“Eventually, I’d like to see Rockingham come back. To me, Rockingham was the racetrack that spectators can see all the way around, and it’s a very competitive racetrack,” King Petty said. Being the winningest driver on the track, his support is unwavering. But, someone else is trying to make it true. The NASCAR community was already rooting for the new heir to the sport, Ben Kennedy. And now the feeling has gotten stronger. Reason? With the mission to restore iconic tracks, ‘The Rock’ was rumored to make a comeback. However, it was uncertain… until now!
The stadium saw some of the best photo finishes, like Matt Keseth winning the 2004 Subway 400 up 0.010 seconds over Kasey Kahne. The stadium is now repaved, but Kahne just ran his Xfinity car there and confirmed to Chase Elliott that things still felt the same. Well, as we bank on this ecstatic feeling, are there a few things that the past has taught us about the venue? Something drivers should look out for is it for fans?
Fans can save the track, and drivers to look out
When the rumour emerged, some enthusiastic fans declared, “IM READY TO ROCK THE ROCK.” But keeping the excitement away, some others are urging caution, saying, “People need to show up more then once for Rockingham to get back to Cup. That’s why it failed last time.” Another fan noted, “Not sure if it’s fiscally viable, but I’d be interested in seeing some sort of cycle through some of the smaller tracks. Like, back and forth between Rockingham and North Wilksboro every other year.” This is one of the reasons why The Rock has not been on the Cup Series Schedule since 2004. The declining numbers in the grandstand showed the track had lost its authority in the sport. However, things look very different now.
Ben Kennedy, the Executive Vice President for NASCAR, mentioned on an X post how Rockingham is “on the radar.” But the Xfinity test runs at the track this January feel like NASCAR has made up their mind already. However, drivers have to be a bit careful. Why? Well, the 1.017-mile D-shaped oval track is notorious for its crashes. They started back in 1926, way before the existence of NASCAR.
.@BenKennedy33 says giving Rockingham Speedway a Cup Series race again is “on the radar for sure.” – @TheObserver
– “You want to see how it does the first few years, and then if it’s successful, it’s something that we’ll put in our consideration set.” https://t.co/os3vrFrPAU
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) April 13, 2025
John Fisher Foley, an American Automobile Association (AAA) National Championship racer, was taking part in the Independence Day race and lost his life on July 4. It was a huge shock for the motorsports community back then. Cut to 2004, the race that saw Matt Kenseth win also saw Carl Long flip. And boy, the flip was terrible! However, with better safety and the repaving of the track, it seems the Rock is ready to make a comeback!
The best part is that Rockingham will be hosting the Xfinity and Truck Series in the following weekend. In essence, the Truck and Xfinity Series are acting like guinea pigs for the Cup Series. If both races yield positive returns, there may be a chance that the Cup Series will want a piece of the action. However, some are also worried that the 1 mile track could not sustain itself in the long term. Especially considering that the speedway has gone through a lot over the years.
See, the track’s ownership changed hands several times, and there were attempts to revive NASCAR at the venue. Now, the upcoming race weekend will be the acid test to see if Rockingham can live up to expectations. The track, introduced in 1966, had been a permanent fixture for a very long time and was a popular venue. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it did for Rockingham’s Cup tenure in 2004. Since then, it had been pretty much abandoned since 2014. And now, there is a dwindling light of hope.
If it does come back, it will follow in the footsteps of North Wilkesboro and Bowman Gray Stadium. It is also not surprising to note that very few of the current Cup drivers have raced at Rockingham. However, the seatbelts are fastened, and a NASCAR race-promoting insider has been very vocal about it.
How has the race track prepared for its NASCAR return?
Let’s first clarify, NASCAR is NOT throwing its Xfinity and Truck teams into the deep end. In the buildup to the 2025 season, they conducted an open organizational test on January 28th. In that test, several Xfinity Series and Truck Series teams got a chance to sample the track, and fans were allowed to watch free of charge.
Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent said at the time, “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. 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, but 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.” These are the things we live for as fans! High-paced racing action at a revamped historic track could just do the trick for NASCAR.
Compared to the Cup Series, the Truck and Xfinity Series have a more recent history with the Rockingham Speedway. The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series last competed at Rockingham in 2013. Do you think the nostalgia is going to hit fans hard when they experience it, or will the effect be stale?
Let us know in the comments below.
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