Editing Wilkes County, North Carolina (section)

==History==
The county was formed from parts of [[Surry County, North Carolina|Surry County]] and Washington District (now [[Washington County, Tennessee]]) on April 20, 1778, by an act of the [[North Carolina General Assembly of 1778]]. The first session of the county court was held in John Brown's house near what is today Brown's Ford. The act creating the county became effective on February 15, 1778, and the county celebrates its anniversary on February 15. Wilkes County was named for the English political radical [[John Wilkes]], who was [[Lord Mayor of the City of London]] and gave support for the rebels during the American Revolution.<ref>{{cite book|title=Laws of North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1778{{endash}}1779, Chapter 22|page=178|year=1779|url=https://www.carolana.com/NC/Legislators/Documents/Laws_of_North_Carolina_1778_1779.pdf}}</ref>

In 1799, the northern and western parts of Wilkes County became [[Ashe County, North Carolina|Ashe County]]. In 1841, parts of Wilkes County and [[Burke County, North Carolina|Burke County]] were combined to form [[Caldwell County, North Carolina|Caldwell County]]. In 1847, another part of Wilkes County was combined with parts of Caldwell County and [[Iredell County, North Carolina|Iredell County]] to become [[Alexander County, North Carolina|Alexander County]]. In 1849, additional parts of Wilkes County and Caldwell County were combined with parts of Ashe County and [[Yancey County, North Carolina|Yancey County]] to form [[Watauga County, North Carolina|Watauga County]]. Numerous boundary adjustments were made thereafter, but none resulted in new counties.

===Moonshine production and the birth of NASCAR===
{{see also|North Wilkesboro Speedway}}
Wilkes County was once known as the "[[Moonshine]] Capital of the World", and was a leading producer of illegal homemade liquor. From the 1920s to the 1950s some young Wilkes County males made their living by delivering moonshine to North Carolina's larger towns and cities. Wilkes County natives also used bootleg liquor as a means for barter far beyond the borders of North Carolina. Many Wilkes County distillers ran white liquor as far as [[Detroit]], [[New Jersey]], and [[South Florida]]. Since this often involved outrunning local police and federal agents in auto chases, the county became one of the birthplaces of the sport of [[stock-car racing]].

The [[North Wilkesboro Speedway]] was the first [[NASCAR]] (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) track; it held its first race on May 18, 1947,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savethespeedway.net/may47.html|title=First Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway|website=savethespeedway|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref> and the first NASCAR-sanctioned race on October 16, 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savethespeedway.net/49wilkes.htm|title=49 Wilkes|website=savethespeedway|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref> Wilkes County native and resident [[Junior Johnson]] was one of the early superstars of NASCAR, as well as a legendary moonshiner. Johnson was featured by the writer [[Tom Wolfe]] in a 1965 ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine article titled "The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!", which gave him national exposure. Wolfe's vivid article was later adapted as the movie ''[[The Last American Hero]]'' (1973), starring [[Jeff Bridges]] and [[Valerie Perrine]]. [[Benny Parsons]] and [[Jimmy Pardue]] were two other notable NASCAR drivers from Wilkes.

The North Wilkesboro Speedway was closed following the 1996 NASCAR season. Two new owners, Bob Bahre and [[Bruton Smith]], moved North Wilkesboro's NASCAR races to their tracks in [[Texas Motor Speedway|Texas]] and [[New Hampshire International Speedway|New Hampshire]]. In 2009, Speedway Associates, Inc., obtained a three-year lease and started running races and other events at the speedway. However, in May 2011, the group announced that funding had fallen through and they were ending their lease prematurely.<ref>{{cite news|last=Long|first=Dustin|title=North Wilkesboro closing again|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/05/north-wilkesboro-closing-again|access-date=December 15, 2011|newspaper=HamptonRoads.com|date=May 9, 2011}}</ref> Following the track's closure in 1996, numerous news media stories and articles were written about the rich history of the speedway, the physical decay of the track and grandstands, and efforts to renovate and save the speedway.<ref name="journalnow.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.journalnow.com/news/columnists/scott_sexton/north-wilkesboro-speedway-eroding-with-passage-of-time/article_d70344fa-2dbf-5fca-8938-d98bfce3ce03.html|title=North Wilkesboro Speedway eroding with passage of time|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davecaldwell/2018/04/05/why-a-beloved-nascar-racetrack-might-not-provide-a-sentimental-journey/#6a683ee553f1|title=A Beloved NASCAR Racetrack might not provide a sentimental Journey|website=forbes.com|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nascar/news/north-wilkesboro-speedway-cars-3-nascar-track-disney-pixar/17q9v7w7lwp3p1uqr53bsypnsa|website=Sportingnews.com|title=North Wilkesboro Speedway Cars|access-date=November 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/longform/2015/3/4/8126311/north-wilkesboro-speedway-after-nascar|title=North Wilkesboro Speedway after NASCAR|website=sbnation.com|date=March 4, 2015 }}</ref> In November 2021, the North Carolina state legislature and North Carolina Governor [[Roy Cooper]] approved giving $18 million to the North Wilkesboro Speedway for extensive renovations and repairs in an effort to return auto racing to the track.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2021 |title=North Wilkesboro and Rockingham Speedway to receive millions from North Carolina state budget |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nascar/news/north-wilkesboro-and-rockingham-speedway-to-receive-millions-from-north-carolina-state-budget/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref> Following the renovation, the Speedway held its first races in a decade in August 2022, drawing a sellout crowd to the CARS Tour's Window World 125.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 12, 2022 |title='There's a reverence': Racing makes triumphant return to North Wilkesboro |url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/motor/nascar/north-wilkesboro-speedway-racing-return-2022/275-2185dbe5-126f-4d2e-a818-2e5647158ca2 |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=wcnc.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Alex Bowman excited, anxious as he plays his part in finding new crew chief for 2023 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nascar/news/alex-bowman-excited-anxious-as-he-plays-his-part-in-finding-new-crew-chief-for-2023/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref> In September 2022 it was announced that the 2023 [[NASCAR All-Star Race]] would be held at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2023, marking the first NASCAR race to be held at the track since 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2022 |title=North Wilkesboro to host 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race |url=https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2022/09/08/north-wilkesboro-to-host-2023-nascar-all-star-race/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> The All-Star race was held on May 21, 2023, before a sellout crowd at the Speedway, [[Kyle Larson]] won the race.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kyle Larson wins All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2023/05/21/kyle-larson-wins-2023-all-star-race-at-north-wilkesboro/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=www.nascar.com}}</ref> The [[NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series]] also held a race at the Speedway on May 20, 2023; it was also won by [[Kyle Larson]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2023 |title=North Wilkesboro Truck results: Kyle Larson wins in overtime |url=https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2023/05/20/north-wilkesboro-truck-results-kyle-larson-wins-in-overtime/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> The 2024 NASCAR All-Star race was also held at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-20 |title=NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro results: Joey Logano dominates for first win of 2024 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nascar/news/nascar-all-star-race-at-north-wilkesboro-results-joey-logano-dominates-for-first-win-of-2024/live/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref> and the 2025 NASCAR All-Star race will be held at the Speedway in May 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-05-17 |title=NASCAR returns to North Wilkesboro for 2025 All-Star Race |url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/05/17/nascar-returns-north-wilkesboro-2025-all-star-race/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=Official Site Of NASCAR |language=en-US}}</ref>