The 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400 (the last Winston Cup Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway)

While visiting family in Florida during 2017, I stumbled upon some old racing pictures from the late 1990s which my Dad and I took. One particular race caught my eye from 1996, the September 29th Tyson Holly Farms 400. At the time this was intended to be the last NASCAR Winston Cup Race (now Cup Series) at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The below cover photo is from end of driver introduction ceremony which featured the entire starting lineup. The NASCAR Cup Series will be returning to North Wilkesboro for the All-Star Race on May 21, 2023.

North Wilkesboro Speedway is located off of Route US Route 421 near the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. North Wilkesboro Speedway is a 0.625 mile short track with 14 degree banked turns. The facility at North Wilkesboro opened to racing in 1947 and was on NASCAR's top circuit from 1949 to 1996. North Wikesboro Speedway was ultimately replaced on the Winston Cup schedule by Texas Motor Speedway. During the 1996 season North Wilkesboro Speedway sat 40,000 spectators .

My Dad during 1996 was once the Marketing Vice President for Prodigy Online. Prodigy Online was the primary sponsor of Dave Marcis and 71 car for the 1996 season. During 1996 I was in middle school and followed motor sports extensively. Ultimately my Dad pulled me out of school to attend the full racing week at North Wilkesboro given it was to be the last Winston Cup race at the venue. Ted Musgrave ended up winning the pole for but the Tyson Holly Farms 400 was dominated by the eventual winner Jeff Gordon.

Below are some of my photos with me and the 71 from the 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400 starting grid.

Comments

Abandoned Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California

Originally Fowler Avenue in the city of Clovis had a brief discontinuation approaching Herndon Avenue. Fowler Avenue traffic heading northbound was required to detour briefly onto westbound Herndon Avenue. During 2001 this discontinuation was removed when Fowler Avenue was reconfigured to access the Sierra Freeway (California State Route 168) via an interchange. This led to a segment of the original alignment of Fowler Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue to be abandoned. Despite a shopping center opening over part of the original Fowler Avenue alignment in 2016 much of the abandoned roadway remains. The history of the abandoned original alignment of Fowler Avenue in Clovis The original alignment of California State Route 168 departed downtown Clovis eastbound along Tollhouse Road. This original alignment did not interact with Fowler Avenue at the Herndon Avenue intersection. Fowler Avenue north of Tollhouse Road ran north to Herndon Avenue...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...