Drivers praise return to Rockingham, hoping it stays on the schedule
The NASCAR Cup Series' season-opening Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium left race fans clamoring for more.
Last weekend's NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series doubleheader at Rockingham Speedway had the same effect.
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The enthusiastic turnout engendered hopes that perhaps the Cup Series might someday join its national series brethren at the rejuvenated 'Rock.'
After winning the Black's Tire 200 Truck Series race on Friday, Tyler Ankrum got right to the point.
'It's really, really cool,' Ankrum said. 'When we get to bring back these old tracks, it's really cool. You can tell the fans are excited. Even on pit road, the fans are going crazy all the time, and they're talking so loudly you can hear 'em from pit road.
'You kind of get the feeling of what I imagine as a kid what Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon felt like. They're here for us — they're not here for the Cup guys. It's cool to see racing like this come back to North Carolina.
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'I was really surprised at how wide the track had gotten, how much fall-off there was, especially there at the end of the race. … I hope Rockingham stays on the schedule for a long time.'
RELATED: Recap Truck race | Xfinity Series race recap
Kasey Kahne, the only driver in the Xfinity Series field who had raced at Rockingham before the series left the track in 2004, made a return of his own after an absence from NASCAR racing of nearly eight years. Kahne thought the Cup Series would be a viable option at the 0.94-mile speedway.
'I think a Cup race could probably be really good here,' said Kahne, who also won a Truck race at the track in 2012. 'I used to enjoy watching it and being a part of it the one year I was.
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'It could make a great race.'
Kahne's point is hard to argue against. The racing surface, which was repaved in late 2022, readily took rubber in both practice and the races themselves. The result was a viable second groove that lent itself to compelling racing.
'It's been cool to go back to some of the venues that may not be as big places but the history, I think, of NASCAR and great racing is at some of those tracks, Rockingham being one of those as well,' Kahne said.
'I like where some of that stuff seems to be headed.'
NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at Rockingham.
Jesse Love, disqualified as the ostensible winner of Saturday's Xfinity Series race, nevertheless waged intense battles at the front of the field against both Carson Kvapil and Ryan Sieg.
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Drivers found creative lines around the track, running higher in the corners to gain momentum and dropping down to try to make passes on the inside. It wasn't uncommon to see competitors swap positions more than once within the same lap with slide jobs and crossover moves.
As Ankrum indicated, fan reception was exceptional. The grandstands were packed, and likewise, the hospitality suites were sold out. As both the Clash at Bowman Gray and the move of the NASCAR All-Star Race to North Wilkesboro Speedway have proven, there's an appetite within the fan base for the traditional venues that are an integral part of NASCAR's past.
Yes, bringing a Cup race to Rockingham would require improvements to the track's infrastructure, but that was also the case at Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro.
MORE: At-track photos | Rockingham through the years
Though not yet three years old, the pavement at 'The Rock' already is showing some age, and the racing — already compelling — will only improve as the asphalt continues to degrade.
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There was no issue with access to the speedway. It's a straight shot up U.S. Highway 1, with multiple entrances and ample parking. Even at expected peak times, the traffic flowed.
The bottom line? There's no reason a Cup race can't be a viable option at Rockingham, but even if the schedule doesn't allow such an option in the immediate future, the Truck/Xfinity national series doubleheader — with an ARCA Menards Series East race thrown in for good measure — is well worth the price of admission.
That was certainly the case during NASCAR's long-awaited return.
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