NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Enoch Staley helped build the North Wilkesboro Speedway and the NASCAR empire.
What You Need To Know
- Enoch Staley helped build the North Wilkesboro Speedway before the formation of NASCAR
- He was a charter member of NASCAR and president of the speedway for years
- Enoch Staley's son, Mike Staley, was also president of the speedway before its closure in 1996
- The NASCAR All-Star Race is set for 8 p.m. Sunday
The North Wilkesboro office of his son, Mike Staley, is a time capsule of racing and family history.
“That's my mom right there. And she was a big Jeff Gordon fan," Mike Staley said. "If you look at it, see she's looking at Jeff Gordon right there. She called him the little feller."
With photos of famous drivers lining the wall, one man’s image shines a little brighter than the others — Enoch Staley.
“He was a pioneer in the sport. Him and his other investors that went in on the track, they didn't know, they just paid for one race. They didn't know it would do all this," Staley said. "They just said, 'well, we will have one race.' And they expected 3,000 people and 10,000 showed up, and they said, 'well, maybe we're onto something.'"
Enoch Staley was one of the founding members who helped build the North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1946, before the birth of NASCAR. He got the idea after watching a race in Greenville, South Carolina.
“A lot of bootleggers, a lot of hotrods around here, a lot of cars and people, they raced on these dirt roads. So why not get people to pay to watch them race?” Staley said.
NASCAR's first race was in 1948 at Daytona Beach a year after the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was proposed, according to the organization's website.
Enoch Staley was president of the North Wilkesboro Speedway and involved in the short track for almost 50 years, becoming a charter member of NASCAR.
“He was a pretty good businessman," Mike Staley said. "So I think he had an idea, but I don't think he thought it would go boom like it did, be historical and get so big. It was really unreal."
Growing up at the track, Staley got a front row seat on all the action and followed in his dad’s footsteps as president before the speedway's closure in 1996.
Staley has preserved racing history — every hat, photo, Winston Cup cigarettes pack and grand marshal jacket. The collection brings back memories of burning rubber and the rumble of engines at the track.
That includes the last pace car that ran at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, which has about 12,000 miles on it.
“I knew this was the last race, the last car, and so I talked to the Pontiac people and General Motors and told them I'd like to buy the car,” Staley said.
With the museum of memories, he says seeing the track abandoned for so many years was painful.
“It was hard — every time I saw something fall down (it was) like I got a Band-Aid off a sore, you know? It just hurt,” Staley said.
Although the track was crumbling, the community was growing stronger in support for the historic speedway. He says he never knew whether it would get the funding to come back but is excited to see where it will go.
Through the excitement of the fans and the community, the memories come rushing back as he reflects on how far the track has come.
“I've been missing dad a lot, I tell you that. Let's me think about him and how hard he worked to do things,” Staley said.
From dirt tracks, to asphalt and every moment in between, Staley says he feels fortunate to see his dad’s legacy of an American tradition continue.
“It's still fun right now because you guys are making it fun,” he said.
Enoch Staley died in 1995. A space at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Alabama, is named after him.
Mike Staley says he is excited to see the new pavement at the track for the All-Star Race this weekend.
NASCAR announced Friday that next year's All-Star Race will take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 18, 2025.