State Fairgrounds

The half-mile dirt oval at North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh was an active race track from 1928 until war interrupted proceedings in 1941. It reopened in 1946 and NASCAR’s division visited for a rain-curtailed event in 1955. The top division returned in 1969 when Richard Petty crashed in his pursuit of David Pearson. Petty was able to recover to finish second that day, and he won the 1970 Home State 200 driving the Plymouth SuperBird he had recently sold to Don Robertson. The speedway closed to racing shortly after what had been the last NASCAR race to be held on dirt until 2021. The grandstand remains in use for the annual state fair.