ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s landmark racetrack is up for sale — again.
The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that Rockingham Speedway has been listed by CBRE Group, an international real estate and investment firm.
The listing comes less than two months after NASCAR’s return to the track in more than a decade for the Craftsman Truck Series and more than 20 years for the Xfinity Series.
That race weekend —which also included a bout in the ARCA Menards Series East — reportedly brought in a crowd of more than 25,000, according to the listing.
The track was overgrown and had sat mostly idle for five years when Rockingham Properties purchased the property in August of 2018 for $2.8 million.
Since then, millions more have been spent on renovations, including paving the main oval and the infield road course and new SAFER barriers — the latter of which changed the track’s size from just over a mile to a little less than a mile.
In late 2021, the state allocated $9 million to the county “for water and sewer and related infrastructure projects” at the speedway. Late last year, the track received $300,000 — from funds that had previously been set aside for a pedestrian bridge — for continued improvements. Rockingham Dragway received $1.7 million from that allocation.
Rockingham Speedway sits quiet on April 7, less than two weeks before NASCAR's return.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
According to the listing, the track has asked the General Assembly for an additional $12 million for continued infrastructure improvements to make the facility ready for a Cup Series race.
The listing also mentions coming sewer upgrades from the county, as well as plans to turn U.S. 1 “into a four-lane expressway .. making access to the racetrack convenient for race fans” and Amtrak plans “which could shuttle race fans from Washington D.C. down to Savannah, GA, and in between to The Rock for future races.”
Another selling point included in the listing is that the track is exempt from any noise ordinance, allowing for activities 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The track reopened for events in 2021, hosting a go-kart race at the half-mile “Little Rock,” followed by MB Drift’s Icebreaker Challenge which drew drivers from across the Carolinas — including NASCAR’s Alex Bowman. MB Drift is now in its fifth season at the Rock, with its second competition scheduled for June 14-15.
Erick Cruzin drifts along the road course at Rockingham Speedway.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
In the past five years, the track has hosted several small-tier races, various car clubs and other motorsports events. In 2024, the speedway started its own grassroots Crown 9 Series which is now in its second season.
The Rock has also been the site of several music-related events, including the Tailgate N’ Tallboys Music Festival — a combination of a truck show and concerts — and the Sunrise 2 Sunrise Festival, featuring electronic dance music. The property was also used during 2019’s Epicenter Music Festival, though the actual concerts were across the highway at the dragway.
The RO attempted to contact the speedway on Wednesday afternoon and had not heard back by 5 p.m. Thursday.
