In the 1990’s, Charlotte was a perennial Supercross destination for the southeastern fans of the sport. The Queen City hosted the world’s best in a pair of venues that were complete opposites in terms of size and stature. While the area hasn’t hosted a Supercross event since 1998, the SMX playoffs has brought top level two-wheel racing back to North Carolina.
Venues
The first stadium to host a Supercross in Charlotte was Memorial Stadium. A small 10,500 seat venue, Memorial Stadium was the largest outdoor stick and ball sports stadium in the city until Bank of America Stadium was built for the arrival of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Memorial Stadium held Supercross events from 1990-1995.
From 1996-1998, the race moved to nearby Concord and the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway. Similar to the legendary Daytona Supercross, a track was built on the infield and front stretch of NASCAR’s home track. The area hasn’t hosted a Supercross event since the late 1990’s, but an MXGP race at The Dirt Track at Charlotte and the SMX Playoff at zMAX Dragway have brought two wheel action back to the same property.
Iconic Moments
Cool stuff here.
1990-Hero's Welcome
The first ever Charlotte Supercross kicked off with an epic duel for the win. North Carolina native Damon Bradshaw, Jeff Stanton and Jeff Ward raced out front, with Bradshaw and Stanton swapping the lead. The two continued their back and forth fight as Ward went down, dropping him back to 7th. Bradshaw secured the lead with three laps to go, with Stanton making a mistake. The Beast From The East took the checkered flag as the crowd erupted. Just 17 years old, Bradshaw won his fourth premier class race of the season and took a victory lap in front of his home crowd, in what Cycle News described as a “fantasy ending to a storybook tale.”
1995-Closer To History
Jeremy McGrath moved into a tie for second on the all-time Supercross wins list with a come from behind victory. The fast starting Jeff Emig got out front early, with McGrath’s teammate Steve Lamson and Larry Ward in hot pursuit. Lamson made a pass for the lead and a short time later, McGrath took second. The two shadowed each other throughout the main event, but a move from McGrath with half a lap to go moved him into the lead, securing his 27th career win. This tied McGrath with Bob Hannah, and put him just one behind then leader Rick Johnson.
The same night, McGrath’s former 125 team took home a championship. Frenchman Mickael Pichon secured the 125 East championship early. He needed 8th or better to clinch the title at Charlotte, and brought home his Pro Circuit Kawasaki in third as Mike Brown took the race win.
1997-The First Dub
Heading into the 1997 Charlotte Supercross, Kevin Windham was the 125 West points leader and racing select rounds in the premier class. The previous week in Pontiac, Windham finished a strong second to Ezra Lusk. The order flipped in the Queen City, with Windham establishing himself as a future superstar. Championship contenders Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Emig drifted wide off the start, allowing the teenage Windham to sprint out front on his Yamaha. McGrath held second, but couldn’t make any ground as he started to fade, getting passed by Lusk and others after receiving a flat tire. Despite fading late, Windham held on to the lead to win his first of 18 premier class main events in an upset.
This interactive table details the all-time leaders at Charlotte. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
This interactive table details the Charlotte Supercross winners history. Who won in what year and what round was this venue. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
