Latest news with #NorthCarolinaEducationLottery250
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR president calls Rockingham turnout ‘unbelievable,' hints at its future
According to many stakeholders, Rockingham Speedway's return to the NASCAR schedule earlier this month was a towering success. It seems as if NASCAR's leadership agrees. Steve O'Donnell, the newly promoted president of NASCAR, said Monday that the Easter weekend set of races at The Rock — which included a sold-out Xfinity Series race — saw 'an unbelievable turnout' and was so successful that its potential return to the Cup Series is worth monitoring and exploring. Advertisement O'Donnell told The Observer that the sanctioning body would 'love to keep it as an Xfinity Series and Truck Series staple, and maybe bring in more Cup drivers to race that weekend' in the future. He added, 'You never know what the future holds beyond that.' NASCAR fans cheer the Xfinity Series field in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 as they race across the start line during action at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday, April 19, 2025. NASCAR leadership shared this during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors group at the New York Times offices on Monday. The sentiment is largely in lockstep with what the sanctioning body's messaging has been since it announced its return to the famed 1.017-mile track at Rockingham — a racetrack that, until this year, seemed as if it'd seen its final day in the NASCAR sun. For decades, the racetrack at Rockingham served as a rite of passage in the sport of racing. It was a fixture on NASCAR's top circuit — the Cup Series — from the mid-1960s to the early 2000s. Advertisement The Cup Series left in 2004, however, with decision-makers in the sport opting to attempt to capitalize on NASCAR's ascending popularity by building state-of-the-art tracks in larger markets outside of the Southeast. The Cup Series hasn't returned since. NASCAR fans enjoy the Xfinity Series race from a grassy area in Turn 3 during the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday, April 19, 2025. NASCAR returned briefly in 2012 and 2013 with a standalone Truck Series race in each year. But the facility wasn't up to NASCAR's standard for a return in 2014, and at that point, the racing seemed forever lost. That is, until a perfect storm materialized years later, one that featured an owner in Dan Lovenheim purchasing the racetrack in August 2018 and then a windfall of money provided by a federal COVID-19 stimulus package. The state budgeted about $50 million of that stimulus money to go toward renovating North Carolina's three speedways: Charlotte, North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. Advertisement The Rock received about $9 million of that sum — and in the end, including Lovenheim's own money, about $15 million has been poured into the track's renovation, The Observer previously reported. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Love crosses the finish line to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday, April 19, 2025. That all led to a triumphant weekend that featured a Truck Series race, an Xfinity Series race and an ARCA race. 'We did everything we needed to do,' said Bob Sargent, CEO of Track Enterprises, who spoke with The Observer after the race weekend at The Rock earlier this month. 'It's a process, but we are on the radar.' NASCAR fans welcomed action back to Rockingham Speedway on Saturday, April 19, 2025 with the running of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's chief venue and racing innovations officer, told The Observer in March that the sanctioning body is in the process of building out the Cup schedule through 2031. Advertisement 'And I think the great part about it is we have great interest for new events in new markets,' he said. 'I would say now more than ever we have to be more thoughtful and strategic in any moves that we make, just because (when) we add a new event, it's gotta come from somewhere. ... 'I would say for Rockingham in particular, like all other tracks and promoters out there, it's on the radar for sure (for a Cup date). I think it's something you want to see how it does the first few years, and then if it's successful, it's something that we'll put in our consideration set.' Sports editor Lydia Craver contributed to this report.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kasey Kahne relishes Rockingham return, salvages top-15 finish
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Kasey Kahne experienced a little bit of everything and then some in his return to stock car racing. Named one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Kahne came back to NASCAR Saturday to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway, his first appearance across the sport's national touring series since 2018. Advertisement RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Rockingham Driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Kahne qualified fourth and was steadily toward the front of the field until he suffered damage in a Stage 1 crash that hindered his car for the remainder of the 256-lap event. Nonetheless, Kahne trudged through the day and rebounded for a respectable, hard-fought 14th-place finish in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. 'That was definitely a handful once the car was tore up,' Kahne said. 'I think we were an easy top-five car prior to that, maybe even better. But yeah, once the front end was tore off the right side, and then just the damage, it was just a battle from that point on. The guys did good — like I thought we did a good job of getting back to the lead lap and just avoiding wrecks, just kind of salvaged the best we could at that point.' It was nearly impossible to tell it had been seven years since Kahne's last time driving a stock car. At 45 years old, Kahne continues to race sprint cars through his team, Kasey Kahne Racing, and is competing full-time in the Kubota High Limit Racing series in 2025. His departure from NASCAR, though, was medically necessary. Then 38 years old, Kahne would regularly overheat in the race car and become dehydrated more quickly, he explained in a February episode of Dirty Mo Media's 'Dale Jr. Download.' Advertisement Away from the intense heat and duration of a stock-car cockpit for numerous years, Kahne felt ready to get back behind the wheel, this time with Richard Childress Racing. 'As far as my health, I'm in a good place right now because I don't do this all the time,' Kahne said Friday. 'I don't do the long races, the (heat). It got worse as soon as the summer months came, and then every week after that just was draining me, those last couple years I did it. I think going into this, it's good.' Kasey Kahne races at Rockingham. Good it was for Kahne, who soldiered through the 2 hours, 59 minutes and 38 seconds of Saturday's event with little to no issues despite two red flags and 14 caution periods slowing the race's average speed to 80.377 mph. Advertisement 'Long day. I was hot on Lap 60,' Kahne said, referencing the end of Stage 1. 'And then we got some ice bags and started drinking more water. Went fine from there, but yeah, I haven't been that hot in a long time. Seven years.' Yet Kahne returned to competition just as naturally as he entered it in 2004, when he finished second in a thrilling photo finish at Rockingham behind Matt Kenseth in just Kahne's second career Cup start. 'It's been a long time, and as long as I drove these cars, it was really cool to get back in one and feel it (and) do that whole race weekend because it's just so much different,' Kahne said. 'The sprint car stuff I'm doing now I love, and things happen quick and the night's over and you move on to the next one. But this is just a different type of racing, different type of race weekend. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I did it.' Ultimately, the 18-time Cup Series winner walked away satisfied with his entire experience. Whether Kahne returns for another crack at NASCAR racing — Cup? Xfinity? Trucks? — remains yet to be determined. But the process of being back in the throes of a NASCAR team for a January test, simulator prep work and the motions of a practice, qualifying and race was heartily welcomed by the 2017 Brickyard 400 winner. 'I enjoyed it,' Kahne said. 'I've really looked forward to it and put a lot into it. It was really fun working with the RCR group, going up to their shop, just being part of a NASCAR team again — that was really cool. And all the people at RCR were great. So, yeah, I mean, I enjoyed it. I don't know about more in the future, but I'm really glad I did this. I wish it would have went much different, but I think we were very competitive and had a shot at being somewhere in that top five if things go our way throughout.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
RCR to appeal disqualification of No. 2 Chevrolet at Rockingham
RCR to appeal disqualification of No. 2 Chevrolet at Rockingham Richard Childress Racing indicated Monday that the organization will appeal the disqualification of its No. 2 Chevrolet from last weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Rockingham Speedway. Jesse Love had driven the No. 2 Chevy to an apparent victory in Saturday's North Carolina Education Lottery 250, but his car failed a post-race technical inspection. That ruling handed the win to JR Motorsports' Sammy Smith, who was second at the time of the checkered flag. Advertisement RELATED: Rockingham race results | Smith seals Dash 4 Cash bonus Officials cited Rule 14.14.2.I-5.H in the NASCAR Rule Book, which concerns truck trailing arm spacers/pinion angle shims as part of Section 14.14.2 (Rear Suspension). Officials stated: 'All mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other.' NASCAR competition officials said Monday morning that RCR's appeal notice had been received. No date has been determined for an appeal hearing. The race was the Xfinity Series' first at the 0.94-mile track since 2004.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Sammy Smith snags Dash 4 Cash prize at Rockingham
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JR Motorsports team walked away from Rockingham Speedway $100,000 richer Saturday evening. The third-year racer nabbed a second-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series' return to 'The Rock' to net the final bonus prize of the 2025 campaign with his best result of the season. Advertisement RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos: Rockingham Restarting in NASCAR Overtime, Smith held the top spot alongside Joe Gibbs Racing's Taylor Gray — a recent rival from an aggressive run-in at Martinsville Speedway on March 29. With Smith on the inside and Gray to his right, Smith got the better jump on the restart and cleared Gray for the lead entering Turn 1. But on corner entry, Jesse Love charged to Smith's bumper and moved him up the track, allowing Love to surge for the lead and eventual win in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's Tire. 'That was good, hard racing,' Smith said. 'I was happy with our car all day. We did a really good job. Just hard racing there at the end, and we were stumbling on fuel. It was just an overall good day.' Advertisement While Smith jumped away with the lead on the overtime restart, it wasn't for Gray's lack of effort. Gray tried to match Love's timing on the re-fire, but a shove from Parker Retzlaff approaching the restart zone impacted Gray's ability to hit the throttle, dropping his No. 54 Toyota to a sixth-place finish. 'I still haven't seen a replay, but just from in the car, the 4 jacked me up in the restart box, and as soon as he popped me, Sammy launched,' Gray told 'I went to go launch with him, and obviously my back tires are jacked up off the ground, so I'm spinning the rear tires and trying to get hooked back up. And then once I get hooked back up, I didn't get the restart I would like to.' Sammy Smith races at Rockingham. Three weeks ago at Martinsville, Smith charged through Gray in the closing two corners, crashing Gray and costing either driver the victory and resulting in a 50-point penalty and a $25,000 fine to Smith. Any lingering emotions from that night didn't carry into Saturday's fight for the Rockingham win. Advertisement 'He raced me very clean all day,' Smith said. 'We raced hard and I'm happy with how we made it at the end.' Smith finds himself on a hot streak heading into next Saturday's race at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), with finishes of ninth (Darlington), fourth (Bristol) and now second in consecutive weeks. Gray, on the other hand, has struggled to find results in that same span, finishing 29th at Martinsville, 33rd at Darlington and 19th at Bristol. 'I'll be honest, we've struggled since Martinsville, so I haven't really been around (Smith),' Gray said. 'I mean, they've been running good, and we haven't been running very good — or at least had good finishes. So we haven't been around each other that much besides today, and today was kind of the first time we were back around each other. I thought the racing was fine between me and him. 'I had it set in my mind: I knew I could beat him on a restart. I've done it plenty of times, and I just know I'm better at restarts than he is, and I was going to sort of manipulate him on my restart, manipulate his air getting into (Turn) 1. I promise I'm not cocky; I was just, I was in my mindset, right? I was confident in the restart, and then once the 4 popped me, it kind of took me out of contention of being able to do that. So it's unfortunate, but I mean, they're fast. Honestly, probably a little better than us today.'
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Katherine Legge Crash Ends Roller Coaster Rockingham NASCAR Weekend
International road racing veteran Katherine Legge's entrance into NASCAR this year continues to be a tough road. Legge, along with Dawson Cram, failed to make the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 field in qualifying at Rockingham Speedway due to the final six positions in the 38-car field being provisionals assigned according to owner points. After the field was established on Saturday, she went to J.J. Yeley, who had qualified 31st, and acquired his ride for herself. Legge started in the rear of the field due to the driver change. She was eliminated on lap 52 when William Sawalich hit her Chevrolet in the rear while lapping her in the first turn. She spun and then hit Kasey Kahne, who was also lapping her. Legge was eliminated while Kahne went on to finish 15th and Sawalich 26th. Legge finished last in the overtime race, completing 50 of the 256 laps. The race was the first of a recently announced 12-race NASCAR schedule for the remainder of 2025. Legge later posted the following statement on X (formerly Twitter): 'I'm SO proud of this team!! We were able to run a fast enough lap time in qualifications to put me comfortably in the race if not for Owner Poins provisional. So that's why my sponsors & partner were on board to help me get the track time I promised everyone we would get. They meant it when they said they support me and believe in our program. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about Sawalich getting right up under the back of the car and taking me and subsequently others out of the race. Thank you Joey Gase Racing, Jordan Anderson, J.J. Yeley, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Team Chevy for having my back. See you all at Talladega!'
