Metrolina Speedway
{{Motorsport venue
|Name = Metrolina Speedway
|Nicknames =
|Time = GMT-5
|Location = 4916 Airway Avenue
Charlotte, North Carolina
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|Opened = {{start date|1968}}
|Closed = 1998
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|Former_names = Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway
|Events =
|Miles_first = True
|Layout1 = Half Mile Oval
|Surface = Dirt
|Length_km = 0.804
|Length_mi = 0.500
|Turns = 4
|Banking =
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Metrolina Speedway was an auto racing track located in northeast Charlotte, North Carolina on the Metrolina Fairgrounds.
History
The track, also known as Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway', was 1/2 mile (.804 km) in length and had a clay surface. It was paved for a short time in the 1970s to allow the NASCAR circuit to hold races there.{{update after|2011}} Many racers have raced at Metrolina Speedway, including Dale Earnhardt Sr., Brad Teague, and Harry Gant. It is one of many racetracks in the Metrolina region of North Carolina and South Carolina.
In 2009, plans were announced to reopen the track as the Metrolina Speed and Sport Center.{{cite news |title=Metrolina Speed and Sport Center to generate 150 jobs |url=https://www.wbtv.com/story/10458159/metrolina-speed-and-sport-center-to-generate-150-jobs/ |access-date=30 July 2021 |publisher=WBTV |date=June 1, 2009}} The track was to be repaved and the plans included a Go-Kart track, outdoor RC racing track, a hotel, and roof-top skate park but the proposal failed to move forward.
The track was the subject of the first episode of Lost Speedways on Peacock hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr.{{cite news |last1=Martinelli |first1=Michelle |title=Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares passion for lost, old speedways and hopes for new tracks on NASCAR schedule |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/06/28/dale-earnhardt-jr-lost-speedways-peacock-series/7789924002/ |access-date=30 July 2021 |publisher=USA Today |date=June 28, 2021}}
A FedEx logistics center now sits next to the site.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=35.319958,-80.836051&spn=0.006601,0.010064&t=h&om=1 Metrolina Speedway on Google Maps]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20061113211553/http://www.webprosolutions.com/ghosts/metro.htm Metrolina Speedway at Ghosts of Southern Dirt Tracks]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060626124907/http://www.webprosolutions.com/ghosts/metro05.php Photos at Ghosts of Southern Dirt Track, the track in late 2005]
- [https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Metrolina%20Speedway&w=all Flickr photos tagged Metrolina Speedway]
{{AAA tracks}}
{{ISCARS Dash racetracks}}
{{Charlotte sports venues}}
{{Coord|35.319958|-80.836051|display=title}}
Category:Motorsport venues in North Carolina
Category:Sports venues in Charlotte, North Carolina
Category:1982 establishments in North Carolina