Rockingham Revival Could Bring NASCAR Back for Good
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — This time, it really might be different. At least, that’s what the people of Rockingham, North Carolina, are hoping — again.
They felt this optimism back in 2018, when an unfamiliar name in Richmond County purchased the aging Rockingham Speedway, vowing to restore it. The feeling returned in 2021, when state leaders allocated $50 million to revive North Carolina’s three major racetracks — with $9 million going specifically toward repaving Rockingham.
The hope intensified last year, when NASCAR announced that its Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series would return to the track for a doubleheader over Easter weekend in 2025.
Now, with race weekend finally here, the buzz is stronger than ever. Big haulers have rolled into town, heading up U.S. Highway 1, as anticipation builds for Friday and Saturday’s races on the 1.017-mile oval that just won’t fade away.
“It’s different this time. We can feel it,” says Bryan Land, a sixth-generation local and the Richmond County manager. Land, who once cooked for legends like Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty in the speedway’s infield diner, now finds himself working late into the night, making sure the track is ready for its big moment.
“The excitement is real,” he says. “It’s like a piece of us is coming back.”
For me, it’s personal too. I was born in Rockingham — just down the road from the track — two weeks before Cale Yarborough won the American 500. My dad was already in the NASCAR pits back then, working as a gas can man for Dave Marcis. Someday, I’ll be laid to rest in Rockingham, not far from the speedway.
That’s why this weekend matters. Rockingham has seen revivals come and go, but this one feels more permanent. It feels right.
For those unfamiliar with the history: the Rockingham Speedway, originally the North Carolina Motor Speedway, opened in 1965. It was the brainchild of Bill Land (Bryan’s grandfather) and Harold Brasington — the same visionary who created Darlington Raceway in a South Carolina peanut field. Rockingham became a unique hybrid — part short track, part superspeedway — and a fan favorite.
Now, like a ghost from the past wrapped in 200 mph dreams, The Rock is back. And maybe, just maybe, it’s here to stay.
