WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — NASCAR is returning to its roots at the Bowman Gray Stadium. Could there be a NASCAR national series in the stadium’s future? 

Bowman Gray Stadium, also known as the Madhouse, is a key location in NASCAR’s history, holding the first weekly races with NASCAR dating back to 1949. 

“It's just been a great source of, you know, Saturday night excitement but also just quality family entertainment,” said Ben Rowe, assistant city manager of Winston-Salem. 

NASCAR on Thursday announced it acquired Winston-Salem Speedway Inc. and will help manage the track along with the city of Winston-Salem under a lease through 2050. 

“The city is very excited about the new partnership with NASCAR and the fact that NASCAR is going to continue that tradition with the weekly racing series for hopefully decades to come," Rowe said. "So we're just very, very excited about the opportunities that this partnership will bring.”  

The track holds 75 years of history, including NFL exhibitions, horse races, Richard Petty’s 100th Cup Series victory and ties to the founding families of NASCAR, including the France and Hawkins families. 

“The fact that it's kind of coming full circle, that you had the founding families back in the '40s that brought NASCAR here. And then those families now have come back together to enter in this new era,” Rowe said. 

The quarter-mile track built in 1937 has been holding events including races, monster truck shows and demolition derbies. But it’s not the only short track in the state that has reconnected to its NASCAR roots in recent times.

North Wilkesboro Speedway waved its flags for NASCAR last year for the first time since 1996. 

“We're always looking to to increase our travel and tourism business, you know, hotel nights, people visiting our restaurants and our local stores and our small businesses," Rowe said. "And so I think that anything that would help bring that activity to Winston-Salem is definitely something that's very exciting to us." 

Loren Pinilis, the stadium's public relations director, said he is not surprised NASCAR wanted to return and is excited for what's to come. 

“It just shows how wonderful a great stadium is and what the who's who of NASCAR, what they've known for decades is, is that Bowman Gray Stadium is a great stadium, is the crown jewel of their weekly racing program. And that's what everyone's come to recognize now when one great stadium already has a national platform. And that's just going to be even larger now with this new partnership,” Pinilis said.

Bowman Gray Stadium isn't the only track in North Carolina that has reconnected to its NASCAR history. (Courtesy/Bowman Gray Racing)

NASCAR has had an interest in a homecoming with Bowman Gray Stadium for years. 

“It’s really important for NASCAR to remain committed to the short track community. And what better place to start or to underscore that commitment than Bowman Gray and the Winston-Salem community?” said Joey Dennewitz, NASCAR’s regional managing director. 

In recent years, the stadium received a $9 million renovation through the city, including new concession stands, bathrooms and a repaved track.  

“Our job is to protect that magic that the Hawkins family has done such a wonderful job curating over the years. We want to be good stewards of that, and that's our goal," Dennewitz said. "Now, we can add some things here and there, facility upgrades and things moving forward in the future. But again, the majority of the magic there is what makes that place so special." 

Could there be a NASCAR series race at Bowman Gray Stadium? Dennewitz says he can imagine it. 

“Well, anything is possible with the NASCAR national series. Now you can see between Chicago and L.A. and some of the other markets that we've gone into, that the Cup series is almost able to go anywhere, which really opens up opportunities to penetrate a new fanbase," he said. "That being said, Bowman Gray would definitely fall into that."

"Those discussions are certainly had, but they're across 100 racetracks across the country," Dennewitz said. "So we're always looking at ways to innovate that schedule and see how we can bring NASCAR racing to different communities." 

Fans may have to wait to see what changes take place at the track, but Pinilis said it will still be the Madhouse. 

“With any sort of change, they’re [fans] wondering what's going to change. And the answer is this is the Madhouse. It will be the Madhouse for decades to come. Nothing's going to change there," Pinilis said. "The same great racing that people have come to expect, the same family friendly entertainment, the same low ticket prices. Everything that makes the Madhouse great is going to continue for decades and decades to come.”  

Bowman Gray Stadium kicks off its 2024 season on April 20 with the Hayes Jewelers 200. The season runs through August, and the stadium will return to serving as Winston-Salem State University's football field in fall.