ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (WBTV) – A historic North Carolina racetrack appears to be up for sale, just weeks after NASCAR made its return.

A commercial real estate company has a listing for Rockingham Speedway, which returned to the NASCAR schedule for the first time in more than a decade on Easter weekend.

The one-mile oval has a rich history in NASCAR, with drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and many other racing legends having won there.

The listing does not show an asking price for the speedway but does have fairly comprehensive documents that highlight features of the overall property.

Perhaps what sticks out most from the documents is that over the past three years, more than $12 million has been poured into upgrading the facility’s infrastructure. Much of that came from the state government. The documents say another $12 million has been requested from the North Carolina General Assembly to get the property “Cup ready.”

Despite NASCAR having returned in April, the Cup Series’ more than two-decade absence has persisted. The Xfinity, Truck and ARCA series raced there that weekend, but not NASCAR’s top level. The last time that a Cup race was held at Rockingham was in 2004 when Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag.

The listing documents indicate hope that the track could see the Cup Series return in 2026 or 2027.

NASCAR has yet to unveil its 2026 series schedules, but Rockingham could very well find itself back on the Xfinity or Trucks circuit, especially after tickets for the Xfinity race sold out. Whether or not it could get a Cup date seems a bit more questionable.

Related: Winner disqualified in NASCAR’s return to historic North Carolina racetrack

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DIRECTV has made a pair of announcements regarding the remainder of the 2025 NASCAR season as well as the rest of the Sunday Night Soccer on MLS Season Pass schedule.

DIRECTV For Business Offers Complete NASCAR Season
This is the first NASCAR season under a new rights agreement that adds Amazon’s Prime Video and Turner Sports’ TNT and MAX to longtime providers Fox Corp’s FOX and FS1 and NBCUniversal’s NBC, USA Network, and Peacock.

DIRECTV and Prime Video recently entered into a new agreement to ensure that DIRECTV For Business’ more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, and other commercial venues receive Prime Video’s new five-race schedule, including this Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 from Nashville Superspeedway.

Prime Video’s upcoming NASCAR Cup Series coverage includes (All times ET).

• Sunday, June 1: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Nashville Superspeedway — 6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 8: Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway — 1:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 15: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City — 2:00 p.m.
• Sunday, June 22: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania — 1:00 p.m.

After that, TNT and Max begin their first-ever five-race schedule starting with the Quaker State 400 (June 28).

DIRECTV for Business is the only commercial provider with the complete NASCAR season, thanks to this new Prime Video affiliation agreement and other ongoing rights with Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBCUniversal. DIRECTV For Business commercial venues can now offer NASCAR fans the assurance of seeing every race despite the several new channels, streaming services, or other media outlets involved with the sport today.

Sunday Night Soccer on MLS Season Pass Is Now Free to All Sports Fans on DIRECTV
DIRECTV residential and commercial customers now have access to Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire on MLS Season Pass for free during the 2025 Major League Soccer season.

DIRECTV is a sponsor of Major League Soccer’s newest club, San Diego Football Club, and to celebrate the league’s 30th season, residential DIRECTV customers can subscribe to MLS Season Pass to watch every MLS game with no blackouts, in-depth coverage and analysis, exclusive content, and more for $14.99 a month for DIRECTV streaming customers and $99/season for satellite homes. And starting on June 8, satellite customers can subscribe for $69 for the remainder of the full season in the DIRECTV interface on channels 480 through 495, similar to the viewing experience for other league packages today.

This offering expands upon DIRECTV’s exclusive rights to provide MLS Season Pass to commercial establishments, which has been available to DIRECTV for BUSINESS’s vast network of more than 300,000 sports bars, restaurants, and more since the 2023 season.

Soccer fans can enjoy free access to Sunday Night Soccer marquee matchups, featuring some of the league’s most popular franchises. Tune in this Sunday, June 1 as Seattle Sounders FC host Minnesota United FC at 6:00pm ET.

All DIRECTV for BUSINESS customers automatically receive Sunday Night Soccer matches free without any additional activation.

Rockingham Speedway, which has recently undergone a $12 million refurbishment, has gone up for sale with CBRE Group.

This comes after The Rock returned to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the first time in over a decade, and the Xfinity Series in more than 20 years. The current owner of the 250+ acre plot, Dan Lovenheim, acquired the property in August 2018 and has worked to develop certain areas of the track to bring it up to standard expected for modern NASCAR racing. 

Rockingham Speedway’s $12 million renovation

According to the sales listing, Rockingham Speedway has had a $12 million renovation, completed ahead of NASCAR’s return in April 2025. Included in these renovations is a repaved main track, which cost $3.3 million, a modernised media center, and improvements to the permanent bleachers to bring them up to the current code. 

Over $10 million of the $12 million invested came from the state government budget. The listing states:

“Between 2022-2025, The Rock was the recipient of over 10M in grants and appropriations from the State of North Carolina. These grants were used to improve the track and the surrounding infrastructure.

“In 2025, The Rock has requested an additional 12M in appropriations from the NC General Assembly for additional track and infrastructure improvements to get The Rock ‘cup ready’ for a potential NASCAR Cup Race in 2026 or 2027.”

Discussing the renovations with The Richmond Observer, Lovenheim explained in 2024:

“Weeds were growing out of the track surfaces, weeds were growing out of every single piece of pavement. The place was overgrown and the water damage from the rain coming off the grandstands nearly rendered this place unusable.

“Luckily we got in and started doing renovations very quickly.”

Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet; Sammy Smith, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Getty Images

He added:

“We’re in the process of creating a new hybridized form of entertainment. Gone are the days of sitting in grandstands like packed sardines. People these days want to go and experience the fun and the amenities, whether it’s experiencing the races from various viewpoints; having some food, maybe a beverage; or even letting their kids play in the bouncy house.”

Rockingham Speedway hits the market

The property is available with an open offering period before the buyer is chosen on July 1. 

During an interview with The Charlotte Observer, Lovenheim explained his reason for selling: 

“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. And the time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it farther than we can.”