Ghost track: exploring North Carolina's abandoned NASCAR circuit

Urban explorer Jonathan Joo’s haunting photos of the once vibrant and buzzing race track are now a stark reminder of what happens when the engines stop.

Joo, who has spent much of his time exploring and capturing forgotten and abandoned places around the world, ventured to the speedway - which once seated thousands of fans - to capture it for posterity.

The 26-year-old, who is based in Ohio, said: “It was incredibly eerie seeing such a large part of our country's history sat abandoned.

"Most know that NASCAR has always been greatly popular in the United States over the years since it began, so seeing such an important piece of NASCAR history sitting completely forgotten was even more eye-opening than the usual abandoned place.

“This can truly speak volumes of how easily we forget and leave our country's important historic pieces behind.”

The track first opened as a dirt track in 1947 and hosted NASCAR races from 1949 to 1996, according to Save the Speedway, an organisation devoted to bringing auto racing back to North Wilkesboro.

In 2010, North Wilkesboro Speedway briefly reopened, playing host to several Stock Car series. Unfortunately, the track went silent again in 2011 and has since been left to face the ravages of time.

Joo’s eerie photos show faded racetrack signs, thousands of vacant seats, buildings in various states of disrepair and stained parts of track.

He first began to explore abandoned structures when he was just 16 years old, becoming fascinated that these spaces belonged to someone's past.

Johnny, 26, said: “Exploring abandoned places was initially an interest because, simply put – they looked awesome.

"I was 16 years old and an abandoned barn covered in ivy seemed so cool to me to run around because it was creepy. I

"t’s strange to see that this kind of scenery exists outside of video games or movies, and practically right in my own backyard.

“There are so many things collectively that draw me into eerie scenery.”