NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Less than 15 minutes from downtown North Wilkesboro, a major event will return in less than two weeks, of course we're talking about Racing at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
For business owners in town to say it's a big deal, is definitely an understatement.
On a typical Sunday evening, the streets of North Wilkesboro tend to be pretty sleepy.
Over the next couple weeks, this community will grow restless, as the NASCAR All Star Race breathes new life into North Wilkesboro Speedway.
"We weren't here, unfortunately, for the races back in '96 but we've heard all the stories," said Mick Zulpo.
Zulpo owns several businesses in North Wilkesboro, including The Lost Wombat, a sports bar that opened just one week ago.
"It would be nice to have a couple extra weeks under our belt, maybe open a month or two ago, but it is what it is," said Zulpo.
Zulpo says he is working to train his employees to handle the expected crowds.
Expanding their hours and even reducing their menu are also on the table, all to make sure they can take advantage of the additional exposure.
"We have a chance now to showcase Wilkes County. North Wilkesboro is a great destination for people to come back, maybe after the race, so it's our chance in the next week or two to show them what we've got," said Zulpo.
Preparations for the race continue at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Portable bathrooms, ice chests, and even shuttles have already been brought in.
Soon enough the fields will be filled with campers and race fans.
Zulpo says, he does have some reservations with the volume of people forecast to descend on this small community.
He says he and his neighboring businesses still plan to roll out the red carpet for one of NASCAR's biggest nights.
"We are a smaller community, but we are banding together to do our best and I know that NASCAR fans understand that, so it's going to be great to host them and do what we can to make everyone have a good time," said Zulpo.
The NASCAR All-Star race will be held on April 21, 2023 at 8PM.
