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Up until a couple of weeks ago, Stefan Parsons did not believe he would be among the 30 drivers taking the green flag for the Window World 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The withdrawal of Chad Bryant Racing’s second car being piloted by NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Ty Majeski created an opportunity for Stefan to compete at the track that meant so much to his late uncle and NASCAR Hall of Famer Benny Parsons, who passed away in 2007 from lung cancer.
“The deal came together pretty late, but I feel like we’re going to have a good car,” Stefan said. “AK Performance always does such a great job and I’m glad everything ended up coming together. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this happen and I’m excited to get to North Wilkesboro.”
Following Benny’s passing, his widow Terri worked tirelessly to ensure that North Wilkesboro would one day see active competition again. Terri and the rest of the Parsons family got to see that dream become a reality with a full schedule of races slated for August and October.
Stefan was always optimistic about the possibility of North Wilkesboro one day reopening and revitalizing the adjacent town that Benny and so many members of his family grew up in. He wishes that Benny could see how much support the track has gotten during its resurgence but is confident the past month of racing is only the beginning of a new era for North Wilkesboro.
The worn-out surface of North Wilkesboro has Stefan anticipating a race like those on Florence Motor Speedway and the now defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway, in which drivers will have to aggressively save tires to have a car that can contend for a victory in the closing stages.
Stefan considers himself fortunate to just race in the Window World 125. He expressed his gratitude towards Chad Bryant and AK Performance for giving him the opportunity and hopes to take home a checkered flag in front of his family on Wednesday night.
“It would be huge to win this one,” Stefan said. “I worked for Chad Bryant back in 2018 with his ARCA team and AK Performance is the team I started racing with when I was running Bandolero and Legend cars. It would be special from that perspective but also because of how special North Wilkesboro is to our family.”
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