Rockingham Motor Speedway will hold a press conference at the track on Wednesday, September 7th with track management and North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue. The details of the press conference are not known at this time; however there is rampant speculation that the track will announce the return of a NASCAR national touring race to the historic speedway, which hosted NASCAR for the better part of four decades until 2004. From Frontstretch sources; “While we are unable to completely confirm it, it is almost certainly to announce a Truck series race for 2012. The event is going to coincide with races from two other sanctioning bodies who have previously raced at Rockingham.”(Frontstretch.com)[Related prior news on this story is posted on the August News Archives page.(9-2-2011)
UPDATE: Rockingham Speedway will host a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, tentatively scheduled for the second weekend of April 2012, sources have told ESPN The Magazine. The announcement will be made Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at the one-mile racetrack. Last month ESPN The Magazine first reported that the Rockingham Speedway was investing in SAFER “soft wall” barriers. That news, added to closing of the Nashville Superspeedway, host of two races each in NASCAR’s Camping World Trucks and Nationwide Series, immediately led to garage speculation that NASCAR might be returning. The sanctioning body will not hold a national touring series event at a racetrack that does not feature the SAFER energy-absorbing barriers. Last month track general manager Robert Ingraham said the addition of the SAFER barrier was safety driven but added: “If it looks like we are being proactive about attracting a larger event, that’s not an accident.” Hillenburg has kept the complex open with races from smaller non-NASCAR divisions, but openly admits that drawing crowds has been a struggle. When ARCA didn’t return to “The Rock” this season it was viewed by many as a potential death blow to Rockingham’s chances to lure NASCAR back. That will change in 2012.(ESPN.com)(9-2-2011)
UPDATE 2: Official announcement has just been made. Rockingham Speedway will host the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Sunday, April 15, 2012.(9-7-2011)
