ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Rockingham Speedway will host an open organizational test on Jan. 28, in preparation for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series return to the historic one-mile oval.
Track Enterprises announced in August that it reached an agreement with Rockingham Speedway ownership to bring both series back to the venerable Richmond County speedway April 18-19.
Dozens of teams from both the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series will fine-tune their machines throughout the course of the day.
Fans will be allowed, free of charge, to watch the teams put their respective machines through their paces from the Turn 4 grandstands beginning at 9 a.m.
The day’s on-track activities will mark the only pre-season test for both divisions and will be a valuable day-long shake down as teams prepare for the 250-lap Xfinity Series race and the Black’s Tire 200 Craftsman Truck Series race.
“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,” said Bob Sargent, President, Track Enterprises. “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, 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.”
A Look Back
It’s been 21 years since the Xfinity Series last visited, while the Craftsman Truck Series last competed at Rockingham in 2013.
The Xfinity Series was a regular player at the historic venue from 1982-2004 and features a cast of some of the sport’s most respected names on its list of former winners including David Pearson, Sam Ard, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Harry Gant, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Jamie McMurray.
Martin was an indomitable force at Rockingham in Xfinity Series competition throughout his career having collected 11 wins in 25 starts, including four straight during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. McMurray matched Martin’s four-peat by recording four wins in a row from 2002-2004.
“It brings back a lot of memories, obviously, coming here,” McMurray said during a November Goodyear tire test. “I was talking to some of the other crew guys in the garage, and it’s weird, you pulled up and you don’t remember things, but then all of a sudden, how to get in, where the tunnel was, it all comes back to you.
“There were some incredible races that happened here, so I’m glad that they’re going to come back and give it a shot.”
More recently, The Craftsman Truck Series raced at Rockingham twice from 2012-’13 with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson collecting the victories for late team owner Steve Turner and Turner Motorsports.
Matt Crafton, a 25-year veteran, is the only current series regular to have competed at the high-banked, D-shaped oval when the division last raced there almost a dozen years ago.
Separate from Larson, current NASCAR Cup Series competitors Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were all part of the field when the Truck Series last tested its mettle at Rockingham.
While he’s yet to make any laps at the famed south-central North Carolina oval, last year’s Truck Series Most Popular Driver, Rajah Caruth, has next week’s test circled on his calendar and looks forward to visiting Rockingham Speedway for the first time.
“Personally, as a massive NASCAR fan and both a student and historian of the sport, going to a historic place such as Rockingham is going to be such an amazing experience,” explained Caruth. “Seeing North Wilkesboro come back to life and being able to race there the last two years was amazing.
“I can’t wait to see the same type of excitement and enthusiasm surround Rockingham. The track is high banked and high speed so that’s right in my wheelhouse.
All the times I’ve driven down to Myrtle Beach, Florence, and Darlington over the years you see the sign for Rockingham. I’ve never been down that way but always wondered what it was like, so I can’t wait to go for the first time.”
