Moyock, North Carolina

Moyock
Census-designated place
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Currituck
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,154
• Density	Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code	252

Moyock is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community located within Currituck County, North Carolina, United States. According to the 2020 census data, its population stands at 5,154.

Geography

Positioned along North Carolina Highway 168 close to the Virginia border, Moyock marks the endpoint of the Chesapeake Expressway toll road. It lies approximately 25 miles south of Norfolk, Virginia’s downtown area, and is growing as a residential hub for commuters serving the Hampton Roads metropolitan region. Additionally, NC 168 extends southeast for 11 miles to reach Currituck, which serves as the county seat.

Driving distances

Situated just below the Virginia-North Carolina boundary, Moyock is North Carolina’s nearest community to several important regional destinations:

• The Delmarva Peninsula at Fisherman Island, near the toll plaza of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, roughly north.
• The Mason–Dixon line near Selbyville, Delaware, about north.
• The New Jersey state border accessed via the Cape May-Lewes Ferry crossing Delaware Bay, approximately north (from Lewes, Delaware into the bay). This represents North Carolina’s closest point to the Northeastern United States.

2020 census

Moyock racial composition

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	4,116	79.86%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	381	7.39%
Native American	15	0.29%
Asian	92	1.79%
Pacific Islander	6	0.12%
Other/Mixed	328	6.36%
Hispanic or Latino	216	4.19%

The 2020 census recorded Moyock’s population at 5,154 individuals residing within 1,563 households and comprising 1,187 families.

Greyhound racing in Moyock

Greyhound racing began in nearby Norfolk County, Virginia during the 1930s until authorities shut down the Cavalier Kennel Club (CKC). The CKC subsequently moved just south across the state line to a quarter-mile oval track situated on North Carolina Highway 168 in Moyock. Between the late 1940s and early 1950s, this venue attracted numerous spectators and bettors from the Hampton Roads area, including thousands of U.S. Navy personnel stationed in Norfolk. However, operations ceased after North Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld a law banning dog racing in 1954. In 2009, CKC acknowledged Paul Hartwell as the creator of the greyhound letter rating system, which became widely adopted and eventually evolved into the Composite Speed Rating methodology.

NASCAR in Moyock

Following the closure of the Cavalier Kennel Club during the 1950s, Moyock transitioned to hosting automobile races at what became known as Dog Track Speedway (DTS). This track was constructed on the former CKC grounds and originally featured a one-quarter-mile dirt oval that was later paved and lengthened to one-third of a mile in 1964. Between 1962 and 1966, DTS held seven NASCAR events including notable races such as the Moyock 300 (1964–1965) and the Tidewater 300 in 1965.

Ned Jarrett achieved the highest number of wins at DTS with two victories in ’62 and ’64, earning $4,631 while driving a Ford. Richard Petty, a native of North Carolina, competed six times at this venue piloting a Plymouth; he secured pole position twice but never finished better than third place and accumulated $1,700 in total prize money.

The last NASCAR race at DTS occurred on May 29, 1966—a 301-lap contest won by David Pearson driving a 1964 Dodge with an average speed of 61.913 mph and a $1,000 purse. Later that year, declining attendance figures, reduced revenue streams, and competition from larger tracks nearby led to DTS’s permanent closure.

International business

Moyock was the initial base of operations for Blackwater Worldwide, a company that subsequently changed its name to Xe Services LLC prior to moving its headquarters to Arlington County, Virginia, and adopting the name Academi.