10 legendary NASCAR tracks that were abandoned

Legendary NASCAR tracks

Riverside International Raceway

10. North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Carolina)

Once left for dead, this historic track opened in 1947 and was abandoned after 1996. Grass grew through cracks, and the grandstands rotted — until a miracle revival in 2022 brought it back to life for the All-Star Race.

9. Rockingham Speedway (North Carolina)

Known as “The Rock,” it hosted Cup races from 1965 to 2004. Despite efforts to revive it, the track was abandoned multiple times, sitting eerily quiet for nearly a decade before partial renovations began.

8. Texas World Speedway (College Station, Texas)

This massive two-mile oval was NASCAR’s answer to Michigan. Once home to high-speed races in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was abandoned and later demolished in 2017 to make way for housing.

7. Riverside International Raceway (California)

A legendary road course where stars like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt raced. It closed in 1989, replaced by a shopping mall — but old fans still call it one of NASCAR’s greatest lost tracks.

6. Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway (Tennessee)

Opened in 1904, it saw legends like Darrell Waltrip rise. NASCAR left after 1984, and the track faced multiple closure threats — though it still stands today, aging and awaiting a full comeback.

5. Ontario Motor Speedway (California)

Built as the “Indianapolis of the West,” it was a state-of-the-art facility in 1970. Financial collapse hit hard, and by 1980, it was abandoned and later demolished for commercial use.

4. Hickory Motor Speedway (North Carolina)

Known as the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars,” Hickory lost its Cup races after 1971. Though still occasionally active for local events, it’s a shadow of its former NASCAR glory.

3. Atlanta Motor Speedway (Original Configuration)

The original oval saw decades of epic battles before its 2022 redesign turned it into a mini-superspeedway. The old layout is now “abandoned” in spirit — a lost fan favorite.

2. Daytona Beach-Road Course (Florida)

Before the modern Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR raced partly on the beach! From 1948 to 1958, cars tore across sand and asphalt — until progress buried the old circuit forever.

1. North Carolina Speedway (North Carolina)

This one’s haunting. Abandoned garages, cracked asphalt, and empty grandstands — a time capsule of early NASCAR. Once home to tight, gritty racing, it stands as one of NASCAR’s most iconic ghost tracks.