ROCKINGHAM — Several drivers participating in the NASCAR organizational test at Rockingham Speedway on Tuesday remarked about the speed of the track.
And the numbers back up their sentiments.
Twenty-six drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series and three in the Xfinity Series all broke 160 mph, according to stats from motorsports journalist Joseph Srigley.
Ty Majeski, with ThorSport Racing, had the fastest lap around the famed 1.017-mile oval at 166.567 mph in 21.983 seconds. Kaden Honeycutt had the second-fastest lap at 164.047 mph in 22.318.
The pole speed of Jeb Burton in the 2013 N.C. Education Lottery 200 was 146.909 mph. Now driving for the Xfinity Series, Burton’s fastest lap time Tuesday was 23.090 at 158.562 mph.
Corey Day, who recently signed a developmental deal with Hendrick Motorsports, topped out at 162.431 mph for the highest speed in the Xfinity test and 161.964 mph in truck run. According to ESPN, Rusty Wallace holds the qualifying speed record of 158.035 mph set Feb. 25, 2000; and Jeff Burton set the race record of 131.103 mph on Oct. 24, 1999. The track was repaved in the winter of 2022. A damp track from showers on Monday led to a delay in testing, with the crews from neighboring Rockingham Dragway and Martinsville Speedway helping to dry the surface. “Malcolm in the Middle” star Frankie Muniz, who has been racing professionally the past few years, was one of the first to make a few laps. Cup Series driver Ross Chastain was at the track for the truck test with Niece Motorsports, along with Honeycutt and Matt Mills — just ahead of the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Chastain finished 25th in the 2012 truck race at Rockingham, won by Kasey Kahne. He has been active in the Craftsman Truck series since 2011, the Xfinity Series since 2014, and the Cup Series since 2017. “I thought that year was going to be it for me,” Chastain said, recalling the truck race, adding that it was great being back at the Rock. “To have driven here in 2012, totally different race track, might as well have never raced here,” Chastain said about the track. Chastain also gave kudos to promoter Bob Sargent and Track Enterprises. “They’re taking racing where most people aren’t,” Chastain said, “making it worth it for the racers and for the fans.” However, Chastain said he won’t be at the track for the April races and will be “cheering them on from home.” Click here to read Kahne’s announcement. “Today’s track’s much different,” Kahne said, comparing the surface to the last time he was on it more than a decade ago, adding that it is smoother now and has more grip but similar characteristics. “I saw this Rockingham race pop up and I was like, ‘Man, that’s a track I know and I’ve enjoyed racing at over the years,’” Kahne said about his decision to join the field. “So I started reaching out and trying to figure out a way to get back into it.” Kahne said he didn’t even realize the track had been repaved until he was in the process of trying to be added to the race. Rockingham holds a special significance for Kahne: the first time he ever tested a stock car was at the Rock — the day after winning a Sprint Car race. “From that point on, I just always really enjoyed this place,” Kahne said. “Loved driving around it, watching races, being a part of it … just have always liked it.” In addition to taking the checkered flag in the truck race, Kahne placed second behind Matt Kenseth in the 2004 Cup Series race, and competed in the final five Xfinity bouts at the Rock. Justin Allgaier, 2024 Xfinity series champ, said there seems to be a lot of excitement surrounding NASCAR’s return to Rockingham and expecting a large crowd. “I think that … our fans love the nostalgia of our sport,” Allgaier said. “Social media-wise, we should have a great crowd here for the race weekend…they seem to really be excited about the revival of this racetrack, no different than North Wilkesboro. “But at the same time,” Allgaier continued, “race weekend will kinda be proof in the pudding.” Allgaier was one of three Xfinity drivers at Rockingham in November for a private Goodyear tire test. Jamie McMurray, who won the last four Xfinity races at the track in the early 2000s was also on site testing for ARCA. Click here to read about the Goodyear test. “We feel like, kinda collectively as an industry, that we want to see this succeed,” Allgaier said about NASCAR’s long awaited return to the Rock. “We’re hopeful, I know the fans are hopeful.” The Black’s Tire 200 Craftsman Truck Series race is scheduled for Friday, April 18 with the N.C. Education Lottery 250 Xfinity Series race slated for Saturday, April 19. The Xfinity event will be preceded by a race in the ARCA Menards Series East. Downtown Rockingham will be the site for the return of ThunderFest on Thursday, April 17, featuring several drivers and music from the Marshall Tucker Band. Click here to read about ThunderFest. Following Tuesday’s test, Honeycutt posted on X that the “stands at Rockingham need to be sold out” for the April races, calling his day at the track “one of the greatest” experiences of his life. “This race is going to be off the chain.” Tickets and more information on the upcoming Easter weekend races are available at racetherock.com.
Kahne, who announced last week that he would be coming out to race at the Rock in the N.C. Education Lottery 250 — his first time since stepping out of the driver’s seat due to dehydration issues in 2018 — had the eighth-fastest lap time.
