Page 16 - Wilkes County NCG 2023

Back on Track
Back on Track

North Carolina’s oldest operating dragstrip –

Wilkesboro Dragway – fuels generational excitement

By Lydia Cobb
W
W hat’s so cool about drag racing?
Anyone can participate! Two
drivers line up at the starting
line. They race to the finish as
fast as they can. That’s it, but there’s so much
more. See for yourself at Wilkesboro Dragway,
built nearly 70 years ago.
Here in the land of storied moonshine
getaways, where cars were primed to outrun
the authorities, drag racing is making a big
comeback despite the loss of smaller, family-
owned tracks to development around the
nation. Here in Wilkesboro, the state’s oldest
operating dragstrip has new owners who are
committed to growing this family-oriented sport.
Wilkesboro Dragway’s business owner,
Paul Salvatore said, “There’s passion and
competition on any given race day, from the
racers who love to pursue their desire to go The Salvatore Family
fast, to the spectators who love to watch their
favorite race car go rounds. From the smell of
the burnt rubber on the first burnout until the “People here seem to really care about racing,
last car lands in the winner’s circle, there is no matter their age.” Cindy Meredith
never a dull moment.”
Being at the restored dragway means
experiencing all the senses. Imagine the with the track and more importantly, with the dragsters, for everybody,” Olish says on his
scents of race fuels – whether old-fashioned community of Wilkesboro. website video. “It’s a family sport and a lot of
gasoline or the newer additives that smell like Donnie and his wife Tracee and family people don’t realize that.”
blueberries and cotton candy. There is high- have owned and operated Olish Farms, Olish Enter Paul Salvatore and wife Cindy
spirited cheering! Beyond the 45-acre dragway Petroleum, Olish Landscaping, Olish Trucking, Meredith, who own the business side of the
property are rolling hills in the valley, dotted Olish Carting, among other businesses. The track. Salvatore owned and operated PFAB
with cows. All this is the backdrop to high boys of the family all share a common bond in Customs in New York where he rebuilt motors,
octane excitement. drag racing. Their passion for this sport brought roll cages, and did custom conversions. He
Fifth-generation Long Island, New York them to Wilkesboro the first time, and Olish’s brings this talent to the Wilkesboro Dragway
farmer Donnie Olish and family bought the desire to see the historic track succeed led him (his prized possession is his 1973 Vega).
Wilkesboro Raceway Park in April 2021. Olish to its purchase. Olish was a client with Salvatore’s business
and his sons came to the Wilkesboro Dragway “We love the competition. We think drag when they got to talking about the new track.
a few years ago for an event. They fell in love racing is a great sport for young kids, junior Olish and Salvatore partnered to keep this track

12 Wilkesboro Dragway Wilkes Chamber of Commerce