NASCAR will return to Rockingham Speedway for the first time in more than a decade with Easter weekend of 2025.

The Richmond County Board of Commissioners announced the NASCAR Craftsman Series Truck Race will return Friday, April 18 and the Xfinity Series Race will run Saturday April 20 with tickets for both events going on sale 10 a.m. Friday November 1.

“On behalf of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, we are proud to welcome NASCAR and the fans back to The Rockingham Speedway,” Richmond County Commission President Jeff Smart stated in press release circulated Thursday afternoon. “We are thrilled to be added to the racing schedule; we have been waiting a long time for this exciting news … It truly gives us something else to look forward to next spring—bringing this resurrected facility back to life, one that is a true asset to our county.”

Opening in 1965, Rockingham Speedway was originally a flat oval track before renovations four years later gave the Speedway its iconic D shape and high banking turns. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the track hosted its final NASCAR race in 2004, but hosted races associated with the NASCAR Truck Series until 2012. Rockingham Speedway was also featured in numerous Hollywood films including “Talladega Nights” and “Days of Thunder”.

“Rockingham Speedway is proud to welcome NASCAR and especially race fans from all over the state back to Richmond County,” Rockingham Speedway Owner Dan Lovenheim stated in the press release. “Our team has put a tremendous amount of work and resources into modernizing the property and providing the area with a destination to be proud of. This moment validates our plans. We’ve refreshed the entire facility and are eager to show race fans what we’ve done.”

Following a spate of controversial owners in the mid 2010s, the racetrack fell out of use. In 2019, Rockingham Properties, LLC purchased the racetrack promising to bring motorsport racing back to “The Rock”. In 2021, state officials announced the track would receive $9 million of a $45 million state program to renovate North Carolina’s motorsports venues. To draw national racing circuits, Rockingham Properties, LLC repaved the track, replaced the grandstands, added new stadium lighting and renovated multiple race-related facilities. Two years after the group’s declaration to bring motorsports back to Richmond County, they hosted the Myrtle Beach Drift Series, and continue hosting numerous racing circuits from across the country.

“Bringing NASCAR back to The Rock has been a team effort. Racing is in the fabric of Richmond County and the support from the community and race fans has been overwhelming. The economic impact of this will be transformational to not onlyRichmond County, but the Sandhills region,” Richmond County Economic Development said Martie Butler stated. “We must thank and acknowledge those who have shared and invested in our efforts to revive The Rock. The Richmond County Board of Commissioners, members of NC General Assembly, Governor Cooper, City of Rockingham, Richmond County Tourism, Dan Lovenheim Track Owner, Track Enterprises and NASCAR along with many others; All have played an integral role in getting our beloved speedway back on the schedule.”

One reason for “The Rocks” resurgence may be the community support for racing that remained after NASCAR left in 2012. Events such as the annual Spring Jam were originally scheduled to coincide with the annual NASCAR race while multiple murals and historic keepsakes still permeate Rockingham, as well as Richmond County. For County Manager Bryan Land, who once worked for his grandfather in Speedway’s cafeteria, the announcement was long overdue.

“This announcement is years in the making and something that you won’t want to miss. We look forward to the revitalization of the Speedway and the economic impact it will have on our county and region. This is great news from NASCAR and an indication of the importance ‘The Rock’ has played and will continue to play in Richmond County and the State of North Carolina,” Land said.