ROCKINGHAM — One of the races for the NASCAR weekend this April at Rockingham Speedway has a title sponsor.
The Craftsman Truck Series race, scheduled for April 18, will be the Black's Tire 200, promoter Track Enterprises announced late Wednesday morning.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Track Enterprises when NASCAR returns to Rockingham Speedway,” Ricky Benton Sr., owner and chairman of Black’s Tire Service, said in a press release. “In 2024, Black’s Tire celebrated its 95th anniversary and we can’t think of a better way to continue the festivities than supporting this historic weekend with the Black’s Tire 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.”
The North Carolina-based chain started as Black’s Service Station in Whiteville by W. Crowell Black in 1929. Black's Tire currently has more than 70 locations in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia, including one in Rockingham.
The local shop opened in June of 2021, quickly replacing the spot formerly occupied by Firestone in Richmond Plaza. Click here to read that story.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Black’s Tire as the entitlement partner for the Black’s Tire 200,” Bob Sargent, president of Track Enterprises, said in a release. “Black’s Tire is woven into the fabric of North and South Carolina so this is a natural fit. The Benton family has supported racing in the Carolinas at multiple levels for many years so we couldn’t be more proud to carry that tradition forward when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to Rockingham Easter Weekend.”
The last NASCAR-sanctioned event held at the Rock was the Craftsman Truck Series race (then called the Camping World Series) in April of 2013, with Kyle Larson taking the checkered flag. That race also featured more of today’s top NASCAR Cup Series drivers, including Joey Logano, Chase Elliot, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace.
According to the press release, Matt Crafton who has been racing in the Craftsman Truck Series for 25 years, is the only current driver who was at the Rock for the race in 2013.
“On behalf of the over 1,100 team members at Black’s Tire and BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors, we are honored to team up with Track Enterprises and Rockingham Speedway to bring NASCAR racing back to this historic track, Rick Benton II, president of Black’s Tire, said in the release. “Black’s Tire is excited to be the title sponsor of the Black’s Tire 200. Our BTS family along with our BTS Partner Dealers across the Carolinas will be at the Rock in full force.”
The Black’s Tire 200, the seventh of 25 races in the series, will be televised on FS1 and will broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 at 5 p.m. Friday, April 18.
On Saturday, April 19, races are scheduled for the ARCA Menards Series East and NASCAR’s Xfinity Series. This will be the first race in the Xfinity Series at Rockingham since 2004.
Three Xfinity drivers, including 2024 season champ Justin Allgaier, participated in a private Goodyear tire test in November. Click here to read that story.
Many of the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck teams will be at the track later this month for an open test in preparation for the upcoming races. That event will be open for spectators and more details will be announced soon.
The return of ThunderFest, featuring a meet-and-greet with drivers and music from the Marshall Tucker Band, to downtown Rockingham was announced earlier this week. Click here to read that story.
The speedway also posted a video of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart talking about the return of racing to the Rock. Click here to read that story.
Tickets for the racing weekend are available at racetherock.com.
The RO will have more on the track’s schedule for 2025 in the near future.