Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing 's most storied venues, and is often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The track first opened in 1951 as a 1/2 -mile (0.80 km) dirt track. Gwyn Staley won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett and Ralph Earnhardt also became track champions in the 1950's, with Earnhardt alone winning five of them. Hickory Motor Speedway has been re-configured three times in its history. The track became a 0.4-mile (644 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season. In 1970, Hickory was shortened a second time to its present length of 0.363 miles (584 meters). Hickory is still used as a venue for NASCAR's club racing division, the Whelen All-American Series. The CARS Tour, featuring Late Model and Super Late Model cars, race on the same night and run a full schedule at the track.