Legendary NASCAR racetrack Rockingham Speedway sold after 7 months on the market
Rockingham Speedway has a new owner.
Approximately seven months after going for up for sale, the iconic North Carolina racetrack located in Richmond County has been purchased by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), the racing entity announced.
No details of the deal, including purchasing price, were disclosed in the announcement.
The news comes within a year of the racetrack’s triumphant return to NASCAR. On Easter Weekend 2025, the Truck Series raced on the venue’s 1.017-mile oval for the first time since 2013. The Xfinity Series raced there for the first time since 2004. The weekend-long racing spectacle, by all accounts, was a smash hit — and such a success hinted at a gleaming future, one that IHRA referenced in its announcement Wednesday.
“IHRA recognizes what Rockingham Speedway means to this community and to motorsports fans around the world,” Darryl Cuttell, owner of IHRA, wrote in a statement. “This is a special place with a strong foundation. Our goal is to be good stewards of the facility, respect its history, and work collaboratively to bring quality racing and entertainment back to The Rock.”
IHRA said it intends to restore Rockingham as a racing haven, but also to continue to develop it as a multi-use facility, with the possibility for festivals, concerts and more.
IHRA oversees multiple racing disciplines including drag racing, stock cars, offshore powerboating, snowmobiles and more, according to its website. The entity is also “committed to preserving motorsports heritage while building the future of racing through innovation, safety and community engagement.”
NASCAR announced in August that it would return to Rockingham in 2026, again in April. That weekend will mirror that of 2025 and feature a Truck Series race, an ARCA race and an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race (which was previously known as the Xfinity Series).
Rockingham Speedway’s place in NASCAR history
Rockingham Speedway holds a sturdy place in NASCAR history.
From its construction and first race in 1965, all the way to the early 2000s, the place endearingly called The Rock was a staple in the NASCAR Cup Series. Richard Petty won at Rockingham a NASCAR-most 11 times. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth and many others clinched championships there. The racetrack was also home to the first race after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt in February 2001.
In 2004, though, NASCAR left. The sanctioning body did so for several reasons. Among those reasons was to try to capitalize on NASCAR’s ascending popularity by building state-of-the-art tracks outside the Southeast.
Between 1997 and 2004, the once-named North Carolina Motor Speedway changed ownership several times, and its fate worsened with every acquisition. By 2005, the track had lost both of its Cup Series dates, and the 250-acre property sat dormant, in abandoned disrepair. One ownership group brought NASCAR back to Rockingham — reviving The Rock — in 2012 and 2013, but the facility wasn’t up to snuff for NASCAR to return in 2014, and at that point, the racing seemed forever lost.
Then in August 2018, the racetrack was purchased again, this time by Dan Lovenheim, who made his fortune as a nightclub magnate in downtown Raleigh. And then, with the help of millions of COVID-19 stimulus package money as well as some of Lovenheim’s own funds — approximately $15 million in total, The Charlotte Observer previously reported — the racetrack was appropriately renovated and got back on NASCAR’s radar.
A sold-out Xfinity race that generated 1.053 million TV viewers in the spring — a weekend extravaganza spearheaded by a partnership between Track Enterprises and NASCAR — only continued the racetrack’s momentum.
Then, in May 2025, Lovenheim told The Charlotte Observer that the track had been put up for sale. The principal owner said then that “the time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it farther than we can.”
Wednesday, the baton was passed.
“For decades, The Rock has been one of our community’s most recognizable and celebrated tourism icons,” Meghann Lambeth, executive director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority, wrote in a statement. “We’re proud to continue supporting Rockingham Speedway as it draws visitors to Rockin’ Richmond County under the new ownership of the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).”
Added Cuttel: “This isn’t about changing what made Rockingham special. It’s about investing in it, taking care of it, and making sure it continues to be a place where great racing and great memories are made.”
Additional announcements regarding the Easter weekend event, facility enhancements and future schedules will be released in the coming months, according to the release.
This story was originally published January 1, 2026 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Legendary NASCAR racetrack Rockingham Speedway sold after 7 months on the market."
