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NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |
---|---|
Venue | North Wilkesboro Speedway, Wilkes County, North Carolina |
Corporate sponsor | First Union |
First race | 1951 |
Last race | 1996 |
Distance | 250 miles (402.3 km) |
Laps | 400 |
Previous names | Wilkes County 150 (1951) Wilkes County 200 (1952–1953) Wilkes County 160 (1954–1958) Gwyn Staley 160 (1959–1960) Gwyn Staley 400 (1961–1978) Northwestern Bank 400 (1979–1985) First Union 400 (1986–1996) |
The First Union 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held annually from 1951 to 1996 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was the first of two Winston Cup Series races held annually (with the autumn's Tyson Holly Farms 400) at North Wilkesboro Speedway before the track was abandoned in 1996. [1] The race was normally held in late March or early April.
# Wins | Driver | Years Won |
---|---|---|
10 | Richard Petty | 1962, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981 |
4 | Darrell Waltrip | 1978, 1982, 1983, 1991 |
Dale Earnhardt | 1986, 1987, 1989, 1995 | |
3 | Terry Labonte | 1988, 1994, 1996 |
2 | Herb Thomas | 1952, 1953 |
Lee Petty | 1959, 1960 | |
Junior Johnson | 1958, 1965 | |
Cale Yarborough | 1976, 1977 | |
Bobby Allison | 1969, 1979 |
# Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
---|---|---|
15 | Chevrolet | 1961, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
8 | Ford | 1957, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1979, 1992 |
7 | Plymouth | 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972 |
4 | Dodge | 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975 |
3 | Hudson | 1952, 1953, 1954 |
Oldsmobile | 1951, 1955, 1959 | |
Buick | 1981, 1982, 1990 | |
2 | Pontiac | 1984, 1993 |
North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,131 at the 2020 US Census. North Wilkesboro is the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improvement, which continues to have a major presence in the community. The town is also known as one of the birthplaces of the sport of stock-car racing, and the North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first NASCAR-sanctioned track. Due to the town's proximity to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains and its numerous tourist venues, North Wilkesboro has been nicknamed the "Key to the Blue Ridge".
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