ROCKINGHAM — Tire smoke will be filling the air on both sides of U.S. 1 this weekend, with the 2026 motorsports season kicking into full gear at both Rockingham Dragway and Rockingham Speedway.
Carolina N/T kicks off the drag racing action with qualifying for Battle of the Slicks on Friday, March 6 and eliminations on Saturday, March 7.
This will be the first competitive event — and the first of four Carolina N/T races — in a packed schedule at Rockingham Dragway.
Ross Drag Warzz was slated to be the first event last month. However, that event was postponed due to weather and rescheduled for Aug. 7-8. The JR Dragster Icebreaker challenge, initially slated for this past weekend, was canceled by the promoter due to lack of participation.
On Monday, the track and Radial Outlaws Racing Series announced that Battle for the Thrones — originally scheduled for the second weekend in March — would be switching venues and dates.
“Rockingham has recently redone 120 feet of starting line concrete in both lanes in an effort to provide an equal, world-class starting surface,” reads the post from the series. “The track itself is excellent, but it is still in the development phase specifically for the radial racing. It will absolutely get there, but it needs additional time and laps to be fully prepared for a Radial Outlaws Racing Series event. That along with weather uncertainty in the forecast, we feel it is best to make this move now.”
The dragway shared the post with its own message: “We are devastated to make this decision with Radial Outlaws Racing Series and Duck X Productions but it was the right move. We will be the absolute quickest radial track in the world, just not this March. We value your trust and will always tell it like it is.”
Track co-owner Dan VanHorn said the event will be replaced with a test and tune.
RO file photo
MB Drift also returns to Rockingham Speedway this weekend for its two-day Spring Matsuri.
Drivers will have an opportunity to build their drifting skills with multiple layouts on the infield road course as well on the banked curves of the Little Rock track.
The road course will be hot from 11 a.m until 10 p.m Saturday and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
This is the first of six events on the grassroots series’ 2026 schedule, which includes three rounds of competition — April 25-26, June 6-7 and Sept. 26-27 — as well as a Summer Matsuri July 18-19 and the popular Halloween Havoc Oct. 24-25.
MB Drift is entering its 21st year in operation and its sixth at the Rock. The series previously ran at Myrtle Beach Speedway but moved to Rockingham in 2021 when the original home track was closed in 2020.
Next month, the speedway welcomes NASCAR back for the second consecutive year, with the Craftsman Truck Series Black’s Tire 200 on Friday, April 3 and the N.C. Education Lottery 250 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — preceded by a 125-lap race in the ARCA Menards Series East — on Saturday, April 4.
The NASCAR weekend will kick off Thursday, April 2 with ThunderFest in downtown Rockingham, featuring a driver meet-and-greet, food and merchandise vendors, and musical entertainment by Anna J and the Eli Young Band.
Rockingham Speedway, purchased by the IHRA at the end of 2025, will also host the final race of the sanctioning body’s own stock car series on Oct. 17.
