The April 11, 1965 edition of The Charlotte Observer featured a notable piece by longtime motorsports journalist George Cunningham. In it, he highlighted a major event in American stock car racing: the creation of Rockingham’s racetrack.
That October, NASCAR held its first race at the newly built North Carolina Motor Speedway in Richmond County.
While Cunningham didn’t elaborate on why the track’s layout was “a dilly,” his excitement was clear. The core message was that stock car racing was coming to a new North Carolina venue — and that was a big deal. He praised Harold Brasington, the track’s founder, and emphasized that the project was privately funded by 10 local investors who put in $1.5 million, without seeking public money.
That racetrack — now called Rockingham Speedway and Entertainment Complex — is once again hosting NASCAR events, including ARCA, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races on April 18-19, the weekend before Easter.
This marks a major return: The Truck Series hasn’t raced there since 2013, and the Xfinity Series since 2004 — the same year the Cup Series pulled out for good. Over time, The Rock fell into decline, passing through multiple owners and losing its former glory and local economic value. It became symbolic of a lost era, simi
The April 11, 1965 edition of The Charlotte Observer featured a notable piece by longtime motorsports journalist George Cunningham. In it, he highlighted a major event in American stock car racing: the creation of Rockingham’s racetrack. That October, NASCAR held its first race at the newly built North Carolina Motor Speedway in Richmond County.
While Cunningham didn’t elaborate on why the track’s layout was “a dilly,” his excitement was clear. The core message was that stock car racing was coming to a new North Carolina venue — and that was a big deal. He praised Harold Brasington, the track’s founder, and emphasized that the project was privately funded by 10 local investors who put in $1.5 million, without seeking public money.
That racetrack — now called Rockingham Speedway and Entertainment Complex — is once again hosting NASCAR events, including ARCA, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races on April 18-19, the weekend before Easter.
This marks a major return: The Truck Series hasn’t raced there since 2013, and the Xfinity Series since 2004 — the same year the Cup Series pulled out for good. Over time, The Rock fell into decline, passing through multiple owners and losing its former glory and local economic value. It became symbolic of a lost era, similar to North Wilkesboro Speedway, which was revived in 2022 after years of abandonment.
