NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — North Carolina is home to NASCAR, from its moonshine to dirt tracks and some of the most well-known racers.
What You Need To Know
- North Wilkesboro Speedway's first race was held back in 1947
- The short track laid dormant from the mid-1990s until last year
- Dean Combs grew up at the track, racing in numerous events at the track
- NASCAR is holding its All-Star Race at the track for the second year in a row
Carl Dean Combs describes the feeling of going around the race track like no other.
“I got butterflies every race, same lap before every race. When a green flag dropped, it was just me and the race car. And basically my theory of racing is just what was in front of me to keep my momentum up and keep going. And I couldn't even imagine the grandstand. I was just that concentrated in what I was doing,” Combs said.
Combs was a race car driver for decades, winning five lower-level Dash Series titles and traveling across the country for different series.
“We went from Richmond, Virginia, and Dover, Delaware. We even went to Daytona, Charlotte, Atlanta. You know, we ran most of the tracks in the southeast, and we went as far as Texas Motor Speedway at that time,” Combs said.
Although, one track stood out more than the rest: North Wilkesboro Speedway.
“I won 15 races up here in the Dash Series, and it seemed like I would get more nervous of this track because I want to win here in front of all my friends and family and give more effort,” Combs said.
Besides growing up steps away from the track, the driver said North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first asphalt track he raced on.
As he racked up titles and trophies, he competed for small cash prizes or items like a country ham, far from the prizes of races today.
“We had enough money to get into two of out of five [races]. I had to win the race to be able to get home. That's basically the kind of way we raced. It was just poor man's racing,” Combs said.
Combs said NASCAR has come a far way from how he started racing, wearing blue jeans and using pieces from his dad’s salvage yard for his cars. Even making a bet with a friend to win a helmet, something he couldn’t afford.
“I told a friend of mine I didn’t even have a helmet,” he said. Combs said he told his friend, “I’ll take the lead on the fourth turn and win this thing."
"The situation just happened right there, you know, boom,” said Combs, and he won his first helmet.
He said that he believes his career was cut short due to his involvement with moonshine, in the moonshine capital of the world, but he still loves racing today.
“I believe, to me, 72 years old now, I look back, and think I lived the American dream,” Combs said.
He is excited to see the return of racing back to the historic track, which helped craft drivers deemed as heroes to so many. Last year he went to some of the races as well.
“When they came by, you could feel the seat vibrate. When I sat down there, I said ‘this is racing,’” Combs said.
The short track hosted NASCAR’s All-Star Race last year as well, after being shut down for years, bringing excitement and life back to the town that helped spring board racing to one of America’s favorite pastimes.
“Anywhere you go, you just basically want to talk about, North Wilkesboro Speedway. Where's it going, is it going to make, is it not … they put on good racing and keep their enthusiasm going, it will be great,” Combs said.
He said he thanks those who put so much money and effort into breathing life back into the track that means so much to so many different people.
“North Wilkesboro is here, and it's going to stay for a while,” Combs said.
He is continuing his legacy of family racing with two of his grandsons participating in a race on the track leading up to the main race this weekend.
“I was thinking the other day how blessed I was to know that, you get some trying to follow in your footsteps and things that you've done for you for your life worth,” Combs said.
NASCAR’s All-Star Race will take place at 8 p.m. Sunday.