ROCKINGHAM — Eli Young Band will headline this year’s ThunderFest on Thursday, April 2, in downtown Rockingham.
The Denton, Texas-founded band includes Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones and Chris Thompson.
The band’s 2005 album “Level” helped launch it into the mainstream. It followed with three Top 5 albums on Billboard, including the No. 1 “10,000 Towns” and the platinum-certified “Life at Best.” The band also achieved back-to-back No. 1 singles with the five-times platinum “Crazy Girl” in 2011 and the three-times platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” in 2012. Other hits include the platinum-certified “Drunk Last Night” and the two-times platinum “Love Ain’t.”
ThunderFest marks NASCAR’s return to Rockingham and will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. April 2 at Harrington Square. The family-friendly event will feature live music, a free kids zone, NASCAR driver meet-and-greets, a beer garden hosted by Rockingham Dragway, food and merchandise vendors, and community activities.
Vendor applications remain open through Feb. 27. Information is available at www.gorockingham.com/events.
ThunderFest will kick off a weekend of racing at Rockingham Speedway. Events scheduled for April 3-4 include the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series East and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.