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* Racing back at North Wilkesboro? Racing will return to Wilkes County - if NASCAR legend Junior Johnson has his way. ?I think there?s an excellent chance that in less than five years, there?ll be racing there again,? Johnson told The Record during a Monday interview. ?It?d make a great place for Winston Cup and Busch to test, too.? Johnson, a former driver and Winston Cup team owner, said that he and a group of investors, whom he declined to name, are pondering the possibility of purchasing the track. Johnson appears to be ready to participate in the purchase. If racing returns, it isn?t expected to be Winston Cup. BGN and CTS racing are more likely candidates, Johnson said. The North Wilkesboro Speedway opened in 1947. The last race was held there on Sept. 29, 1996. Since then, the .625-mile asphalt oval has been silent and the 40,000 seats empty. The track?s long career came to an end after the May 1995 death of owner Enoch Staley. The speedway was then sold to Bruton Smith, who owns Texas Motor Speedway [along with Lowe's Motor Speedway, Infineno Raceway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway thru Speedway Motorsports], and Bob Bahre, who owns New Hampshire International Speedway. The sale price was reportedly $14 million. The two bought the Wilkes track with closure in mind - they wanted the spring and fall race dates for their tracks. Bahre has said that he?d like to see the North Wilkesboro Speedway used, but says Smith isn?t interested. And there?s the snag. With Bahre and Smith reportedly not being on speaking terms regarding the track, little has been done. Johnson says several legal issues must be settled before any sale could be considered. ?Bruton (Smith) won?t do anything with his part,? Johnson said. ?Still, I think it?s a possibility that once they get that over with something can be worked out.? Neither Smith nor Bahre could be reached by phone this week. Johnson and Bahre, however, appear to agree that the North Wilkesboro Speedway would be suited for BGN and CTS racing. There has also been talk of weekly modified and sportsman division races. Wilkes has proven that it can be a successful host to special events. Johnson used the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival and MerleFest as examples. If the track reopens, he said, it could also be used during such events. There?s also been talk of establishing a NASCAR museum in Wilkes. A museum here would be appropriate, Johnson said, due to Wilkes County?s racing roots. When NASCAR left Wilkes, ?It just absolutely destroyed the economics here,? he said. During the two race weeks held at the speedway each year while the track was operating, thousands of fans filled motels and hotels in Wilkes and surrounding counties. Those fans ate in area restaurants and shopped at local stores. In more recent years, the race dates had shared the limelight with the Apple Festival and MerleFest as the three major drawing cards to the area. But, Johnson said, ?The race track was the biggest of them by far.? County Manager Gary Page, when told of Johnson?s hopes for the track, said, ?As far as the NASCAR fans in the county, they?d be thrilled to have some kind of racing back here.? Page added, ?As far as economic development, I?m sure that any kind of racing (at the speedway) would cause some spin off of benefits. We?ve always heard that if the track opens again, a lot of NASCAR teams would like to use it for testing.? For the past few years, speedway owners and Wilkes County tax officials have disputed the tax value of the property - which includes the track, stands, 43.2 acres of land and two houses. A $9.5 million tax value has been listed by the county. Smith and Bahre say it?s worth about $2 million. An independent appraiser valued the property at $7.2 million. The dispute will head to the state Court of Appeals, possibly in the next few months, county officials say. In the meantime, Smith and Bahre pay their taxes despite the disagreement. ?They?re good taxpayers,? said Wilkes Tax Administrator Alex Hamilton. ?They?ve already paid their (2002) bill.? The annual bill is $72,000, Hamilton said. It is paid by North Wilkesboro Speedway Inc., in which Smith and Bahre each own 50 percent of the stock. County officials are hopeful once the tax dispute is settled, the track will be used again. About the possibility of a sale and reopening of the North Wilkesboro Speedway, Page said, ?I don?t see any negatives. With the economy the way it is, I just think it would bring back a little normalcy and stability to Wilkes County.?(The Record)(1-3-2003)
