Finally! NASCAR has come back to The Rock: Organisational Test Days Offer a Return to NASCAR's Roots at Rockingham
By Julian Austin
Harrison Burton shakes down his AM Racing Ford during the organisational test last week at Rockingham. Photo By Julian Austin.
Rockingham Speedway roared back to life last Tuesday and Wednesday as nearly 50 NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series teams participated in a test session in preparation for the upcoming return of NASCAR racing on April 18th and April 19th.
The Craftsman Truck Series has not competed here since 2012 and 2013 while the NASCAR Xfinity Series last ran at the track in 2004.
For most of the competitors taking part in the session, this marked the first time they had the opportunity to log laps around the one mile speedway. For some drivers, it was the first time they have been on the track with their new race teams for the upcoming season.
Chandler Smith returns to the Craftsman Truck Series full time in 2025 after spending the last two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing & Joe Gibbs Racing. He will be driving for Front Row Motorsports as they expand to two full time teams along with the returning Layne Riggs.
Smith approached the track test by watching old videos but went by gut instinct when he first hit the track. He says the track is similar to Dover as it comes to speed.
When asked what he was looking for, Chandler stated he was looking for getting the feel for the truck after being gone from the series for two plus years. Rhythm would be key and finding the balance he needs compared to what the Xfinity Cars had. The feel of the truck he added was pretty much what he had expected.
Jack Wood hasn't raced full time in the Truck Series since 2022. He has spent the last two seasons running part time for Kyle Busch Motorsports and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. This year, he will be full time for the McAnally-Hilgemann team and he feels much more experienced confident going into this season as he will be working with the same group of guys. He already feels familiar with one of his new teammates Connor Mosack after running some Trans-Am races in Florida and is working on getting to know his other teammate Daniel Hemric.
Jack Wood driver for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Photo by Julian Austin
This test would be crucial for Wood as he had never been on the track before. "I was very impressed by how quick it took rubber" said Wood. "From the first run to the fifth run, it picked up speed quite a bit and it'll be fun to see how the track progresses between today (the test day) and we come back in April."
Layne Riggs is one of the few drivers who has had experience at Rockingham. He tested a CARS Tour Late Model at the track in 2021 before that race got cancelled. "The track has smoothed out a lot. They did a great job with the repave but has a lot of character on it. Turn two comes up on you fast while turn four is very sweeping" Riggs told me.
Layne Riggs driver for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Photo By Julian Austin.
When it comes to the upcoming season, Layne told me, "We are building off what we learned off from last year. We have the rookie stripes off the back and we hope to show everyone what we have. Even to get a win on a fresh team full of rookies was awesome. Now, we have two trucks (Chandler Smith a teammate) with twice the data and two brains to bounce ideas and set ups off of."
Kaden Honeycutt after finishing his session could only muster up one word when describing the speedway. WOW. When asked by a fan on X if there was much tire fall off from what he saw, he said it wasn't much and that should make the race exciting.
From Kaden Honeycutt's "X" Account
Kasey Kahne is no stranger to Rockingham Speedway. In his second Cup Series start, he finished second after a late race duel to the line with the reigning Cup Series Champion. In 2012, he won the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series race held at Rockingham driving for Turner-Scott Motorsports. Kahne returns to the one mile oval on Saturday, April 19th when the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to “The rock” for the first time since 2004.
Kasey Kahne speaks to a group of reporters at Rockingham Speedway. Photo by Julian Austin
Back in 2013, the track was really rough. Today, was real smooth. The smoothness and the grip level is much different today than it was back then stated Kahne to members of the media gathered at his Press Conference. He would go on to say that even though he was away from participating in the sport, he was paying close attention to what was going on in NASCAR and maintained relationships that he had obtained.
Kahne retired in 2018 due to a combination of health issues and wanting to step away from the full time grind that is competing week end and week out in the NASCAR Cup Series. "When I heard Rockingham was returning to the schedule, I had to figure out a way to do the race. With the help of Chevrolet and Richard Childress it all came together.
“Kasey pays close attention to what is going on in NASCAR even following his sudden retirement from the sport in 2018. When he saw the Rockingham race come together, he knew he had to figure out a way to do a race so with the help of Chevrolet and Richard Childress, it all came together.
Kasey Kahne pulling out of the garage area during the Xfinity Test at Rockingham. Photo By Julian Austin.
On plans for more racing? This deal came together really quick. I just want to do this one race as of now. We will see how the race goes and we will go from there.
Justin Allgaier had some time with the media in-between test sessions. He made a point to talk about the fans that showed up on a chilly day in the middle of a work week.
2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Justin Allgaier taking some laps at Rockingham. Photo By Julian Austin
“To be honest with you, our race fans — our diehard race fans — they crave the history and the nostalgia of our sport, right? They always have,” said Allgaier. “We hear it all the time, whether it be moving numbers around or race tracks that we go to, our car styles. Our fans really gravitate toward the history of our sport, and this is one piece of that puzzle. We have a ton of fans that have shown up today just to sit in the grandstands and watch and hang out. But that being said, when we come back here and race, we’re going to have to have that same energy and participation from our fans if they want to see this on the schedule, right?
“I would say that it doesn’t happen very often that race tracks come back onto the schedule after they’ve taken a hiatus, and we have a really, really good race track here that needs to stay on the schedule. So we need the fans to support it. I feel like the teams and the drivers have all bought in and want to be here, so I hope that we get the same support from the fans, and so far, that seems to be the case.”
The top speed in Tuesday's session was from Ty Majeski who got around the one mile track at 166.547 mph while Corey Day was as fast as Xfinity Internet at 162.431 mph.
Corey Day preparing to head back onto the speedway in Rockingham during the test session.
NASCAR returns to The Rock on April 18th and 19th, 2025. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will run the Black's Tire 200 on Friday, April 18th. at 5:PM. That race will be televised by Fox Sports 1. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will take to the track on Saturday, April 19th for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's tire at 4:00 PM which can be seen on the CW Network. This event will be preceded by an ARCA Menards Series East Race which will be on the Flo Racing Streaming Platform.
Track Enterprises is the NASCAR event promoter by agreement with Rockingham Speedway Ownership. Visit RaceTheRock.com for ticket information and for more details.