Word of the Rockingham Speedway has been strengthening ever since the North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway was brought back to life. This 1.017-mile track which is located in North Carolina’s Sandhills last held a Cup Series race in 2004. It began a repave last year after receiving $9 million in a federal economic effort and is hoping to enjoy glory similar to its prime soon.
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Birthed as the North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1964, the track came to be affectionately known as “The Rock.” It is located 10 miles north of Rockingham, adjacent to the U.S. Highway 1. Financial problems struck construction but the project was saved by local businessman L.G. DeWitt. With the aid of him and other local investors, the track opened successfully in October 1965.
Four years later, it underwent a massive reconfiguration and was reborn as a D-shaped oval with high banks. DeWitt eventually gained all the stakes in the track and became the sole owner until 1997, when he sold it to Roger Penske. The motorsports giant renamed the venue as North Carolina Speedway before selling it to the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) two years later.
ISC, once again, turned the facility over to Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (SMI) which held control till 2007. SMI put the track up for auction at this juncture and it was bought by Andy Hillenburg and a few other investors. Rockingham Properties LLC currently serves as the owner of the track. This new top man has reassured racing fans often that motorsport will be in the venue’s future.
‘We’re going to pay tribute to the past with the future’
Dan Lovenheim is the majority owner of Rockingham Properties LLC. When asked about the prospects of racing in the track’s future he said in 2018, “It’s not an ‘either/or,’ it’s an ‘and.’ We’re going to pay tribute to the past with the future.” But does this mean NASCAR will be coming back? He declined to answer. The last time NASCAR was there was in 2013 for a Truck Series race.
Many drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Richard Petty, and Terry Labonte have put the track forward as a favorite that they’d like to see making a comeback. Petty has won on the track a record 11 times. Roush Racing’s Matt Kenseth was its final Cup Series winner back in 2004. It is bound to become a fan-favorite location should NASCAR strike a deal with Lovenheim.
