Despite Approval From the NASCAR Community, Can Rockingham Speedway Actually Make a Comeback to Cup Series?

Ever since North Wilkesboro made its heroic return to NASCAR from the depths of history, several other tracks of old have been speculated to follow in its footsteps. With COVID-19 federal grants aiding the development and renovations of such tracks across the country, one that has been making significant progress is the Rockingham Speedway.

In a recent meeting between the Richmond County Board of Commissioners and Finance Director Cary Garner, the idea that readying the historic track for NASCAR Cup races is the primary goal was made clear. While the track’s owner, Daniel Lovenheim, earlier expressed belief that the track would be race-ready in the early months of 2024, will we ever get to see the Cup Series grid speed on it?

Richmond County’s top brass make it clear that they want NASCAR back

One of the most notable quotes from the meeting between the officials last Tuesday came from the reappointed chairman Jeff Smart. He’d said, “The obvious goal… [is] getting NASCAR back. Not only for financial reasons but for quality of life. Bring it back. Let’s bring racing back to the rock. That’s what we are doing this for.” The last time a Cup Series race was held at the oval was 19 long years back. While the local community’s thirst for speed was quenched slightly about a decade back through a stint of Truck races, that was a short-lived joy.

Now that the track is fuelled by the $9 million that the Department of Commerce funnelled to it back in May 2022, several key areas have been undergoing major renovations, all in line with the standards of NASCAR. The meeting on Tuesday was one to provide updates on the same. Outside the internal stakeholders of the track and the county, key figures in the sport have voiced their affinity for the track and expressed a desire to bring it back. Prominent voices that supported the return were the ones of Richard Petty and Terry Labonte.

While it would be a nostalgic memory and a dramatic return for Rockingham should it make its way back, several factors stand against it which could prevent it from ever seeing a Cup Series race day again.

Watch Story: NASCAR’s Iconic Track Rockingham, Set to Roar Again

Why a Rockingham return would NOT be in the best interests of NASCAR?

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It is no secret that NASCAR has been making every possible move it can to take the sport outside its current boundaries. Garage56, Project91, NASCAR Canada, and a long list of such projects have all been aimed at attracting the foreign and younger crowd. At a stage where all eyes are looking outside the United States, there is heavy doubt over whether the suits in NASCAR would be interested in looking inward. Particularly towards a local community market that doesn’t reap much economic benefits.

Dale Earnhardt Jr expressed a similar thought to AP News when he said last May, “I’m worried for Rockingham’s future because I think a lot of people in the industry would view that as not a step forward if we were to go back there, but a step back.”

One other reason that might stop NASCAR from pursuing the Rockingham Speedway is the fact that it is independently owned. Not a lot of independent tracks exist anymore within the sport as most of them have been swept up either by the promotion itself or by Speedway Motorsports, a strong partner. Either of them giving up a race day in favor of an independent track, despite its rich history, is not likely to happen.

One final hiccup that NASCAR might worry over is a potential TV rating loss in the event of a Rockingham return. As much as North Wilkesboro was spoken of and celebrated for its return, it ended up garnering a low rating on TV. Put this together with the fact that Rockingham is a track in close vicinity to several larger ones that could make up for more compelling on-spot viewing, and you’ve got a big question mark over its attractiveness for NASCAR as a profit-making organization.

At the end of everything that is going on and against the track, we might see an Xfinity or Truck event back in it if not a Cup race. Only time will tell if the track does end up being “NASCAR-ready” with the funds that it has been getting.

Read More: “Not Only for Financial Reasons”: Legendary North Carolina Speedway Could Make a Grand Return After 19 Years