Family, friends, government officials and others gathered Friday at the North Wilkesboro Speedway to honor the late Enoch Staley, co-founder and president of the historic venue and for decades a driving force in NASCAR.
The event formally dedicated a five-mile stretch of Speedway Road as “Enoch R. Staley Highway.” The section of the two-lane, secondary road bearing his name is from N.C. 115 to Antioch Church Road and passes by the North Wilkesboro Speedway,
After the N.C. Board of Transportation unanimously approved the designation on April 3, “Enoch R. Staley Highway” signs went up on the road in time for NASCAR All-Star Race Week at the speedway in early May.
The DOT presented Staley’s family an “Enoch R. Staley Highway” sign on Friday.
David Hoots, NASCAR Cup Series race director for about 30 years before he was laid off in 2019, was among speakers who paid tribute to Staley at the event.
“At this time, when NASCAR is a global sport with followers around the world, it’s fitting to look back on its formative years and celebrate one of the visionaries who made it happen and that would be Enoch” Staley, said Hoots.
Michael Poe, division engineer for the DOT’s North Wilkesboro-based Division 11, said Friday that Staley was known for his integrity and his humble approach to business. “Today, we are here to honor his legacy as we designate” the five-mile section of Speedway Road the Enoch R. Staley Highway, said Poe.
Staley was an unassuming and accommodating man but would be pleased and proud of Speedway Road bearing his name, said his son, Michael “Mike” Staley.
Mike Staley said by text that Bill Anderson, former Wilkes sheriff, “got the ball rolling on this” and Wilkes Sheriff Chris Shew, Wilkes County commissioners and Sen. Eddie Settle of Wilkes played roles in securing the designation. Shew formally requested and the commissioners approved a resolution seeking the action.
“It’s quite an honor for me and my family,” added Staley. He thanked his family and friends, including fellow members of the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club, for being present Friday. He said the DOT did a great job organizing the event.
The resolution approved by the county commissioners and a similar resolution approved by the N.C. Board of Transportation said Enoch Staley and partners opened the North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1947 and held the first race there on May 16, 1947.
The resolutions referenced Staley, Bill France Sr. and other promoters meeting at the Hotel Wilkes in downtown North Wilkesboro and making plans to meet again (in Ormond Beach, Fla.), which is when NASCAR was formed.
The Hotel Wilkes meeting coincided with the first race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1947.
According to Staley, the track was five eighths of a mile long because money for building it ran out at that point.
Staley also was president of the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, co-owned the Hillsborough Speedway with Bill France Sr. and helped with races and events at other tracks. He drove pace cars for years at the Daytona Beach and Talladega races.
Staley is remembered for his hospitality and generosity at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he kept ticket prices artificially law. He was known to give away tickets when asked.
Staley was born April 8, 1918, in Wilkes. Shortly after his death in 1995, the North Wilkesboro Speedway was sold and the spring and fall NASCAR Winston Cup race dates there each year were assigned to other locations.
The venue was renovated and reopened by its owner, Speedway Motorsports, in 2022.
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