Following a thorough examination of the foundation around the all-concrete grandstands near Turn 1 to ensure it meets safety requirements, North Wilkesboro Speedway track officials said construction crews have begun to repair the mysterious cavern found underneath the structure so it will be ready to host fans for the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race week, May 14-19.
Tuesday afternoon, construction crews from Baker’s Construction Services began the process of pouring concrete into the large cavern, rumored to be an abandoned moonshine cave. The open area was discovered underneath the frontstretch grandstands toward Turn 1 nearly two weeks ago and is estimated to be approximately 700-square-feet.
More than 600 aluminum seats were removed and a large chunk of the concrete seating was opened so construction crews could safely get inside and lay in the concrete fill to make repairs and stabilize the area.
Speedway Motorsports Senior Vice President of Operations and Development of Steve Swift says that the seats were found to be safe and the cavern is not in a collapsible area, as there are plenty of big rocks and dirt underneath providing a solid ground foundation.