How NASCAR’s unlikely return to Rockingham was made possible by Congress

We’re just days away from NASCAR’s latest effort to return to the historic Rockingham Speedway. While the Cup Series drivers enjoy their one and only off-weekend of the 2025 season, the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series fields will head to ‘The Rock’ in a stunning revival of the North Carolina track. The Trucks will run on Friday, April 18 while the Xfinity drivers will take part in the ‘main event’ on Saturday, April 19.

Speaking on it last year, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President Ben Kennedy said of the track: “Rockingham Speedway has a storied history in NASCAR, so we look forward to the return of the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series to the famed racetrack. The holiday race weekend at The Rock will offer the opportunity to showcase the future stars of the sport at a venue with a rich history.”

It will be the first Truck Series race at Rockingham since 2013 and the first Xfinity race there since 2004. Rockingham also hosted Cup races from 1965 through the 2004 season. But after nearly four decades, the sport abandoned the track partly due to declining attendance. But it was also a victim of NASCAR’s ‘modernizing tradition’ tactic, a now infamous phrase used to explain the shuttering of historic tracks in favor of new, cookie-cutter facilities in lucrative markets. Rockingham is located in a painfully rural part of the state with less than 10,000 residents. It was also hard to justify with Charlotte Motor Speedway just 80 miles away.

There was a brief effort to revive Rockingham in the early 2010s with the Truck Series, but it only lasted two years. The first revival failed as the money quickly dried up, and the track has been auctioned off multiple times in the last two decades. All hope was lost but after an even older North Carolina short track rose from the grave in 2023 (North Wilkesboro), there was renewed hope that Rockingham could return. 

The American Rescue Plan

So, how exactly is this successfully happening in 2025? It’s not dissimilar to the events surrounding North Wilkesboro Speedway’s unlikely resurrection. After falling into disrepair, North Wilkesboro was miraculously restored and now hosts the All-Star Race every year. The funds for the project came from The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which planned to help the country recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stimulus package was signed into law by then-president Joe Biden in March of that year.

North Carolina governor Roy Cooper proceeded to allocate millions of dollars to three race tracks in the state – including $10 million directed towards Rockingham for infrastructure purposes. Less than one year later, the 1.017-mile track underwent a complete repave, updated garages, a new media center, and several other improvements. 

“Rockingham Speedway is proud to welcome NASCAR and especially race fans from all over the state back to Richmond County,” said Rockingham Speedway owner Dan Lovenheim when the return was officially confirmed. “Our team has put a tremendous amount of work and resources into modernizing the property and providing the area with a destination to be proud of. This moment validates our plans. We’ve refreshed the entire facility and are eager to show race fans what we’ve done.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with Track Enterprises and NASCAR to host the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series over Easter Weekend. We’re also thankful to Governor Cooper and the North Carolina Legislature for sharing and investing in our vision. We can’t wait to see the green flag wave again on NASCAR racing at The Rock.”  

The entry list for this weekend also features the return of former Rockingham race winner Kasey Kahne, who will run the Xfinity race for RCR. It will be his first race in a NASCAR stock car in nearly seven years. Four-time Indy 500 starter Katherine Legge will also take part in the Xfinity race.

75 drivers have entered this weekend’s events with 35 on the Truck Series entry list and 40 fighting for the 38 spots in the Xfinity Series field.