A little over a month after it returned to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series schedules, Rockingham Speedway has been listed for sale.
According to the Charlotte Observer, track owner Dan Lovenheim is ready to pass the figurative baton to a group that wants to take the recently revived facility to the next level.
“We’ve basically taken it in first gear as far as we can go, building it out, getting it ready for bigger and better hands,” Lovenheim told The Charlotte Observer. “And the time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it farther than we can.”
In other words, for it to return to the Cup Series schedule, it’s going to most likely need to be owned by either NASCAR itself or Speedway Motorsports who control the dates for all but three races on the schedule. The only independently owned NASCAR races take place at Indianapolis, Pocono and Gateway.
The Observer says a buyer will be selected by July 1.
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The track had sat dormant for just over a decade before it was revived in advance for the Easter weekend races. Lovenheim, a Raleigh-based land developer and events promoter, purchased the track in 2018 and methodically invested in the facility. Of the $12 million put into the property, nine million was the byproduct of state money utilized from the federal Build Back Better act, which North Carolina used to invest in its state sport from a tourism standpoint.
Lovenheim partnered with promoter Track Enterprises, owned by Spire Sports + Entertainment, to bring three touring division races to the track and the main event was attended by a sold out 25,000 fans that Saturday afternoon. 1.053 million viewers watched that event as well.
Rockingham is one of the legendary NASCAR tracks, having hosted the Cup Series from 1964 to 2004. Whatever comes next, will come under new stewardship.
