Motorsports
After Making NASCAR Return, Rockingham Speedway For Sale
After what was regarded as a successful return to NASCAR in April, the owner of Rockingham Speedway has listed the iconic race track for sale. CBRE, a real estate and investment company, has listed the facility for sale. The first report of Rockingham Speedway being listed for sale came from the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday. […]
After what was regarded as a successful return to NASCAR in April, the owner of Rockingham Speedway has listed the iconic race track for sale. CBRE, a real estate and investment company, has listed the facility for sale.
The first report of Rockingham Speedway being listed for sale came from the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.
In the report from the Charlotte Observer, Dan Lovenheim, who purchased the track in August 2018 confirmed that he has placed the facility up for sale.
“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.”
Rockingham Speedway opened in October 1965, and the track hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series event that month. The 1-mile track remained a mainstay on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule through the 2004 season. The final NASCAR Cup Series race, to date, at Rockingham Speedway was won by Matt Kenseth in a photo finish over Kasey Kahne on February 22, 2004.
The track hosted NASCAR Xfinity Series events from 1982 to 2004, and for a two-year period (2012 and 2013) the facility hosted a pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in an attempted comeback for the race track.
12 years after the initial attempt at a Rockingham revival, Tyler Ankrum scored a win in the first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event held at the facility since the 2013 season. The following day, Sammy Smith was credited with winning the first NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Rockingham Speedway contested since the 2004 season. Jesse Love was the initial winner of the Xfinity Series event, but was disqualified from the event following post-race inspection.
A healthy crowd showed up for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, and the facility hosted a sold-out crowd of 25,000 people for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. At the end of the weekend, the return of Rockingham Speedway was seen as a smashing success.
Now, the owner of the facility is seeking a new owner to potentially take the next steps in building Rockingham Speedway into a potential NASCAR Cup Series race-ready venue.
In a confidential offering memorandum available online, CBRE states that Rockingham Speedway has a three-year deal in place with NASCAR to host NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in 2026 and 2027, and that there is a possibility to add a NASCAR Cup Series race date in future years.