NASCAR returned to the iconic Richmond County track in April after an absence that lasted over a decade.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ladies and gentlemen, start your bidding! Rockingham Speedway, the iconic track that hosted NASCAR races for decades before being abandoned and revitalized for the sport’s return in April, has been put up for sale.
The track has been put up for sale by CBRE, a commercial real estate and investment firm based in Texas.
NASCAR racing returned to the track with the Craftsman Truck Series on April 18 and the Xfinity Series on April 19. The events were the first NASCAR races at the track since 2013, when the truck series last ran there. The Xfinity Series last raced at the track in 2004.
In CBRE’s pitch for the facility, the group touts the $10 million in grants received for the track from the North Carolina General Assembly from 2022 to 2025. The sellers note that an additional $12 million has been requested for the track to improve infrastructure. These efforts, the sellers anticipate, would make the track “ready” for a “potential” NASCAR Cup Series date in 2026 or 2027.
The NASCAR Cup Series has not raced at the track since 2004. NASCAR raced at the track from 1965 to 2004 before an abrupt stop.
Rockingham Properties is the ownership group in charge of the track, primarily under owner Dan Lovenheim. He bought the track in 2018 for $2.8 million. Under the new ownership, the track hosted festivals and various motorsports events.
In August 2024, NASCAR announced the April 2025 races, marking the return of major racing to the facility. The move followed efforts in 2023 to bring the NASCAR All-Star Race to North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track mostly abandoned since 1996.
A lion’s share of tracks used on the NASCAR circuit are owned by two companies: Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (SMI) and International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the latter of which is a NASCAR-owned corporation. However, there are a few outliers. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is owned by Roger Penske, Pocono Raceway is owned by the Mattioli family, and Circuit of the Americas is owned by a private ownership group. It’s not known if Rockingham’s buyers will be one of the two large competitors or another name looking to join the game.
NASCAR has not announced plans for Rockingham in 2026. The April races were well received, and anticipation should remain high if the track is on next year’s schedule.
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