NASCAR has acquired the lease for Bowman Gray Stadium, according to a report from The Athletic published on Thursday.
The track has had its ties with NASCAR since 1949, and is an American short track treasure that puts 10,000 fans in the stands every Saturday at the local level.
The deal that resulted in NASCAR’s acquisition of the lease began with a test session NASCAR held at the track in 2021 – there, it was relayed that the Hawkins family would be receptive to working out a deal.
NASCAR will take over the racing operations of the track. Gray Garrison – a grandson to longtime operator Alvin Hawkins – will help with the transition. Austin Shuford was named as the track’s general manager.
In the report, NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy stated that the organization has no plans of making any significant changes to Bowman Gray Stadium.
It’s not what NASCAR would want – and there’s a niche of bringing 10,000 fans to the same track each week, that no one wants to mess with.
The 2024 Bowman Gray Stadium season kicks off on April 20. All of the action can be seen live on FloRacing.
