View source for Hickory Motor Speedway

{{short description|Race track}}
{{no footnotes|date=March 2018}}
{{Motorsport venue
|Name             = Hickory Motor Speedway
|Nicknames        = America’s Most Famous Short Track<br>Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars
|Time             = [[UTC−05:00]] ([[UTC−04:00]] [[Daylight saving time|DST]])
|Location         = [[Hickory, North Carolina]]
|Coordinates      = {{coord|35|41|45|N|81|16|10|W|type:landmark_region:US-NC_source:dewiki|display=it}}
|Logo             = Hickory Motor Speedway logo.png
|Logo_caption     =
|Image            =
|Image_caption    =
|Capacity         = 10,200
|Owner            =
|Operator         =
|Broke_ground     =
|Opened           = {{Start date and age|1951|06|df=yes}}
|Closed           =
|Construction_cost=
|Architect        =
|Former_names     =
|Events           = '''Current:'''<br />'''[[SMART Modified Tour]]''' (1990, 1995, 2006, 2011, 2021–present)<br />'''[[CARS Tour]]''' (1999–present)<br />'''Former:'''<br />[[NASCAR Xfinity Series|NASCAR Busch Series]]<br>''[[Galaxy Food Centers 300]]'' (1982–1998)<br>''[[The Pantry 300]]'' (1982–1994)<br />[[NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series|NASCAR Southeast Series]] (1995, 2004)<br />[[NASCAR Grand National East Series]] (1972–1973)<br />[[NASCAR Cup Series|NASCAR Winston Cup Series]] (1953–1971)<br />[[NASCAR Convertible Division|NASCAR Convertible Series]] (1956–1959)
|Miles_first      = True 
|Layout1          = Paved Oval (1970–present)
|Surface          = Asphalt
|Length_km        = 0.584
|Length_mi        = 0.363
|Turns            = 4
|Banking          = Turns 1 & 2: 14°<br>Turns 3 & 4: 12°<br>Straights:8°
|Record_time      =
|Record_driver    =
|Record_car       =
|Record_year      =
|Record_class     =
|Layout2          = Paved Oval (1967–1969)
|Surface2         = Asphalt
|Length_km2       = 0.644
|Length_mi2       = 0.400
|Turns2           = 4
|Banking2         = 
|Record_time2     =
|Record_driver2   =
|Record_car2      =
|Record_year2     =
|Record_class2    =
|Layout3          = Dirt Oval (1955–1966)
|Surface3         = Dirt
|Length_km3       = 0.644
|Length_mi3       = 0.400
|Turns3           = 4
|Banking3         = 
|Record_time3     =
|Record_driver3   =
|Record_car3      =
|Record_year3     =
|Record_class3    =
|Layout4          = Original Dirt Oval (1951–1954)
|Surface4         = Dirt
|Length_km4       = 0.805
|Length_mi4       = 0.500
|Turns4           = 4
|Banking4         = 
|Record_time4     =
|Record_driver4   =
|Record_car4      =
|Record_year4     =
|Record_class4    =
|website          = https://hickorymotorspeedway.com/
}}

'''Hickory Motor Speedway''' is a [[Short track motor racing|short track]] located in [[Hickory, North Carolina]].  It is one of [[stock car racing]]'s most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the [[NASCAR]] Stars".

The track first opened in 1951 as a {{cvt|0.500|mi|km|abbr=on}} dirt track. [[Gwyn Staley]] won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion.  Drivers such as [[Junior Johnson]], [[Ned Jarrett]], and [[Ralph Earnhardt]] also became track champions in the 1950s, with Earnhardt  winning five of them.

In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (later the [[Sprint Cup Series|NASCAR Cup Series]]) visited the track for the first time. [[Tim Flock]] won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there seven times.

The track has been re-configured three times in its history. The track became a {{cvt|0.400|mi|km|abbr=on}} dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season. In 1970, the Hickory track was shortened to a length of {{cvt|0.363|mi|km|abbr=on}}.

Hickory was dropped from the [[NASCAR Grand National Series|NASCAR Grand National]] schedule after the 1971 season when [[R. J. Reynolds]] began sponsoring the newly christened [[NASCAR Cup Series|NASCAR Winston Cup Series]] and dropped all races under {{cvt|250|mi|km|adj=on}} from the schedule. It remained in use as a popular NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series venue. When the series was reformed as the [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Series]] (later the Busch Grand National Series and currently the [[NASCAR Xfinity Series]]) in 1982, Hickory played a prominent part of its first season, hosting six of the series' 28 races. Drivers [[Jack Ingram (NASCAR)|Jack Ingram]] and [[Tommy Houston]], two former track champions, each won eight times at the track in the Busch Series.

As more tracks began hosting [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|NASCAR Busch Series]] races, Hickory's involvement was progressively reduced to two races a year by 1987, and then just the Easter weekend by 1995. By 1998, the [[NASCAR Xfinity Series|NASCAR Busch Grand National Series]] began adding more races at Winston Cup Series tracks, and Hickory was dropped from the schedule after 17 years.

Hickory is still used as a venue for NASCAR's club racing division, the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, Carolina Pro Late Model Series, Carolina Crate Modified Series, [[Pro All Stars Series]] South Super Late Models and the [[CARS Tour]] featuring Late Model Stocks and Pro Late Model touring series cars.

==External links==
*[http://www.hickorymotorspeedway.com/ Official Site of Hickory Motor Speedway]
*{{Racing-Reference track|Hickory_Motor_Speedway}}

{{WNC sports venues}}
{{CARS Tour racetracks}}
{{SMART Modified Tour racetracks}}
{{NASCAR Cup Series racetracks}}
{{NASCAR Xfinity Series racetracks}}
{{NASCAR Elite Division Southeast racetracks}}
{{PASS Super Late Model Series racetracks}}
{{ASA National Tour racetracks}}

[[Category:Motorsport venues in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Hickory, North Carolina]]
[[Category:1951 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1951]]
[[Category:NASCAR tracks]]