Well, growing up and living in Charlotte, NC, we had several choices of race tracks in the area.
Anything from micro midgets up to late models on dirt, modifieds and late models on asphalt
Even whatever NASCAR was running at several tracks within an hour or two of home.
I'd have to say though, my "hometown" track was Metrolina Speedway in Charlotte.
It was a big and fast 1/2 mile semi-banked dirt track.
I spent many nights there with my Dad taking it all in.
If I went with Dad, we were usually the first couple folks thru the gates on a Friday night in the '70s and early '80s until he passed away.
Metrolina was built during the mid-1960s IIRC as a dirt track. It raced into the 1990s before finally closing. It was paved in the mid 1970s for a couple years. Ned Jarrett was the promoter with NASCAR modified and late model racing. Then the asphalt came up and it went back to dirt.
Some big high dollar races were held several times a year around holidays. They even ran a few 200 lap dirt LMS races. The NDRA late models as well as the World of Outlaws sprint cars ran there too.
Many great local racers ran there including Ralph & Dale Earnhardt, Freddy Smith, Mike Duvall, Billy Scott, Heyward Plyler, Larry Wallace (cam grinder by day at Holman-Moody), Gene "Stick" Elliott, Carl Smart, Harry Gant and many more. The main two classes were the late models and "semi-modified" 6 cylinders. It was always fun when "the Georgia boys" showed up late in a group of 5 or 6. This usually included Buck Simmons, CL Pritchett, Charlie Hughes, Fulmer Lance, Ray Allison and occasionally Billy Thomas from Alabama among others.
Too bad so many old tracks have gone away over the years. There were some great ones.
Here's a few pics:
View as it sat a few years back
Bought a ticket and walked up that hill many times. The pressbox that sat at the top of the hill was torn down years ago.
Frontstretch
Turn 4
Pits & flagstand
Turn 2 1977
Fulmer Lance 1978
Mike Duvall #5, Stick Elliott #57, Nova in the pits #8, is Dale Earnhardt 1977
#92 Don Bumgardner, the "Y" in the lettering is Robert Yates. He built the engines in this car. It was VERY fast.
My hero, Freddy Smith. Great racer (nearly 800 feature wins) and even nicer guy. Probably his last steel bodied car, 1978
The late Jim Dunn, NDRA 1982
Rodney Combs, NDRA 1982
Kenny Polston, "semi-modified" 6 cylinder class. None better
Turn 1 a few years ago
NASCAR late model sportsman race 1974