NASCAR making return to Rockingham Speedway after state funds paved way for renovations
NASCAR making return to Rockingham Speedway after state funds paved way for renovations
Racing is back in Richmond County for the first time since 2013 as the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series make their way back to Rockingham Speedway on Easter weekend.
Richmond County manager Bryan Land has been working toward bringing racing back for years. In 2021, the state budget signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper provided $9 million to the speedway.
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The NASCAR Cup Series left the track in 2004, and while Rockingham held several races in other series, Rockingham stayed vacant throughout the 2010s after its final race in 2013.
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The Political Beat's Joe Bruno spoke to Land about the process of bringing back racing to the speedway. The Craftsman Truck Series race starts at 5 p.m. on April 18, and the Xfinity Series race will start at 4 p.m. on the 19th.
>> On Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on Ch. 9, watch Bruno's full interview with Land.
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USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
NASCAR in Mexico City: Should the series return in 2026 for another Cup race?
NASCAR in Mexico City: Should the series return in 2026 for another Cup race? Show Caption Hide Caption Jeff Gordon reflects on how to grow NASCAR's popularity Jeff Gordon discusses the popularity of NASCAR and how the sport can continue to grow. Sports Seriously For the first time since 1958, NASCAR's top level raced on international asphalt and it counted for points. The Viva Mexico 250 saw the grid take on the unique challenge of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It's one of the toughest tracks on the calendar considering the altitude (7,349 feet) and road track layout. The light rain before the green flag waved added an extra wrinkle to the racing. It was befitting that the winner of NASCAR's first international race in decades is an international driver. Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen, a native of New Zealand, earned his second career Cup Series win and a spot in the 10-race playoffs later this year. It came in dominant fashion with van Gisbergen taking pole position and leading 60 of the 100 laps. He took first as Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five finishers. This was a new experience for one of the oldest racing formulas in the world. Was it worth the trip? Here's what we think. NASCAR in Mexico City verdict There were logistical issues with international flights and shuttles getting to and from the track, but once the drivers arrived, they were greeted like rockstars. Middle-of-the-pack drivers like Todd Gilliland, who has just two top-10 finishes this season, had a crowd of fans welcoming him at the track. Fans at the infamous stadium section of the track stayed after the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity race on Saturday, June 14 to high-five drivers and crew members alike as they left for the day. These are notoriously passionate motorsports fans, and they certainly lived up to that billing for NASCAR. Road races can be tough, and this one even more so with the altitude and mixed conditions. Some of the drivers were also dealing with stomach issues, van Gisbergen included, which threw another wrinkle into preparations on race day. Few drivers were outspoken against making the trip, but one notably had a major change in tune. Carson Hocevar had ripped the sport's decision to come to Mexico City on a livestream prior to the race. "If the travel was better, if getting here was easier, if you felt safer getting to and from everywhere, if it wasn't such a (expletive), if the track limits were a little better enforced, if it was going to be a little bit better of a race, and it wasn't so easy to, or feel so locked down like you can't leave anywhere, it'd be a great experience," he said. Come Sunday night, Hocevar took to social media to take back his comments. "Now that I've actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I've ever seen, my opinion has changed," Hocevar wrote on X. "I am embarrassed by my comments." Cup Series champions Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch were both strong supporters of the race. 'The food is amazing, the city has some of the top restaurants in the world,' Busch said per the Associated Press. 'This is a great place to be and I don't understand the people holed up in their hotels too scared to leave. Live a little.' Should NASCAR race in Mexico City again? A new course is always a challenge. There were some logistical issues with travel, but that's likely to crop up in some way at every new venue NASCAR visits. It gets amplified in an international track. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue & racing innovation officer, built up this race since its announcement last August and he was "proud" of how the weekend turned out. Before van Gisbergen took to victory lane, his Trackhouse Racing teammate and Monterrey, Mexico native Daniel Suárez won the Xfinity Race a day prior. It was a near-storybook way for NASCAR to re-introduce itself in the country. 'It couldn't have been any better,' Suárez said. 'I've been here since Tuesday just working, doing promotion for sponsors, for the race itself, for fans. Every single thing that we did exceeded my expectations. The fans were amazing." This opportunity is huge for expanding NASCAR's global reach and crucially bringing in new fans. The country has a well-earned reputation for passionate fans when Formula 1 visits the track in the fall so the appetite for racing is there for in-person spectators. NASCAR is non-committal about Mexico City returning to the calendar next season. It should be back, but scheduling could be an issue considering Mexico will be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this time next year. It could be tough to find another slot in the calendar but it's worth finding a solution. This track is a unique test for drivers and cars alike – given the altitude and layout – with an outstanding fanbase. If the sport wants to tout its drivers as some of the best in the world, this is a key piece to earning that credibility.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Shane Van Gisbergen Took Notes From Max Verstappen For Mexico Cup Race Win
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Shane van Gisbergen approached four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen for his advice ahead of the Cup Series race at Mexico's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit and went on to win his second NASCAR Cup Series race. With Trackhouse Racing being backed by Red Bull, van Gisbergen was able to connect with Verstappen for his input. The Dutchman has won five times at the Mexican GP venue and thus was the perfect source to impart his knowledge. Van Gisbergen led for a heroic 60 laps, dominating the race by finishing 16.5 seconds ahead of runner-up Christopher Bell. Making the feat more special was the fact that this was NASCAR's first race outside the USA after 1958. Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, has been known to dominate F1 Grands Prix similarly, making his advice to van Gisbergen more valuable. Speaking to the media after the race, the Mexico City Cup Series race winner said: "I just look for every advantage I can. I know he's raced here in the rain and he's a friend of mine, and I walked out on to pit road this morning and it was amazing how slick it was. "Normally on a wet circuit the tarmac has grip and the white lines are slipperier. It was the opposite. It was like ice how slippery it was out there." While van Gisbergen ended the weekend on a high note, the same could not be said about Verstappen, who secured second place at the Canadian Grand Prix. Van Gisbergen started the race on pole, giving him that extra edge. Speaking after the race, the three-time Supercars champion stated further: "That's why I'm here, to win road races. But I'm not here to run last on the ovals either. I need to keep getting better to justify being a Cup Series driver. I need to be performing on the ovals, too. "I feel like we're really making strides, but yeah, this is what I'm here to do, make the playoffs, put another Trackhouse car in the playoffs, and yeah, can't wait to do the victory lunch during the week at Trackhouse and just see how stoked everyone is there. You see the effort everyone puts in, and they don't get the glory. They're just stuck at the shop. I love taking that and sharing that moment with them during the week." Related: Daniel Suárez Shares Powerful Story of Adapting to the USA Before NASCAR Xfinity Win
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
NASCAR Driver Carson Hocevar Apologizes to Mexico City for Remarks
NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar was a little bit skeptical and decidedly blunt about his expectations for NASCAR's first trip to Mexico City for a race. Let's just say, his expectations for the weekend were not exactly fodder for the travel guides to Mexico City. In a livestream Twitch session of Hocevar playing a racing video game, the 22-year-old driver offered his unfiltered opinion of his expectations of racing in Mexico City: 'This is how I'd put it," Hocevar said. "If the travel was better, if getting here was easier, if you felt safer getting to and from everywhere, if it wasn't such a shithole, if the track limits were a little better enforced, if it was going to be a little bit better of a race, and it wasn't so easy to, or feel so locked down like you can't leave anywhere, it'd be a great experience.' 'It'd be an absolutely great experience. If you take all those out, it's unbelievable. It's great.' On Sunday night, after the Viva Mexico 250, Hocevar walked back his comments. He turned to X and posted an apology to, well, Mexico City. "Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan. "When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard about Mexico City from people who more than likely also had never been here. Now that I've actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I've ever seen, my opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments, by the race I ran, and I may have to move here to hide out from Ricky anyway. "Count this as another lesson for me in a season I've learned so much. Don't believe everything you hear without seeing it yourself. If anyone should give anyone or any place the benefit of the doubt it's me. I'm sorry Mexico City. Consider me an ally going forward and an example of getting off Twitch and seeing things with my own two eyes." Hocevar finished 34th out of 37 on Sunday. He's currently 20th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with a pair of top-five finishes to his credit.
