Throughout the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Advance Auto Parts is spotlighting a series of Home Track Heroes from NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks around the country. Each Home Track Hero, nominated by his or her peers as a result of contributions made to the race track, will have his or her name appear on the C-Post of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang in a Cup Series Playoff race. William Brown, the volunteer track manager at North Carolina’s Wake County Speedway, is the Home Track Hero whose name will appear on Blaney’s car during the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Those at Wake County Speedway think of William Brown as the NASCAR Home Track’s hero without a cape.
His dedication to the facility began in 2019, when he heard Wake County referred to as “that dump.”
Brown’s son Zack at the time was — and still is — a racer at Wake County. But the “dump” reference lit a fire under the elder Brown, who became motivated to approach track promotor Charlie Hansen and ask about ways to make the facility a “nicer playground” for his son and other competitors.
Still a volunteer to this day, Brown was named the track manager in 2020. Ever since that meeting in 2019, Brown has dedicated 50-60 hours per week making improvements to Wake County’s grounds.
Brown is a retired builder, hence his ability to construct improvements to the track. For example, on race nights, Brown can be found overlooking his hard work from the VIP deck he built himself. He does not participate in race-day operations; he’s there supporting his son.
Beyond the work Brown has done to improve Wake County’s facilities, he also was a major factor in the track’s decision to become NASCAR-sanctioned. Hansen knew such a move would further Brown’s vision for the track.
Many at Wake County know Brown for his ability to chat. He’s never met a stranger, and when he gets going, good luck getting him to stop talking about Wake County. It’s a quality those around him adore.
The track goes as far as explaining that if Brown were a paid employee, there’s no monetary compensation that could represent what he means to Wake County and its entire operation.
He’s the definition of a Home Track Hero.