically Turned Into An Abandoned Ruin

The North Wilkesboro Speedway was one of Nascar’s original circuits and appeared on the calendar from the series’ inception in 1949, right up until 1996.

It was once packed with thousands of motorsport fans, but now all that remains is a silent ruin. The track was sadly abandoned in 2011, following a brief re-opening in 2010.

Photographer Seph Lawless recently visited the North Wilkesboro Speedway and took some stunningly eerie images of the abandoned facility, which is located in North Carolina.

The track was opened in 1947, before hosting the eighth and final round of the Nascar Strictly Stock Division two years later. It was a mainstay on the Nascar calendar until 1996, with the final Sprint Cup race being won by Jeff Gordon.

It briefly re-opened in 2010, but in 2011 was left abandoned. Now, the 0.625 mile oval is a rotting, empty reminder of what was once a hugely popular Nascar venue.

Writing in a journal about his visit, Lawless said:

“This was America. Gone were the sounds of the car engines roaring. The squealing of the race car tires as they hugged every curve of the track. Gone was the smell of burning rubber and fuel. All that’s left now is skid marks and the broken memories of a Nascar champion.

“As I walk the race track it’s eerily silent. This track once grew champions…now it only grows weeds and dead grass. I approach the thick white finish line. I look up to a endless sea of abandoned seats. It’s faceless and emotionless. I became numb. I couldn’t tell if I had just finished my final lap or I was just beginning this race. Certain parts of America decline so fast these days, they should just paint racing stripes on it.”

Lawless is currently documenting abandoned parts of all 50 US states in a project called Autopsy of America. You can keep up to date with it by following him on Twitter and Instagram, as well as liking his Facebook page. A big thank you to Seph for allowing us to show his pictures.