ROCKINGHAM — With four weeks left to go for 2025, the owners and crew at Rockingham Dragway are looking ahead to the next year — with an earlier start than usual.
The dragway has released most of its schedule for the 2026 season, with events kicking off Feb. 6-8 with Ross Drag Warz, followed by two weekends of test and tunes and the Junior Dragster Icebreaker Feb. 29-March 1.
The rest of the year is packed with several traditional events, as well as those relatively new to the Rock.
Bracket racing fires up March 21-22 with the third annual Billy Weeks Shamrock Challenge, followed by the Big John Memorial Championship May 23-25 and the Sandhills Bracket Championship Sept. 5-7. There is also bracket racing scheduled for Nov. 7-8 during Freedom at the Rock.
Other legacy events include two iterations of Mopars at the Rock combined with the Modern Street HEMI Shootout in May and October, as well as the Super Chevy Show Sept. 19.
Dig or Die returns for three weekends of nighttime no-prep action on the backside of the track with Flashlight Fiesta 6 March 27-28, Super Bowl of No Prep July 17-18, and Christmas Clash 7 Dec. 4-5.
Carolina NT also has several events on the schedule: All Stars March 6-7; Lock In Nationals April 10-11; Blood Warz June 20; and Grudge Warz Sept. 12.
Following the success of his inaugural SwanFest, Justin Swanstrom is bringing two events to the Rock next year: SwanFest - King of the Track April 30-May 2; and SwanFest 2 Oct. 1-3.
DuckX Productions returns March 12-14 for the third year of Battle for the Thrones; and promoter Nate Prater is bringing back Street Car Braggin Rights April 15-18 and Braggin Rights X Import Mania 20-21.
There are at least four events on the schedule just for motorcycle racing, starting with the return of The Merge.
The Xtreme Dragbike Association — which came back to Rockingham this year after a decade away — will be at the track for two events: Superbike Showdown June 26-28; and Bike Bash Aug. 21-23. The annual Jim McClure Top Fuel World Finals are also slated for Oct. 16-18.
Other events include:
Several dates on the schedule are set, but have yet to be officially announced: one each in June, September and November; and two in October.
There are also test and tunes scheduled for March 20, April 12, May 15 and 22, June 7 and 21, Aug. 9, Sept. 4 and 18, Oct. 30, and Nov. 6.
April 3-4 has been set aside for parking for NASCAR’s second year back at Rockingham Speedway with races in the Craftsman Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) series.
An Oct. 30 post notes that Pro Mods at the Rock dates have yet to be added and that the schedule is subject to change.
See more photos of events from 2025 at the RO, Rockingham Dragway and Visit Richmond County Facebook pages.
