By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Rockingham Speedway is little-known territory for NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers
The NASCAR Xfinity and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series are ready to roll at “The Rock.”
In the final event of an Easter tripleheader weekend that also includes the ARCA Menards Series East, Xfinity Series drivers will compete at Rockingham Speedway for the first time since 2004 with the running of Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 (4 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Rock is not the same track on which driver-turned-television analyst Jamie McMurray won the last four Xfinity Series events held at the Richmond County speedway. Repaved in late 2022 and remeasured at 0.94 miles, the iconic track is unfamiliar territory to all but one driver in Saturday’s field, as far as actual racing is concerned.
Only Kasey Kahne has competitive Xfinity Series experience at the track, with his last series appearance coming in the final race there in 2004. On Saturday, Kahne will make his first Xfinity start at any track since 2017 in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Kahne, a sprint car driver and team owner, quickly acclimated to the stock car in his return to pavement during an organizational test in January.
“It had been six and a half years,” said Kahne, who won a Truck Series race at Rockingham in 2012. “It was really nice to be back in a car. I didn’t know exactly how it would feel and if I would have to refigure out how to drive in a way.
“But truthfully, once I got to Turn 3 coming to the start of practice and the car loaded into the corner, I instantly felt right at home and felt like I had been doing it for a while. From there on, it was a solid practice for the next four or five hours.”
Despite the lack of competitive reps, other drivers aren’t coming to Rockingham with empty notebooks. Sheldon Creed, Brandon Jones and series leader Justin Allgaier participated in a Goodyear tire test last November.
And the organizational test in January gave a broad range of drivers in both the Xfinity and Truck Series a sense of what they will face on Easter weekend.
In Allgaier’s case, there’s more on the line than the race trophy. The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet is competing for a record eighth $100,000 bonus in the final Xfinity Dash 4 Cash race of the season.
To win the bonus, Allgaier will have to finish ahead of three other eligible drivers—teammates Carson Kvapil and Sammy Smith and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones.
“It’s really cool to be heading back to Rockingham with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet,” said Allgaier, who won two of the first three Dash 4 Cash bonuses this season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
“No one really knows what to expect this weekend, but I feel like the test we had here back in January gave (crew chief) Jim (Pohlman) and all the guys on this team a good playbook to start with.
“We’ve had a lot of momentum on our side here lately, and hopefully that will carry over and we’ll have another great run on Saturday.”
Notes: Katherine Legge, who made her NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season, will make her first start in the Xfinity Series since 2023 at Road America… Sammy Smith and Jones are doing double duty this weekend in the Xfinity and Truck Series.
Chandler Smith takes strong momentum into Rockingham Truck race
Fresh from a convincing victory at Bristol Motor Speedway—a win that denied runner-up Kyle Larson a sweep of NASCAR’s three national series—Chandler Smith comes to Rockingham Speedway second in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings, with his sights set on the top spot.
Smith is the only driver to have finished in the top 10 in all six CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races this season, and he’ll try to extend that streak in Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 (5 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I can’t wait for Rockingham,” said Smith, who drives for Front Row Motorsports. “This 38 team is on a tear right now, and we have a lot of good momentum heading into Rockingham.
“There’s a lot less pressure heading into the weekend knowing we are locked into the Playoffs, but we want more. I think we have a good shot at the Regular Season Championship.”
Smith trails series leader Corey Heim by 18 points. Neither driver has ever raced at the 0.94-mile track, which last hosted a Truck Series race in 2013.
Saturday’s race is the final Triple Truck Challenge event of the season. Both Smith and Martinsville winner Daniel Hemric are eligible for a $150,000 bonus, should they win a second Triple Truck Challenge race this season.
A $50,000 prize is available to any other highest-finishing series regular.
Four drivers in Friday’s field raced at The Rock in the Truck Series during its two-year presence in 2012 and 2013. Matt Crafton and Norm Benning, with two starts each, and Grant Enfinger and Parker Kligerman with a single start each.
