As I write this it’s Monday and there still hasn’t been a Cup race, but that’s OK because I’m thinking about the trucks, Eastern North Carolina and next season.
ESPN first reported last week that Rockingham is poised to host the Camping World Truck Series in 2012 – its first NASCAR national touring series event since 2004 and first ever Truck Series event. The track is expected to announce the addition on Wednesday with North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue in attendance.
The move wasn’t a complete surprise as the track has been working to install SAFER barriers – another item reported by ESPN last month. Since Andy Hillenburg purchased the track from Speedway Motorsports in 2007, it’s played host to ARCA races, late model and street stock events and a whole lot of testing.
The addition of this race is no doubt a boost for the track. It lost its ARCA date this year after just two seasons and doesn’t have any other premier events. The Truck Series will give it exposure to new fans and what is sure to be solid attendance in at least the first couple of years.
The question for Hillenburg though has to be what the loss of all that testing will mean for the bottom line. Now that Rockingham is hosting a major NASCAR event, teams can no longer use the big facility. I suspect that was a major portion of Rockingham’s revenue. Certainly “Little Rock,” the half-mile test track behind the big track, is still open and available, but is it enough?
With higher sanctioning fees than other racing series and generally smaller crowds than the Nationwide and Cup Series, it’s going to take some work to make up the deficit.
Still, the thought of driving down Highway 74 towards Rockingham for a NASCAR event is exciting. It’s something no one has been able to do in years – I for one am glad NASCAR is taking the chance on the venue. We’ll see how everything turns out next year, but this is sure to be a bright spot.
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