NASCAR returns to Rockingham for the second straight year this weekend after a lengthy absence.
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. β Racing returns to Rockingham Speedway with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series rolling around the track’s high-banked turns this weekend.
The truck series races on Friday in the Black’s Tire 200 at 4:30 p.m. Last year’s race provided plenty of excitement, with 11 lead changes and a late fuel mileage stretch that saw Tyler Ankrum save just enough to hold on for the win in his first race in six years.
With one race and some more test sessions under their belt at Rockingham, drivers are enthusiastic about heading back to the track this year.
“We showed a lot of speed in the test, which gives us a lot of optimism for Friday,” Layne Riggs, driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, said in a team release. “We had a dominant truck here last year and just came up short on fuel at the end.”
Riggs is third in the truck series standings after four races. He trails his Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith by 41 points. Smith is aiming to keep his points lead.
“With the Chase format, it’s all about maximizing points throughout the race, not just the finish. Our focus is on starting up front, scoring in both stages, and putting together a complete race to bring home a strong result,” Smith said.
One of the drivers challenging the Front Row team is Kaden Honeycutt, who pilots the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota. Honeycutt sits second in the points and is seeking his first series victory. He led late in the Darlington race until a restart run-in with Ross Chastain cost him a shot at the win.
“Losing that race was definitely not a bad thing at all,” Honeycutt told reporters this week. “I think as far as a learning perspective from my end, to correct it and just move forward from it.”
Honeycutt said he tested well at Rockingham and the track runs a lot like Bristol.
“Rockingham and Bristol can translate pretty well from a driver’s perspective,” Honeycutt said. “I think those are two tracks we’ve got a really good package for, and I think we can win both of them for sure.”
He said he enjoys the speed of Rockingham.Β
“It’s definitely fast for sure,” Honeycutt said. “I wish I was about 20 years older and I could experience the old Rockingham, but it’s really fun. I really enjoyed it. It’s just a different type of racing.”
The NASCAR Cup Series raced at Rockingham from 1965 to 2004 before an abrupt stop left the Richmond County track mostly dormant. The truck series returned for two seasons beginning in 2012 but again abandoned the track after that short run.
A new ownership group revitalized the track in the early 2020s, in part thanks to $10 million in grants provided to the track by the North Carolina General Assembly.Β
In August 2024, NASCAR announced the April 2025 races, marking the return of major racing to the facility. The move followed efforts in 2023 to bring the NASCAR All-Star Race to North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track mostly abandoned since 1996.Β
Rockingham Speedway was officially sold to the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) in January, beginning a new era for the track.