Engines roared at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time in 1960, and the track has been home to some of NASCAR's greatest races and most honored drivers ever since. Despite early challenges, Bruton Smith and Humpy Wheeler took charge in 1975, and together sculpted one of the most famous race tracks in America as host of the Coca-Cola 600 and the Sprint All-Star Race. In 1992, the track became the first modern speedway to host night racing and thousands of race fans watched their favorite drivers swap paint under the North Carolina night sky. Get in the groove with racing journalist Deb Williams as she traces the history of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, with plenty of pit-stops along the way.
Deb Williams is a freelance writer and consultant who currently is a senior writer with RacinToday.com, a feature writer for National Speed Sport News and FasTrack. She has written track program articles for the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and many others. Darrell Waltrip is one of the most celebrated NASCAR drivers of all time. His 84 NASCAR victories place him second only to Jeff Gordon in the history of the modern NASCAR era. His best course was the Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he is a five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600. He currently is a lead NASCAR broadcaster for Fox Sports.