Back On Track In North Wilkesboro

It was one of stock car racing's original tracks, hosting NASCAR events from its inception in 1949 until 1996. Racing legends from Junior Johnson to Richard Petty to Dale Earnhardt have won races here. Many long-time NASCAR fans consider it one of the good 'ol tracks from the good 'ol days. Sadly, the historic .625-mile oval has not seen auto racing since Jeff Gordon won the final NASCAR event here on September 29, 1996.

But thirteen years later, racing is making a comeback at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The announcement came on a rainy Halloween, as about 200 people turned out at the track to hear the announcement that a USA Racing Pro Cup Race (the former Hooters Cup series) will be held here on October 3, 2010.

And that may be just the beginning. Alton McBride Jr, the president of Speedway Associates Inc., says the American Speed Association Late Model Series is bringing its 300-lap Kings Ransom televised finale sometime in November 2010, and the Pro All Star late-model touring series will also make a stop here, although the dates are still to be confirmed. Also in the works are a fair and at least two major festivals.

It marks a happy renaissance for the classic speedway, and the realization of many people's long-awaited dreams of a racing revival at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Home Of The Brave

Today, of course, is Veteran's Day, and we here in North Carolina just want to say "thanks" to all the veterans and their families out there who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms.

This week, VisitNC is saluting NC's military heritage and its soldiers with a brand new journey entitled "Home Of The Brave". Among the offerings is are detailed listings of many of NC's military museums, memorials, and more... as well as an in-depth look at some of the state's premiere military tourism opportunities, such as the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville (above).

From Fort Bragg to Camp Lejuene, from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro to the Coast Guard Air Station in Elizabeth City, North Carolina has a deep connection to all of the men and women who serve on all of its military installations. To all of you veterans out there, Happy Veteran's Day, and thank you for your service.

Parkway's 75th Anniversary Kicks Off This Weekend

The Blue Ridge Parkway, "America's Favorite Drive", turns 75 years old in 2010, and the celebration kicks off this Friday with a ceremonial torch passing from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (which turned 75 in 2009) to the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Ravensford Overlook at Milepost 467, near the southern terminus of the road.

The event will also highlight the passage of intergenerational stewardship as well as a performance of the Warriors of AniKituhwa dancers and remarks from both park superintendents and a representative of the Eastern Band of the Cherokees Indians Tribal Council.

Other events marking the anniversary are planned in Asheville this weekend, including a benefit concert featuring Nanci Griffith and a Parkway History Day at the Folk Art Center, which will include a panel discussion, craft and music demonstrations, and even a 75th Anniversary Celebration Hike.

Of course, the celebration will continue throughout 2010 with various events in both North Carolina and Virginia. For more on the anniversary celebration and related events, log onto www.blueridgeparkway75.org.

Pirates Of The Carolinas

Week Eight of Visit NC's Fabulous Fun Fall Getaways is here, and this week the site is focused on North Carolina's pirate history. Parts of the NC coast played host to one of the most notorious 17th Century pirates, Blackbeard, and today visitors can dive on the presumed shipwreck of his flagship Queen Anne's Revenge as well as see remnants and artifacts at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh (until January) and at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

Meanwhile, the VisitNC site is featuring a video on North Carolina's pirate past and present (above), and those looking for follow Blackbeard's trail on their own can download a Pirate Trail Itinerary. This week's giveaway features three days in a waterfront rental home on the beautiful Emerald Isle, part of the territory that was Blackbeard's turf nearly 300 years ago.

Speaking of giveaways, there's also a new monthly sweepstakes for November, featuring a great winter sports getaway to Boone. Hard to believe it's that time of year already!

North Scarolina

Halloween Weekend is coming up, and whether you like your frights wild or mild, North Carolina has many places to get in the "spirit" of the season. This week, VisitNC's Fabulous Fall Fun includes listings of some spooktacular places around the state, some where eerie ghost stories live on to this day, and others where creaky homes or dark cornfields provide manufactured thrills that dare cross the threshold. Meanwhile, you can win a trip to Asheville's Grove Park Inn, where you can learn about the mysterious Legend of the Pink Lady, and maybe even see her for yourself!

Even the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is getting into the act, with family-friendly programs about one of natures most maligned and misunderstood creatures, the vampire bat (above), and the traditional "Pumpkin Pounding", where elephants and gorillas will get the chance to pound, pulverize and eventually partake of pumpkins in their exhibits Friday morning.

So, no matter how you like your haunts, you should be able to dig up something spooky here in North (S)carolina! Happy Halloween!

I-40 Closed at NC/TN Line

An early Sunday morning rock slide has closed Interstate 40 in both directions at mile marker 3 in Haywood County, North Carolina. Work on the cleanup and repair of the road will begin immediately, but NC DOT officials say it could take as long as three months to completely fix the highway. The last exit open on I-40 westbound is Exit 20 at US Highway 276 to Maggie Valley.

In the meantime, the NC DOT and is recommending that through travelers from the east take a detour on Interstate 26 west from Asheville to Johnson City, Tennessee, then Interstate 81 south to Knoxville. Travelers headed to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can take US 276 through Maggie Valley, Cherokee, and beyond.

NASCAR Selects First Hall of Fame Inductees

While racing fans flock to Lowe's Motor Speedway for this weekend's NASCAR Banking 500 and construction crews in uptown Charlotte busily prepare the new NASCAR Hall of Fame for its springtime opening, a group of racing experts and officials have selected the Hall's first set of inductees.

Bill France Sr, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bill France Jr, and Junior Johnson will be officially inducted into the Hall on May 23, 2010. A panel of fifty voters made the selections yesterday.

"This is a good sampling of the whole history of the sport," said Lee White, president of Toyota Racing, one of the 50 voters. "You couldn't lose this year. There were so many great nominees."

NASCAR did not release the official vote totals but did list the top eight nominees receiving votes, though in no particular order. Pearson, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough came the closest to election. Another class of five inductee will be selected next year for 2011.

Meanwhile, tickets and charter memberships to the Hall of Fame have gone on sale, with the opening set for May 11.

“We have developed affordable ticket packages that reflect our steadfast promise to offer a superb value. Our guests will always be our top priority,” said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “We are confident our visitors will be pleased with the amount of activities available, especially when you consider the Hall has more than 50 high-tech interactive exhibits coupled with some of the most intriguing artifacts from NASCAR’s 62-year history.”

Ticket prices are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for military and seniors (60+), $12.95 for children 5 – 12 and free for children under 5. The on-site box office is scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. In the meantime, tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 877-231-2010 or at www.nascarhall.com.

The Peak of Color?

Take a look at that picture. We took it today (October 12) on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley, NC. It shows what we already know in North Carolina: that peak color is coming very soon to the higher elevations, and if you want to see it, you need to start making plans to get to the NC mountains as soon as possible!

Again, this is one person's very unscientific opinion, but things are looking great here. For the 'official' take on NC's ever-changing color, check out the VisitNC web site's fall color reports, which are updated weekly. Or follow VisitNC on Twitter.

Either way, it's shaping up to be a very colorful October in the NC mountains. Enjoy!