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Decades have passed since NASCAR was back at what was known as North Carolina Motor Speedway. After sitting silent except for various special events, what is known today as Rockingham Speedway, the 1.017 facility that has been rebuilt as a pristine state-of-the art racetrack, welcomes NASCAR back to Richmond County for the running of the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on April 18-19, 2025.
As announced through a speedway release issued Tuesday by Track Enterprises, Rockingham Speedway will host an open organizational test Tuesday, Jan. 28, in preparation for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ return to the historic one-mile oval. Track Enterprises announced in August that it reached an agreement with Rockingham Speedway ownership to bring NASCAR back to the historic track.
More than 50 teams from the Xfinity Series and Truck Series are expected to prepare for those events. Fans will be allowed, free of charge, to watch the drivers and teams prepare for the events in less than three months from the Turn 4 grandstands beginning at 9 a.m.
The single-day on-track sessions will mark the only preseason test for both divisions and will be a valuable day-long test as teams prepare for the 250-lap Xfinity Series race and the Black’s Tire 200 Truck Series race.
“We’re excited to see cars and trucks on the track and to let race fans catch a glimpse of what they can expect when NASCAR returns to Rockingham Easter Weekend,” said Bob Sargent, president, Track Enterprises. “This will be the first opportunity of the new year for a lot of these teams to work together before they head for Speedweeks in Daytona, so not only is this test important to our team, it’s equally important to all the race teams that will be here. It’s a unique situation so we’re thrilled to see them get some pre-season work in at the Rock.”
Twenty-one years have passed since the Xfinity Series last visited, while the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series last competed at Rockingham in 2013. The Xfinity Series was a regular player at the historic venue from 1982-2004 and features a cast of some of the sport’s most respected names on its list of former winners, including David Pearson, Sam Ard, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Harry Gant, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Jamie McMurray.
Martin was a dominant force at Rockingham in Xfinity Series competition throughout his career, having collected 11 wins in 25 starts, including four consecutively during the 1996 and ’97 seasons. McMurray matched Martin’s four-peat by recording four wins in a row from 2002-04.
“It brings back a lot of memories, obviously, coming here,” McMurray said during a November Goodyear tire test. “I was talking to some of the other crew guys in the garage and it’s weird, you pulled up and you don’t remember things, but then all of a sudden, how to get in, where the tunnel was, it all comes back to you. There were some incredible races that happened here, so I’m glad that they’re going to come back and give it a shot.”
The Truck Series raced at Rockingham twice 12 years ago. Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson enjoyed victories for late team owner Steve Turner and Turner Motorsports. Matt Crafton, a 25-year Truck Series veteran, is the only current series regular to have competed at the high-banked, D-shaped oval when the division last raced there.
Separate from Larson, current NASCAR Cup Series competitors Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were all part of the field when the Truck Series last tested at Rockingham.
While he’s yet to make any laps at the famed Rockingham oval, reigning Truck Series Most Popular Driver Rajah Caruth has next week’s test circled on his calendar and looks forward to visiting Rockingham Speedway for the first time.
“Personally, as a massive NASCAR fan and both a student and historian of the sport, going to a historic place such as Rockingham is going to be such an amazing experience,” Caruth said. “Seeing North Wilkesboro come back to life and being able to race there the last two years was amazing. I can’t wait to see the same type of excitement and enthusiasm surrounding Rockingham. The track is high-banked and high speed so that’s right in my wheelhouse.
All the times I’ve driven down to Myrtle Beach, Florence, and Darlington over the years, you see the sign for Rockingham. I’ve never been down that way but always wondered what it was like, so I can’t wait to go for the first time.”
Rockingham Speedway opened as a flat, one-mile oval on Oct. 31, 1965. It was reconfigured to a one-mile (1.017 miles) high-banked, D-shaped oval in 1969.
In 2018, a new ownership group took over the facility and renamed it Rockingham Speedway & Entertainment Complex. On Nov. 18, 2021, Governor Roy Cooper signed the 2021-22 North Carolina state budget allocating $9 million to support reinvestment in the facility. The state funds, along with ownership investment, allowed for the redevelopment of the racetrack including the racing surface and extensive repairs. Today, the facility hosts a wide variety of events including karting, road racing, endurance racing, concerts and more.
Track Enterprises have been promoting motorsports events since 1985. Based in Macon, Illinois, a dedicated staff, led by longtime promoter Bob Sargent, organize and promote upwards of 80 races a year across the eastern half of the United States. Track Enterprises was responsible for the highly acclaimed return of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to the Milwaukee Mile in 2023.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Rockingham Speedway race testing for Xfinity, Trucks free to fans
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