NASCAR acquires operations at historic Bowman Gray Stadium

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced Thursday that it has acquired the company responsible for racing operations at the historic Bowman Gray Stadium.

The sanctioning body acquired Winston-Salem Speedway, Inc., the lessee of Bowman Gray Stadium. Now, NASCAR will manage racing operations under the lease with the City of Winston-Salem, N.C., that runs through December 2050.

“As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, Bowman Gray Stadium holds a special place in the history of our sport,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy. “We are grateful to the Hawkins family’s multi-generational legacy of leadership at this historic track. We’re thrilled to oversee racing at one of the crown jewels in NASCAR Regional. We look forward to leading the racing operations of the facility in partnership with the City of Winston-Salem to preserve the history and legacy of the racetrack for the next generation of fans and racers.”

Kennedy is a past winner at Bowman Gray Stadium. He won a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA East) race there June 1, 2013.

“Bowman Gray Racing has been a part of the fabric of Winston Salem for many years. In fact, some attribute NASCAR’s beginning to the races held at Bowman Gray Stadium,” Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said. “It is for that and other reasons that the city is delighted that NASCAR is acquiring Winston-Salem Speedway Inc. I am doubly happy that NASCAR has committed to continuing the weekly races at the stadium. They are so popular with our citizens and visitors.”

NASCAR named Austin Shuford as the new general manager of racing operations for Bowman Gray Stadium. Shuford previously worked with Track Enterprises’ Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway since 2020. He promoted and managed 25 events each year at more than 15 racetracks throughout the southern and midwestern United States.

“As one of racing’s most beloved and enduring venues, it’s truly an honor to be named the new general manager of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium,” Shuford said. “I look forward to learning from the Garrison, Pinilis, and Hawkins families to preserve and extend the greatness of Bowman Gray Stadium.”

History of Bowman Gray Stadium

Bowman Gray Stadium was built in 1937 a quarter-mile short track. It is the longest-running weekly racetrack.

In 1949, Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two of the founding fathers of NASCAR, brought motorsports to the track. It was the first weekly racetrack and first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on.

The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1958 to 1971. Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Glen Wood, David Pearson, Ned Jarrett, Richie Evans and Jerry Cook are among the legends who have raced at Bowman Gray.

Richard Petty earned his 100th Cup Series win in the 1969 Myers Brothers 250 there.

Bowman Gray hosted several East Series races from 2011 to 2015. In 2021, Dale Earnhardt Jr. tested the NextGen (Gen 7) car there.