2022 NASCAR Weekly Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway

Track Profile: Getting To Know Hickory Motor Speedway

Track Profile: Getting To Know Hickory Motor Speedway

One of the most storied tracks in stock car racing, Hickory in 2022 continues to host weekly racing as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.

Mar 4, 2022 by Rob Blount
Track Profile: Getting To Know Hickory Motor Speedway

Choose the nickname: “The World’s Most Famous Short Track” or the “Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars.”

Either properly conveys the significance of Hickory Motor Speedway, the .363-mile NASCAR Home Track located in Newton, North Carolina.

One of the most storied tracks in stock car racing, Hickory in 2022 continues to host weekly racing from March through October as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. The track’s “Big 10” events conclude with the Weekly Series championship night — with double points for all divisions — in September.

From Gwyn Staley in 1951 to Josh Kossek in 2021, the list of track champions at Hickory is loaded with notable names. And that list does not include the NASCAR national series winners at the track in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

Below is everything to know about Hickory Motor Speedway.


TrackHickory Motor Speedway
LocationNewton, North Carolina
Opened1951
Length0.363 miles
Banking14 degrees in Turns 1-2; 12 degrees in Turns 3-4; 8 degrees on frontstretch and backstretch
SurfaceAsphalt


Hickory Motor Speedway opened in 1951 as a half-mile dirt track. That was the configuration on which Staley won the first race at the venue en route to his track championship that year.

That dirt track produced more notable track champions in the 1950s, as Junior Johnson won Hickory’s second track championship in 1952 before Ralph Earnhart reeled off consecutive Hickory titles in 1953-54.

Earnhardt would go on to win three more track championships at Hickory, in 1956, 1957 and 1957. Those titles sandwiched Hickory championships for Ned Jarrett in 1955 and Johnny Miller in 1958.

The Hickory dirt track was reconfigured to a shorter distance (0.4 miles) in 1955 before it was paved during the 1967 season. The track’s current configuration, an even shorter asphalt oval, arrived in 1970.

Hickory hosted 35 NASCAR Cup Series races from 1953-71. Johnson has the most Cup wins at the track with seven in 20 starts, ahead of second-place Richard Petty’s five victories in 22 starts. Petty has the most top-10 Cup finishes at Hickory with 18 in those 22 starts.

Hickory also hosted 42 races for what’s now the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 1982-98. That includes six of 28 events in 1982, the first year for the series.

Tommy Houston and Jack Ingram are tied for the most Xfinity Series wins at Hickory with eight apiece.

Below are the complete lists of winners at Hickory Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, followed by Hickory’s list of track champions.

NASCAR Cup Series races at Hickory Motor Speedway




NASCAR Cup Series races at Hickory Motor Speedway

Year-Race No.DateWinner
1953-105/16/53Tim Flock
1953-298/29/53Fonty Flock
1954-196/19/54Herb Thomas
1955-125/7/55Junior Johnson
1956-0111/13/55Tim Flock
1956-165/12/56Speedy Thompson
1956-5511/11/56Speedy Thompson
1957-327/20/57Jack Smith
1958-266/28/58Lee Petty
1959-125/2/59Junior Johnson
1959-379/11/59Lee Petty
1960-114/15/60Joe Weatherly
1960-369/9/60Junior Johnson
1961-164/22/61Junior Johnson
1961-439/8/61Rex White
1962-195/5/62Jack Smith
1962-469/7/62Rex White
1963-123/24/63Junior Johnson
1963-469/6/63Junior Johnson
1964-235/16/64Ned Jarrett
1964-529/11/64David Pearson
1965-185/16/65Junior Johnson
1965-469/10/65Richard Petty
1966-094/3/66David Pearson
1966-439/9/66David Pearson
1967-124/9/67Richard Petty
1967-419/8/67Richard Petty
1968-084/7/68Richard Petty
1968-409/6/68David Pearson
1969-124/6/69Bobby Isaac
1969-429/5/69Bobby Isaac
1970-216/20/70Bobby Isaac
1970-399/11/70Bobby Isaac
1971-083/21/71Richard Petty
1971-398/28/71Tiny Lund

NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Hickory Motor Speedway

Year-Race No.DateWinner
1982-064/10/82Jack Ingram
1982-125/23/82Morgan Shepherd
1982-156/19/82John Settlemyre
1982-208/1/82Tommy Houston
1982-249/4/82Jack Ingram
1982-2810/17/82Jack Ingram
1983-043/13/83Tommy Ellis
1983-146/11/83Tommy Ellis
1983-217/30/83Sam Ard
1983-269/3/83Tommy Houston
1983-3410/16/83Jack Ingram
1984-043/11/84Jack Ingram
1984-146/9/84Tommy Houston
1984-187/28/84Jack Ingram
1984-2710/13/84Larry Pearson
1985-033/10/85Jimmy Hensley
1985-126/8/85Larry Pearson
1985-178/10/85Ronnie Silver
1985-2510/12/85Tommy Houston
1986-033/9/86Ronnie Silver
1986-136/7/86Tommy Houston
1986-207/27/86Jack Ingram
1987-023/15/87Jack Ingram
1987-157/25/87Dale Jarrett
1988-022/28/88Mike Alexander
1988-197/23/88Tommy Houston
1989-043/25/89Jimmy Spencer
1989-187/22/89Tommy Ellis
1990-053/25/90Tommy Houston
1990-115/19/90Chuck Bown
1991-063/31/91Butch Miller
1991-156/15/91Jimmy Hensley
1992-084/18/92Tommy Houston
1992-3111/8/92Bobby Labonte
1993-064/10/93Steve Grissom
1993-2711/7/93Johnny Rumley
1994-074/3/94Ricky Craven
1994-197/31/94Dennis Setzer
1995-084/15/95Johnny Benson Jr.
1996-084/6/96David Green
1997-073/29/97Dick Trickle
1998-084/11/98Ed Berrier

Hickory Motor Speedway track champions

YearTrack champion
1951Gwyn Staley
1952Junior Johnson
1953Ralph Earnhardt
1954Ralph Earnhardt
1955Ned Jarrett
1956Ralph Earnhardt
1957Ralph Earnhardt
1958Johnny Miller
1959Ralph Earnhardt
1960Glenn Killian
1961Glenn Killian
1962Pete Stewart
1963Pete Stewart
1964Ken Houston
1965Allen Rankin
1966Ralph Thomas
1967Bobby Waddell
1968Jack Ingram
1969Harry Gant
1970Ned Setzer
1971Jack Ingram
1972Bob Pressley
1973Harry Gant
1974Bob Pressley
1975Tommy Houston
1976Tommy Houston
1977John Settlemyre
1978John Settlemyre
1979John Settlemyre
1980John Settlemyre
1981John Settlemyre
1982Gary Neice
1983Dennis Setzer
1984Max Prestwood Jr.
1985Max Prestwood Jr.
1986Tony Warren
1987Richard Townsend
1988Robert Huffman
1989Robert Huffman
1990Max Prestwood Jr.
1991Larry Caudill
1992Scott Kilby
1993Dennis Setzer
1994Andy Houston
1995Max Prestwood Jr.
1996Scott Kilby
1997Marty Houston
1998Dexter Canipe
1999Shane Huffman
2000Robin Harris
2001Mark Setzer
2002Pete Silva
2003Matt Carter
2004Matt McCall
2005Keith Bumgarner
2006Andy Loden
2007Andy Loden
2008Andy Loden
2009Andy Mercer
2010Andy Mercer
2011Jesse LeFevers
2012Austin McDaniel
2013Austin McDaniel
2014Josh Berry
2015Matt Piercy
2016Dexter Canipe, Jr.
2017Ryan Millington
2018Jacob Heafner
2019Thomas Beane
2020Ryan Millington
2021Josh Kossek