A Raleigh-based development group has purchased Rockingham Speedway with plans to renovate the former NASCAR track, sources told the Observer.
Rockingham Properties LLC, whose majority owner is Dan Lovenheim, announced on Thursday that it had acquired the track known as “The Rock.” The group also said “further developments and specific plans,” for the track will be released in the near future.
Rockingham Speedway first opened in 1965 and quickly became a mainstay on the NASCAR circuit. While the track has hosted Cup Series races in its storied history, its most recent events were with the Camping World Truck Series.
Speedway Motorsports sold the track to former driver Andy Hillenburg roughly a decade ago, but the property was later foreclosed on in 2015 because of Hillenburg’s rising debt. The track was most recently owned by Billy Silas of BK Rock Holdings.
“We’re excited, it’s a huge deal,” said Richmond County Commission chairman Kenneth Robinette in a statement. “We’re known by The Rock. Dan Lovenheim and the new owners can turn this thing into something that can bring an economic base to Richmond County and hundreds of millions of economic impact for this part of North Carolina.”
It is currently unknown whether Lovenheim and his group plan to lobby NASCAR for the return of a race, considering the last event at the track was a Camping World Truck Series race in 2013.
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