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ROCK AND ROLL: Renovations near completion at Rockingham Dragway ahead of season kick-off

A new 1,200-pound rock at Rockingham Dragway was placed at the starting line Monday to add protection to track employees. The rock is the latest of multiple renovations at the historic drag strip in recent months. Photos by William R. Toler - Richmond Observer

ROCKINGHAM — Dan VanHorn received a special delivery on Monday: a half-ton rock.

The 1,203-pound Virginia boulder, from Trim Time Lawn and Garden in Aberdeen, was placed in prominence at the starting line of Rockingham Dragway.

VanHorn — who, along with Al Gennarelli, took over ownership of the legendary drag strip from Steve Earwood in November — said the rock will be used as a shield to add extra protection to the new starting light tree, part of the new timing system.

Click here to read about the timing system.

The new rock makes the third one on the property. Of the other two, one is near U.S. 1 and the other is on the hill near the grandstands.

Track staffers have been full throttle this winter with renovations to prepare for the 2023 season, which begins this weekend.

Prior to the rock’s arrival, Track Manager Jim Howard and Jordan Goins, who works the starting line, were driving up and down the strip, laying rubber on the new 800 feet of concrete. Howard said they had gone through about 30 new Hoosier tires on that job.

Jordan Goins lays rubber down on the new concrete at Rockingham Dragway.

The concrete extends beyond the eighth-mile section of the track and the transition between the new and old surfaces has been leveled out. The staging area has also been resurfaced.

The guard rails at the starting line have been replaced with concrete walls to protect the tree and track employees.

“It not only looks better, but it’s going to be significantly safer,” VanHorn said.

VanHorn has been documenting the renovations on social media, with several photos and videos receiving thousands of reactions.

In January, they offered up free pieces of the old track as it was being replaced.

Many of the new changes were financed by a $485,000 grant from the state’s Motorsports Relief Fund.

Click here to read about the grant.

VanHorn said he and Gennarelli have been “race buddies” for about 13 years and decided two years ago to buy a track, working out a deal with Earwood, who had purchased the drag strip in 1992 from the DeWitt family and ran it for three decades.

Click here to read about Earwood being honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

A recently retired air traffic controller for the FAA, VanHorn got his start in drag racing after buying a Dodge Charger.

“I fell in love with it and wanted to go fast with it,” so VanHorn said he decided to try it out at a drag strip in Englishtown, New Jersey. “The first time I went, I won the race I was in and I was hooked — hooked for life.”

Unfortunately, VanHorn said, that track is no longer in operation. Media reports show it closed in 2018 after 53 years in business.

“Kinda means a little something to me to keep a drag strip alive,” he said. “I’m not thinking this will never not be a drag strip, but we’re ensuring that not only it remains a drag strip, but we’re trying to bring it back to where it was in its heyday.”

RO file photo

VanHorn says he sees that happening with “all the energy and interest behind it.”

“The energy as of late … has multiplied,” he continued. “Think of how good it was this last year, my gut tells me it’s going to be significantly (better).”

The calendar on the office wall has all but two Saturdays filled in between now and Dec. 16. There are also several Sundays open in case a rain date is needed.

Rockingham Dragway kicks into gear this month with the 252 March Madness no prep racing event on Saturday, followed by Blood, Sweat and Gears on March 18, the first of three Dig or Die events March 24-25, and the Import Face-Off on March 26.

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RO file photo

The schedule also features classic track events like Mopars at the Rock on April 8, the Big John Memorial Bracket Championship May 27-29 and Super Chevy Show Sept. 16-17.

Click here to see photos from the 2022 Super Chevy Show.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will return with its annual Roadeo, an event that gives heavy equipment operators a chance to competitively test their skills.

The Dragway is also again hosting recurring non-motorsports events including the annual Apple Chill Festival in May, the Rugged Maniac series June 3, and the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce’s Hoptoberfest on Oct. 7.

Click here to see photos from the 2022 Hoptoberfest.

There are also several test and tune events peppered throughout the schedule.

RO file photo

VanHorn said they are already getting calls from promoters about events for 2024.

“The downside is we need the facility to be able to support that,” VanHorn added.

There are needed renovations for the crumbling concrete grandstands and the pits.

“The race cars don’t like it,” he said, referring to the aged roads in the pit areas. “They’re low, the suspension’s super stiff.”

He added that “the fans tortured us on the grandstands.”

As for the seating, VanHorn estimates it would cost $3 million to repair the 1,000 feet of concrete stands along the south side of the track.

RO file photo

While he’d like to keep the traditional stands, VanHorn said that without an influx of funding it would be more realistic to replace them with aluminum stands.

“I love the concrete, I’d love to keep the concrete just for the obvious reasons … it’s one of the few facilities in the country that have it,” he said. “It’s easy, it looks great. It’s more seating and it gives it a little more character.

“It’s a dream of ours. We think about it every day. Maybe we’ll pull it off … we just don’t have the funds.”

One of the other major complaints has already been addressed with renovations to the bathroom facilities.

With more support from the community, state and drivers, VanHorn said, “I think we can really do something special with this place.”

“We already have … it’s just going to get better.”



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Managing Editor William R. Toler is an award-winning writer and photographer with experience in print, television and online media.