Daytona Motor Mouths: NASCAR returns to Rockingham on Easter weekend
The guys talk Kyle Larson’s Bristol win, Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph, NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway and the Cup Series’ Easter break.
Will this weekend be the possible preview of the NASCAR Cup Series’ eventual return to Rockingham?
Marketing forces would indicate against adding an off-Broadway locale to the schedule, but remember, we have options: the preseason Clash and midseason All Star Race, which this year are hosted by Bowman-Gray Stadium and North Wilkesboro.
Rockingham Speedway was a regular stop, twice a year, for the Cup Series between the mid-’60s and mid-2000s. NASCAR Trucks, ARCA and some lower-tier circuits raced there in the intervening years, but now The Rock has its best opportunity to shine since 2004.
No, it’s not the big-league Cup boys. It’s the Trucks and Xfinity Series, but this weekend, they’re the only game in town as the Cup Series gets its lone off-week of the 2025 season.
If you’re new to all this, give it a look-see Friday and/or Saturday. There’s a whiff of short-track feel (it’s only a mile around that joint) combined with big-track speeds, courtesy of turns banked at 22-to-25 degrees.
Kasey Kahne makes NASCAR return at Rockingham
Any hold-over Kasey Kahne fans out there? He was a fan favorite for many years during 15-year Cup Series career that ended after 2018.
He’s still very active on the sprint-car circuit, but this week comes back for a one-off in a Richard Childress-owned Xfinity Series Chevy. Keep in mind, his brief record at Rockingham is a good one.
His lone Cup race at The Rock came in his rookie year, 2004, and he finished second to Matt Kenseth. Over his career, he ran just six Truck Series races, but one of those starts was at Rockingham in 2012, and it produced a victory.
Friday: Is ‘Like a Rock’ a good omen for a Chevy truck win?
12:30 p.m.: Truck Series practice (FS2).
1:30 p.m: Truck Series qualifying (FS2).
3:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series practice (CW app).
5 p.m.: Truck Series, Black’s Tire 200 (FS1).
Saturday: Xfinity Series returns to Rockingham
11:30 a.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying (CW app).
4 p.m.: Xfinity Series, N.C. Education Lottery 250 (CW).
