Troopers, officials outline traffic, parking options for NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (WBTV) - With engines set to roar again next week at the iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway, officials and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol are giving fans options for driving and parking for the upcoming events.

Speedway Motorsports officials along with representatives from the N.C. Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol detailed advance-pay parking recommendations, shuttle bus and recommended traffic-flow options.

Speedway Motorsports, NCDOT and NCSHP encourage guests to prepare for their trip ASAP by following these five key tips in advance of race week:

1. PURCHASE PARKING NOW - Ticketholders should reserve parking in speedway managed lots, either on-site or remote, in advance at NorthWilkesboroSpeedway.com.

• Every parking pass will come with recommended directions and an address to program into WAZE for pre-programmed guidance.
• Remote parking is the MOST affordable option with comfortable coach buses to shuttle fans to/from the track.

2. DOWNLOAD WAZE - Fans should download the WAZE app before race week on mobile devices to find the recommended routes to the track.

3. CARPOOL / ARRIVE EARLY - Carpooling reduces traffic on the roads and makes parking more affordable per person.

4. PLAN YOUR RACE DAY SCHEDULES AND PREFERRED TRAVEL ROUTE IN ADVANCE – To encourage guests to arrive early, at-track entertainment schedules are strategically-planned, giving guests plenty to do in the Fan Zone well before on-track activity begins. For example, the Dierks Bentley pre-race concert begins at 2:30 p.m. on May 21, a full three hours before the All-Star Open, to entice fans to arrive early.

5. BE PATIENT – Fans should be patient with law enforcement agencies, parking attendants and each other in order to provide the best experience possible.

The NCDOT and NCSHP recommend the following routes to the speedway area:

Approaching NWS from I-40 E:

• Take Exit 103 Morganton
• Take Hwy 64 North to Lenoir
• Take SR 18 (Wilkesboro Blvd)
• Take SR 16 (North Carolina 16)
• Head East on US Hwy 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

OR

• Take Exit 132 Taylorsville
• Take SR 16 (North Carolina 16)
• Head East on US Hwy 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

Approaching NWS from I-40 W:

• Take Exit for US Hwy 421 West in Winston-Salem
• Take either Exit 276 Red White and Blue Road or Exit 277 Old US 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

OR

• Take Exit 170 for US Hwy 601 at Mocksville
• Take Exit for US Hwy 421 West
• Take either Exit 276 Red White and Blue Road or Exit 277 Old US 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

Approaching NWS from I-77 N:

• Take Exit 65 for SR 901 at Union Grove
• Take SR 901 North to SR 115 North
• Take SR 115 North to US Hwy 421 East
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

OR

• Take Exit 73B to US Hwy 421 West
• Take either Exit 276 Red White and Blue Road or Exit 277 Old US 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

Approaching NWS from I-77 S:

• Take Exit 85 in Elkin to SR 268 East to North Wilkesboro
• Take SR 18 South to BUS 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

OR

• Take Exit 73B to US Hwy 421 West
• Take either Exit 276 Red White and Blue Road or Exit 277 Old US 421
• Follow NWS parking lot directions

When fans near the speedway area, reaching their designated Speedway Entrance and Parking Lot will be key for smooth ingress. Fans should enter the specific parking lot address on their pre-purchased parking pass into WAZE and follow the directions for the smoothest traffic flow.

Onsite Inbound Parking Directions

• Entrance 1 will service Parking Lots 1; 1A; 1 VIP
• Physical Address: 200 Dan Call Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Directions to Lot 1: Hwy. 421 to Brushy Mountain Road (Exit 285) North to Old 421 Road East (Turn Right) to Bus. 421 South (Turn Right) to Speedway Road East (Turn Left) to Dan Call Road South (Turn Right) to 200 Dan Call Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 (On Left)
• Entrance 2 will service parking Lot 2
• Physical Address: 1850 Speedway Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Directions to Lot 2: Hwy. 421 to Speedway Road (Exit 277) West to 1850 Speedway Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 (On Left)
• Entrance 2 also will service Lot 3, Media/Industry and TV Compound Parking
• Physical Address: 2000 Speedway Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Directions to Lot 3, Media/Industry and TV Compound Parking: Hwy. 421 to Speedway Road (Exit 277) West to 2000 Speedway Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 (On Left)
• Entrance 4 will service Lot 4; 4A
• Physical Address: 3337 Fishing Creek Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Directions to Lot 4: Hwy. 421 to Red, White and Blue Road (Exit 276) North to Old 60 West (Turn Left) to Fishing Creek Road East (Turn Left) to 3337 Fishing Creek Road, N. Wilkesboro, NC 28659 (On Right)
• Entrance 5 – To access Lot 5 guests must travel Eastbound on Hwy 421 South in order to access the newly paved NCDOT lane leading into parking Lot 5 Physical Address: US Hwy. 421 South Directions to Lot 5: From North: Hwy. 421 South to Lot 5 (Off Hwy. 421 On Right)From South: I-77 to Exit 73B (Hwy. 421 North) to Hwy. 115 (Exit 282) South (Turn Left) to Hwy. 421 South (Turn Left) to Lot 5 (Off Hwy. 421 On Right)

Offsite Inbound Parking Directions

• Green Lot
• Physical Address: 4938 Fishing Creek Road, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 Directions to Green Lot From North: Hwy. 421 South to Hwy. 115 (Exit 282) South (Turn Right) to Fishing Creek Road North (Turn Left) to Green Lot on Left (4938 Fishing Creek Road, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659) From South: I-77 to Exit 65 (Hwy. 901 West) to Hwy. 115 North (Turn Right) to Fishing Creek Road East (Turn Right) to Green Lot on Left (4938 Fishing Creek Road, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659)
• Blue Lot
• Physical Address: 1605 Curtis Bridge Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697
• Directions to Blue Lot From North: Hwy. 421 South to Bus. 421 East (Turn Left) to Curtis Bridge Road North (Turn Left) to Blue Lot on Left (1605 Curtis Bridge Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697) From South: Hwy. 421 North to Bus. 421 East (Turn Right) to Curtis Bridge Road North (Turn Left) to Blue Lot on Left (1605 Curtis Bridge Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697)

NCDOT will utilize overhead and portable message signs to alert motorists of problem areas and suggest alternate routes around incidents and congestion. The department advises motorists to check for real time traffic information by visiting DriveNC.gov from mobile devices. Area residents and motorists who are not attending NASCAR All-Star Race week events are encouraged to avoid the roadways in the speedway area on major event days.

Traffic maps are posted on North Wilkesboro Speedway’s website.

TICKETS:NASCAR All-Star Race weekend ticket packages for all Friday/Saturday/Sunday activities, including NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series practice and qualifying sessions the Pit Crew Challenge; Midland, Chase Rice and Dierks Bentley concerts; NASCAR All-Star Open; NASCAR All-Star Race and Tyson 250 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race are on sale. A full race week schedule can be accessed by clicking here.

Single-day tickets for All-Star Friday presented by Raymer Oil – featuring the All-Star Race Pit Crew Challenge on May 20, and the Tyson 250 and All-Star Race heat races on May 21, are also on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Single-day tickets are also on sale for the ASA Stars National Tour ECMD 150 on May 16, and the May 17 Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour doubleheader featuring the Crossroads Harley-Davidson 75 and the Window World 125.

The public is invited to a free North Wilkesboro Speedway Open House and to be a part of history in an opening night debut of some of the new renovations that have been made to the beloved short track. The Open House is set for Wednesday, May 10, from 5 – 9 p.m. as preparations continue for the prestigious May 16-21 NASCAR All-Star Race week.

Fans will want to make sure to take advantage of a rare opportunity to have their photo taken in North Wilkesboro Speedway’s historic Victory Lane during the Open House. The post-race ceremony location is unique as it sits on the roof of the track’s infield Media Center. The race winner’s car is loaded onto a hydraulic platform and lifted up to the top of the building for the tradition-rich ceremony.

For a donation to Speedway Children’s Charities, fans will be able to pose in Victory Lane just like all of the NASCAR legends have from 1940s-1996.

Speedway officials will dedicate grandstands and reveal the return of a NWS favorite, the Turn 3 Tyson manual scoreboard.

There will be drivers and other special guests available at the North Wilkesboro Open House to greet fans as they walk around the infield and on the .625-mile track where so much NASCAR history has been made. The evening also will be filled with plenty of music, food trucks, souvenir stands open for business and All-Star Race week tickets for sale. The night will cap off with the debut of the new Musco LED track-lights in a lights-to-music display.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

4 p.m. Parking lots open

5 p.m. Event grand opening with pace car entrance

5:30 p.m. Pictures in Victory Lane with donation to Speedway Children’s Charities

5:45 p.m. Autographs available

7 p.m. Grandstand dedications

8:15 p.m. Light show with the new Musco track-lighting system

9 p.m. Event concludes

PARKING FOR EVENT: Parking will be available on the backstretch in Lot 4. Please utilize the WAZE way-finding app and enter the following address: 3337 Fishing Creek Rd., North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

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