ROCKINGHAM — A traveling obstacle course that has brought thousands to Rockingham Dragway over the years won’t be coming back.
Rugged Maniac, a 5k course that tests the endurance of its participants, announced on social media and its website Tuesday that it would not keep going.
“We regret to inform you that our obstacle course full of adventure will no longer continue in 2024. Thank you for the mud and the memories,” reads the splash page of the Rugged Maniac website.
The message also encouraged those who had already signed up for events to email for refunds.
However, no reason for the abrupt halt had been given as of 5 p.m.
Rugged Maniac has been running events since 2010 and appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank in 2013.
Events were still being promoted less than 24 hours prior to Tuesday’s announcement.
Rugged Maniac has brought its course to both Rockingham Dragway and Piedmont Dragway in North Carolina. This year’s local event was scheduled for June 1.
Dan VanHorn, co-owner of the Rock, was unaware of Rugged Maniac’s cancellation until contacted by the RO Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re as shocked as everybody else,” VanHorn said. “It was a great event, we hate to see it go.”
Click here to see photos from 2023’s Rugged Maniac at the Rock.
Last year’s event drew more than 2,000 “Maniacs” from across the state, including a group from the Vanceboro Police Department in Craven County.
The cancellation leaves June 1 open on the Dragway’s packed schedule.
The events calendar for the track has gone through several variations, with the season now starting March 15-17 with the Billy Weeks Shamrock Challenge.
The event is named in honor of the late operations manager of the track who passed away in 2022.
“He deserves it,” VanHorn said. “He was a big part of the track’s history.”
Before the season starts, however, the facility is undergoing several upgrades including profiling the track, fixing imperfections past the finish line, laying down fresh asphalt along the pit roads, building a designated shower house and adding a beer and mixed beverage counter to the concessions stand.
Other March events include Dig or Die, featuring female drag racer Lizzy Musi, star of “Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings,” which came to the Rock in 2022. Musi was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.
Click here to see photos from December’s Dig or Die.
April is also booked with returning events: Modern Street HEMI Shootout (a series co-founded by VanHorn); the spring edition of Mopars at the Rock (another is scheduled for the fall); NMCA/NMRA All-Star Nationals; Rudy’s Truck Jam; and Civil Wars.
Pairing up with Civil Wars for 2024 will be Duckx Productions, featuring what VanHorn calls “the fastest cars on the planet.”
For more on events at the Dragway this year, visit the Rock’s website and social media pages.
