Rockingham Speedway is back from the dead
On September 29 of 1996, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series ran its last lap at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a unique up-hill, down-hill, short track sized at 0.625-miles. Drivers such as Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Earnhardt enjoyed success at the track, but it was NASCAR’s youngest and brightest star, Jeff Gordon, who boasts the final victory lane celebration at the storied facility.
Nearly thirteen years following the final lap at North Wilkesboro, the track sits in a dismal, dormant condition. It is dilapidated; the track surface is weathered with weeds growing through the cracks. My friend actually snuck into the track a few years ago and showed me some pictures, and it was actually quite discouraging, especially if you are a true old school NASCAR fan.
When the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, often referred to as ‘The Rock’, was deleted from the NASCAR schedule following the 2004 season, many fans assumed that it would suffer the same decrepitude fate as North Wilkesboro. However, a former so-called field filler became a hero, the savior of The Rock. Andy Hillenburg purchased the track in an auction in 2007, and has painstakingly worked to revive one of NASCAR’s most popular venues.
Hillenburg renamed the track Rockingham Speedway shortly after he purchased the distinctive 1.017-mile facility. Nevertheless, track ownership was no effortless task for Hillenburg. Wall, fences, and buildings had to be renovated, and the landscape needed to be updated. Nevertheless, within thirteen short months, the track hosted an ARCA event, and over 18,000 fans showed up for the race won by Joey Logano. In fact, all events held at Rockingham drew a large crowd. Even the USAR Pro Cup race drew a crowd of over 10,000 fans.
Many teams use the Rockingham Speedway as a test track, as well as the newly constructed Rockingham Raceway Park, a track resembles the old half-mile track in Martinsville.
It is highly unlikely that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series would ever return to Rockingham, no matter how much Hillenburg tries to modernize the facility. It is simply a pipe dream and wishful thinking. It is plausible to believe that the Camping World Truck Series, or even the Nationwide Series, would flourish at Rockingham. With just over 30,000 seats, a Nationwide Series race could possibly sell out.
Most drivers have nothing but nice things to say about The Rock. Elliott Sadler said, “It’s a shame we don’t race there. It’s the most fun race track. It’s so slippery…It’s a great race track to run at.”
Carl Edwards even suggested that several drivers should rent the track and have a little showdown.
What could have been
I often wonder if Rockingham would still have a place on the NASCAR agenda if lights would have been installed earlier in the decade. If you take a look at how the lights have enhanced interest in the Darlington Mother’s Day race, one has to wonder if that could have been the case with Rockingham. When Darlington was unceremoniously moved to the Mother’s Day weekend, many felt as if the Lady In Black was on the brink of joining North Wilkesboro and Rockingham with a tombstone saying ,’R.I.P’. Well, Darlington has sold out every race since it became the Mother’s Day feature in 2005.
For some reason, most races held under the lights generate more excitement. Think about it, what races on the schedule do you most look forward to each year? For me, it is the night Bristol race, both races at Richmond, the race at Darlington, the night race at Phoenix, and now the Labor Day race at Atlanta. Many fans feel the same way. For some reason, fans enjoy the vintage Saturday night atmosphere at the track.
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Rockingham Speedway is back from the dead
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