MOORESVILLE — Although the Cup Series won’t be coming to Rockingham Speedway when NASCAR returns in less than a month, the Rock will be featured in the Cup Series.
Spire Motorsports announced Monday that veteran driver Michael McDowell will feature a new “Race the Rock” paint scheme on his No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1 in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30.
“The entire Track Enterprises team is grateful to Spire Motorsports and Michael McDowell for showcasing NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway this weekend at Martinsville,” said promoter Bob Sargent, president of Track Enterprises, said in a press release.
“NASCAR has a very rich history at both tracks and Martinsville is just a couple hours drive from Rockingham,” Sergeant added. “We thought it made great sense to take advantage of a NASCAR Cup Series race in such close proximity to Rockingham. We want fans to know that we’ll have an exciting weekend of racing and that tickets are still available.”
Spire Motorsports
The upcoming Easter weekend triple-header — featuring the Black’s Tire 200 Craftsman Truck Series race, the N.C. Education Lottery 250 Xfinity Series race and a contest in the ARCA Menards Series East — will mark NASCAR’s first event at the historic track in more than a decade.
Track Enterprises and the speedway announced the NASCAR races last August and the ARCA addition in October.
The last NASCAR-sanctioned event at the Rock was the N.C. Education Lottery truck race in April 2013. The Cup and Xfinity series last raced the oval in 2004.
McDowell began his NASCAR career in 2007 in the Xfinity and Craftsman truck series and started competing in the Cup series the following year. He also ran in the ARCA Menards Series in 2006-2007 — before that series had a four-race stint at the Rock from 2008-2010.
“Rockingham is a historic and iconic racetrack,” said McDowell. “Even though I haven’t raced at it, I did a lot of testing there. When you’re a rookie in the Cup Series in 2008, you did a lot of testing, and Rockingham was one of those places. So, I have a lot of laps there — not racing - but a lot of laps.
“Rockingham is a great racetrack, iconic and historic, and it shows NASCAR’s continued effort to get back to its roots.”
Spire Motorsports
McDowell went on to compare the resurgence of the Rock to that of North Wilkesboro Speedway, which will host its third consecutive All-Star Race in May.
“If you look at the revival of North Wilkesboro with the new asphalt but still a legendary and historic feel, Rockingham is no different.” McDowell continued.
The Rock sat idle from 2013 until 2021, hosting numerous motorsports events, as well as a rodeo and circus. This is the track’s fifth season back in action
Although he still won’t get a chance to race at the Rock this year, McDowell said he will be there with his family.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and I know the racing will not disappoint.”
On April 17, prior to the race weekend, the city of Rockingham will host the return of ThunderFest featuring meet-and-greets with seven drivers — Rajah Caruth, Matt Mills, Bayley Currey, Andres Perez de Lara, Dean Thompson, Kaden Honeycutt and Connor Mosack — and a live performance by the Marshall Tucker Band.
Tickets for the races April 18-19 are still available at racetherock.com, as well in person at Rockingham City Hall from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Fridays.
