NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ronald Queen has seen the North Wilkesboro Speedway at its best and worst.

What You Need To Know

  • Ronald Queen is the Director of Operations at North Wilkesboro Speedway

  • The speedway hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race Sunday

  • Queen used to work on Junior Johnson’s pit crew

Queen, the director of operations at the track, helped lead the efforts in cleaning up the track. The track hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race Sunday.

Walking through the newly renovated track is unbelievable to Queen. 

“Sometimes you have to pinch yourself to make sure this is not a dream, because it's come so far from it being sitting idle since '96,” Queen said. 

As a child he would come to the track a lot because his uncle lived on the property. 

“When they hollered and said, 'we got to go,' that was heartbreak. You know, you didn't want to leave. You just wanted some reason to stay,” Queen said. 

Queen is also no stranger to NASCAR, because he used to work on Junior Johnson’s pit crew. 

“It's awesome to have grown up here and have worked for Junior Johnson up until '95 when he closed. And to be able to be on a pit crew and jump over the wall with all the home fans, and you got to be at your best,” Queen said.

Queen’s favorite thing about the track are the colors. 

“To be able to see red, white, now that's, that's just surreal that you see that here with all the red and white. And we touched up on the stuff and put it back like it was. That's pretty good,” Queen said.