Fact Friday 290 - The State Sport of NC: Stock Car Racing

Fact Friday 290 - The State Sport of NC: Stock Car Racing

Happy Friday!

Of course NASCAR is a big draw for the region. But I don't know about you all, but I had no idea that stock car racing was the official state sport of NC! 
The effort to designate stock car racing as the Official State Sport was led by a team of students at Lake Norman Elementary and Mount Mourne IB School in Iredell County who referred to themselves as "the Pit Crew." Students presented the idea at a meeting of the Mooresville Board of Commissioners years ago, on February 21, 2011. Board members voted unanimously to support the efforts to propose the new symbol to the North Carolina General Assembly.

Scott Autry’s racing career began in this Mini-Stock photo, shown in 1984. He would go on to win scores of races in multiple divisions, and in 2002, he captured the Late Model Sportsman track championship at Wake County Speedway (asphalt) in addition to the Carolina Clash Super Late Model dirt crown. In 2012, he pocketed $20,000 for winning the inaugural Carolina Crown race at Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway. [File/Fayetteville Observer]

A survey on the Iredell-Statesville Schools website and a Facebook page helped others show support for the students' efforts.

The bill passed the North Carolina General Assembly on June 16, 2011 and was signed by Governor Bev Perdue on June 21, 2011 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Special guests included fourth and fifth grade students and NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees. 

Brothers and arch rivals Hank Edwards (6) and Jimmy Edwards Jr. duke it out at Fayetteville Motor Speedway’s Late Model class in the 1980s. [File, Thomas Pope/The Fayetteville Observer] 


To read more about this history of NASCAR in the region, check out Fact Friday 18: Moonshine & NASCAR. 

Until next week!


Chris. 


Email me at chris@704shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share or just to provide feedback!

Information taken from: 

NCPedia.com, "State Sport of North Carolina: Stock Car Racing," by Michelle Czaikowski, 2011.

Illustrations from Fayobserver.com

“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.” – Frederick Douglass 

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