NASCAR and a new bypass steer Richmond County into 2025

ROCKINGHAM — With 2025 underway, Richmond County is gearing up for a year of monumental developments, including the return of NASCAR’s national touring series to Rockingham Speedway and the near completion of the long-awaited Rockingham Bypass.

After more than a decade, NASCAR will make its way back to the iconic Rockingham Speedway. Announced in August, the Xfinity Series race is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2025, with the Truck Series set to race the day before.

The last time “The Rock” hosted one of NASCAR’s top three series was in 2013, when Kyle Larson claimed victory in a Truck Series race. A year earlier, Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag. The speedway has long been a stage for legends like Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin and the Burton brothers.

Opened in 1965, Rockingham Speedway began as a flat oval before renovations in 1969 transformed it into its distinctive D-shape with high-banked turns. While NASCAR’s Cup Series left in 2004, the track continued hosting Truck Series races until 2012. Over the years, the speedway has also made appearances in Hollywood hits such as “Talladega Nights” and “Days of Thunder.”

Following a period of neglect and ownership changes in the mid-2010s, Rockingham Speedway fell into disrepair. In 2019, Rockingham Properties, LLC purchased the track, pledging to revive it as a premier motorsports venue. With a $9 million boost from a state renovation program in 2021, the speedway underwent significant upgrades, including repaving the track, replacing grandstands, adding stadium lighting and modernizing race facilities. By 2023, these efforts brought back competitive motorsports, including events like the Myrtle Beach Drift Series.

Meanwhile, Richmond County is also celebrating progress on the Rockingham Bypass, part of the future I-73/74. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is constructing a 7.2-mile, four-lane, median-divided freeway to connect the U.S. 74 Business interchange west of Rockingham to Harrington Road. Once complete, the route will be designated as U.S. 220/I-73/74.

The project is divided into three sections:

Section A (R-3421A): From the U.S. 74 Bypass west of Rockingham at the Zion Church Road interchange to 0.3 miles south of Old Charlotte Highway.

Section B (R-3421B): From 0.3 miles south of Old Charlotte Highway to north of Harrington Road.

Section C (R-3421C): From north of Harrington Road to the I-73/74/U.S. 220 interchange south of Ellerbe. This section was upgraded to interstate standards in 2019.

The $308 million project aims to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and enhance safety by diverting interstate traffic away from local roads and intersections. Construction began in 2014 with Section C, completed in 2019. Work on Sections A and B started in late 2019 and is expected to wrap up by June 2025.

With the return of NASCAR and the completion of the bypass, Richmond County is poised for a transformative year that promises to boost its economy and infrastructure.