RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — New ownership for one of North Carolina’s most famous race tracks.

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced it purchased Rockingham Speedway in Richmond County. 

The IHRA said it’s committing to preserving The Rock’s storied history. 

“IHRA recognizes what Rockingham Speedway means to this community and to motorsports fans around the world,” said Darryl Cuttell, Owner of IHRA. “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.”

It said it intends to restore The Rock to its former glory while upgrading the venue. 

Today, the International Hot Rod Association announced that it has purchased “The Rock,” Rockingham Speedway. After undergoing major updates and repairs, NASCAR and ARCA made their triumphant returns to the track last year. Now, the IHRA has bought the venue.

This is pretty cool news, honestly. It is surprising that NASCAR and/or Speedway Motorsports didn’t buy the track. Perhaps the antitrust lawsuit had something to do with that. Wouldn’t have been a good look to buy yet another track and set up yet another exclusivity agreement.

So, it has ended up in the hands of the International Hot Rod Association. Rockingham Speedway belongs to America’s second-largest sanctioning body for drag racing.

“The move reflects IHRA’s commitment to preserving motorsports heritage while thoughtfully reinvesting in legendary racing properties,” IHRA said in a statement. “Known worldwide as The Rock, Rockingham Speedway has played a pivotal role in NASCAR and American racing history for decades and remains deeply tied to the identity and pride of the City of Rockingham and Richmond County.”

While Rockingham has had updates, the IHRA plans to do more renovations and “restore Rockingham Speedway to its former glory.” The track was listed at $12 million as it was shopped around to various buyers. It is not clear at this time how much IHRA ended up spending.

The Rock is capable of hosting a variety of series and events. There is the big track, the “Little Rock” half-mile track, a quarter-mile track, and even a road course. Of course, there is Rockingham Dragway as well. The NHRA will race at The Rock in 2026 for its 75th anniversary season.

Rockingham Speedway under new ownership

If the IHRA does what it says it is going to do, then Rockingham Speedway is in good hands. More improvements will help make the track and overall venue a true destination for motorsports fans. In the heart of America’s racing capital, North Carolina, it deserves to be a world-class facility.

There has been considerable investment from the state and previous owners recently. It was good enough to get NASCAR to make its return in 2025. The Truck and Xfinity Series put on a great show at the track, and it showed that it still, for the most part, races just like it did all those years ago.

Rockingham Speedway is hosting events again. It is under new ownership, a sanctioning body that is committed to motorsports as a whole. That should be exciting for race fans.

In a packed NASCAR Cup Series field that was breathing strong engine heat under a scorching Texas sun, the easiest way to distinguish Kevin Harvick was by looking out for the Busch Light logo on his car. The former Stewart-Haas Racing icon was sponsored by Anheuser-Busch for over a decade before the association came to an end in 2023, along with his retirement from racing.

Having been in the sport since 1983, the company wasn’t going to just exit altogether, and the driver it chose to back in Harvick’s place was Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain. In a recent NASCAR video, where he answered questions from fans on Reddit, Chastain spoke about how the partnership came to be in 2024.

He said, “We wanted Busch Light. We knew Kevin Harvick was retiring, and we wanted to make our case to him. I drank Busch Light before they sponsored me. I was going to drink it whether they sponsored me or not. So, that made the first conversation really easy.” The multi-year agreement with the brewing magnate was a big step forward for him and his team.

Another question asked of him was whether he had had a drink with Shane van Gisbergen yet. He replied that he hadn’t delved into it too much and that he would wait for the offseason before getting into a drinking contest with the Kiwi racer. Apart from the obvious, there was a pressing reason for Chastain to desire an association with Anheuser-Busch.

Why Chastain values the relationship with Anheuser-Busch highly

Chastain’s family has been deeply rooted in watermelon farming for generations. Heading back home after working hard all day and popping a beer is a relaxing and comforting feeling that they don’t take lightly. By default, beer is also the go-to drink for all celebrations in the household.

The driver pointed this out when his sponsorship with the Busch Light brand was announced, “This sponsorship means so much to me as the brand not only supports NASCAR, but also places value and extends their support to communities that are close to my heart—the humble, hard-working people across the U.S. who enjoy cracking a cold one after an honest day’s work.”

Anheuser-Busch supported Harvick since the start of the 2011 season. It first did so with the Budweiser brand and then moved to the Busch Light brand. The partnership went from his final years with Richard Childress Racing and continued into his stint with Stewart-Haas Racing. Chastain would surely love a similar long-term relationship with the company.

Editor’s note: This is last in a series from NASCAR.com reviewing the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings

• Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 
• Crew chief: Cliff Daniels 
• Final 2025 ranking: 1st 
• Key stats: 3 wins, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s, 1,106 laps led

• How 2025 ended: In the best possible way, hoisting the Bill France Cup at season’s end. Larson entered the ranks of multi-time Cup Series champions with his second title, vaulting past Denny Hamlin on the final round of pit stops in the Phoenix Raceway finale and holding on in overtime for a third-place result, best among the Championship 4 field. He became the 18th driver in NASCAR history with more than one Cup Series championship, and the third to score more than one for Hendrick Motorsports, joining seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson and four-time title winner Jeff Gordon.

RELATED: Check out Kyle Larson’s media tour as Cup Series champion

• Best race: Two max-points days stand out, but Larson’s springtime victory at Bristol Motor Speedway was a masterclass performance that provided the No. 5 team with a needed lift. Larson led 411 of the 500 laps, sweeping both stages along the way. The triumph followed another Bristol romp a day earlier in the Xfinity Series, where he led 276 of the 300 laps from the pole, but it also prompted a heartfelt dedication just days after the loss of longtime Hendrick Motorsports PR representative Jon Edwards. 
• Other season highlights: Larson had similar strength on display at Kansas Speedway in May, when he logged a stage-sweeping victory to repeat in the Advent Health 400. He started from the pole position and led 221 of the 267 laps, vaulting into the Cup Series points lead for the first time in 2025. Larson’s day marked another historic distinction: the most laps led by any driver in a 400-mile race on a 1.5-mile track in series history.

RELATED: Check out all of Hendrick Motorsports’ paint schemes for 2026!

• Quotable: “I don’t think any of us foresaw us getting a second championship in the fashion that we did today. That probably makes it seem even different. Nonetheless, we’re on the list two times. That’s something to be proud of. As far as for legacy, I really don’t put a whole lot of thought into that yet. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, I think it’s really hard to think about that sort of thing right now as you’re still competing and plan to compete for quite a while. We’re still going to try and go out there and win more races. The legacy will kind of take care of itself as we approach that.” – Larson, in the hours after clinching the championship in Phoenix.
• Looking ahead: If Larson ends up in title contention again next year, he’ll enter the season finale at new host track, Homestead-Miami Speedway, as the defending race and series champion.

The Rock has found itself a new owner, with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announcing on Wednesday that it has purchased the historic Rockingham Speedway.

The IHRA’s decision to add Rockingham to its portfolio follows NASCAR’s long-awaited return to the D-shaped track last season, with both the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series racing at the 60-year-old facility.

In a statement, IHRA owner, Darryl Cuttell, said, “IHRA recognizes what Rockingham Speedway means to this community and to motorsports fans around the world.

“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.”

The press release also made it clear that the IHRA intends to invest in modernizing the venue, with the intention of restoring it “to its former glory while enhancing the venue as a multi-use destination.

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“Planned improvements include facility upgrades, expanded fan amenities, and the addition of entertainment elements such as concerts and festival-style experiences alongside marquee racing events.”

However, looking to avoid any potential concerns about the IHRA’s plans, Cuttell went on to add, “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.”

First opened in 1965, the North Carolina track played host to Cup Series races annually between 1966 and 2004, with the facility hosting both spring and fall races throughout most of this period. However, in 2004, the fall race headed instead to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. A year later, the Cup Series left the track altogether, heading to Texas Motor Speedway instead.

NASCAR’s return in 2025 marked its first visit to the 0.94-mile track since 2013, when the Truck Series held its second of just two prior races there. 

The organization is set to return to the Rock in 2026 with the Craftsman Truck Series Race at Rockingham slated for April 3, and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at Rockingham scheduled for the following day. What’s more, the ARCA Menards Series East will also return to the Rock on April 4.

JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith will be looking to defend his win in the newly-renamed O’Reilly’s Series in 2026, while Tyler Ankrum will attempt to do the same for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing in the Truck Series. As for the ARCA Menards Series, with Brent Crews now having moved to the O’Reilly’s Series, a new winner will be crowned in the ARCA 125.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the winningest driver in Cup Series history and seven-time champion, Richard Petty, remains the most successful series driver at the track with 11 across both the spring and fall races, all won between 1967 and 1983.

Mark Martin holds the record for the O’Reilly’s Series with 11 wins between 1988 and 2000, while Ankrum, Kyle Larson, and Kasey Kahne have all won one a piece in the Truck Series.

The IHRA has acquired Heartland Motorsports Park. This isn’t just a transaction. In an era where we are losing race tracks to housing developments and warehouses at a heartbreaking clip, this is a rescue mission. It is a statement that the history of American speed is worth fighting for. There’s a unique sense of silence that falls over a race track when the gates are locked.

It can be felt, and some would even call it heavy. It sits on the asphalt and weighs down the grandstands. For a while, the future of one of the Midwest’s most storied facilities was uncertain, lost in that silence. But today, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) shattered that quiet with an announcement that will ring in the ears of racers from Kansas to the coasts.

A Historic Lifeline for Heartland Motorsports Park

The news dropped today out of Fairfield, Ohio, confirming that the IHRA has officially taken ownership of the Topeka facility. For those who know the sport, this is massive. We aren’t just talking about a strip of pavement; we are talking about a venue that has been the heartbeat of Midwest horsepower for decades.

Darryl Cuttell, the owner of the IHRA, put it best when he spoke about the “soul” of the place.“Heartland Motorsports Park is one of those places that simply matters to racing,” Cuttell said. “It has history, soul, and a footprint that allows us to think bigger than just a racetrack. Our goal is to restore this facility with respect for its legacy while building something that serves racers, fans, and the community for generations.”

That word legacy does a lot of heavy lifting here. When you look at the landscape of motorsports today, the facilities that survive are the ones that honor where they came from while aggressively chasing what they need to become.

The Legacy of Speed at Heartland

To understand why this purchase matters, you have to look at the dirt under the fingernails of this place. It opened its doors in 1963 as Topeka Dragway. It was a different time in racing. It was raw. Over the last 60 years, it evolved into Heartland Motorsports Park, a multi-faceted beast that could host national drag racing events, road-course battles, karting, and motocross.

It became a cornerstone. If you raced in the central United States, you knew Topeka. You knew the heat, you knew the wind, and you knew the competition. The acquisition ensures that this history doesn’t end with a “Closed” sign. Instead, the IHRA is looking to turn the page to a new chapter, one that acknowledges the past but isn’t stuck in it.

Beyond the Strip: A Destination Entertainment Complex

The most intriguing part of the IHRA’s announcement is its vision for the future. They aren’t just slapping a coat of paint on the guardrails and opening the gates. They are reimagining what a race track can be in the modern economy. The plan for Heartland Motorsports Park is to transform it into a “destination entertainment complex.”

What does that look like? It means the facility won’t just be alive when cars are going 300 mph. The vision includes live music, festivals, and community engagement. It’s a strategy we are seeing work at major venues across the country, turning race tracks into year-round hubs of activity.

“Motorsports has to evolve to stay strong,” Cuttell noted. “The future is about creating places where racing, music, entertainment, and community come together. Heartland has all the pieces to become one of the premier motorsports and entertainment destinations in the country.”

Committing to the Grassroots Racer

At its core, however, this move aligns perfectly with the IHRA’s philosophy: Racer First. While the festivals and concerts will keep the lights on, the heart of this deal is about the grassroots competitor. The renovation plans, which are reportedly starting immediately, focus heavily on racer amenities.

They are looking to improve the experience for the guys and girls wrenching on their cars in the pits late on a Saturday night. This is about creating a sustainable ecosystem. By investing directly in the infrastructure, the IHRA is strengthening the foundation of the sport. They are giving the weekend warrior a safe, modern home that respects the time and money they pour into their passion.

The Road Ahead

Renovation planning is kicking off right now. In the coming months, we expect to hear more about specific redevelopment phases and, crucially, when we can expect to see cars back in the lanes. For now, the racing community can take a breath. Heartland Motorsports Park isn’t fading away. It’s getting a second wind. The silence is over. It’s time to get back to work.