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(Rockingham,NC) After a twelve year hiatus by the Craftsman Truck Series and over twenty years by the Xfinity Series, Rockingham Speedway played hosts to a NASCAR organizational test on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for the races to be held in April at the historic track.
The main theme that stood out amongst the driver comments was that they were glad to be back at the facility affectionately known as ‘The Rock” and that speeds have increased a lot on the 1.017 mile-oval after a repave in 2022.
This place caught me off-guard for sure,” said 2024 Truck Series champion Ty Majeski. ”It’s fast. The repave and everything, the trucks are barely lifting. We’re off the throttle, dumping just for a couple of truck lengths and we’re right back to it.”
Majeski posted the fastest lap on Tuesday with an average speed of 166.547 mph. The fastest lap for Xfinity Series competitors belonged to Hendrick Motorsports driver Corey Day at 162.431mph. The track record belongs to Rusty Wallace with a speed of 158.033 mph turned in Cup qualifying back in 2000.
It is obvious that speeds are quicker than in the past but what is uncertain among the drivers is whether previous race experience at Rockingham will be helpful.
Cup driver Ross Chastain, a part-time driver in the Truck Series, tested a truck for Niece Motorsports on Tuesday and met the media during a break between practice runs to share his thoughts.
“This is a high sensation of speed,” said Chastain. “To have driven here in 2012, it’s a totally different race track. Might as well have never raced here.”
“To be back, it’s exciting what Track Enterprises(event promoter) and Bob Sargent’s putting together to put this race weekend on Easter weekend.
While Chastain felt the track was different, other veteran drivers with race experience at Rockingham found that the track had some of the same old characteristics.
Kasey Kahne, who won a Truck Series event at Rockingham in 2012 and plans to race a third Richard Childress Racing entry in the Xfinity race summed it up this way.
“That was a surprise that it has been repaved, ” Kahne said. “The grip level and the smoothness, overall, it’s still pretty similar.”
Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier raced at Rockingham way back in 2008.
“I got to come here years ago in the ARCA Series, running the old surface,” said Allgaier. “Albeit a lot different, it’s the same old Rockingham. You’re fighting some of the same things, but you’re also benefiting with the surface and the way that it is.”
While Majeski has not raced at Rockingham previously, he has turned laps on iRacing and believes it has helped him
Even though it is a repave, it still has some of the characteristics that we saw on the old track in turns 3 and 4. That character’s going to come out of it in a few years but right now, it’s got some roughness to it. Right now the track is high-speed with very little fall off.”
“We’re hauling butt here. There’s no doubt about it. When you’re full throttle basically on corner entry already in the banking and turn two comes up quickly.”
Before he arrived for the test, Craftsman Truck Series competitor Layne Riggs, was already receiving advice from his father, Cup Series veteran Scott Riggs, now he’s not sure how useful that advice is with the repave.
“It’s been pretty much a scratch for everybody, ” said Riggs. The only data people have gotten is from the teams that came and did the tire test here a few months ago. They were willing to give something baseline to each of the manufacturers’ teams to try to get everybody started.
It should be interesting to see which teams are able to take the test data and translate that information into speed when it counts on April 18th-19th. Tickets for the weekend are available by calling Rockingham Speedway or by visiting their website at RaceTheRock.com.
I’m excited that NASCAR has come back to the “Rock.” Been there many times.