IHRA Takes Ownership of Historic Rockingham Speedway

Rockingham Speedway, which opened in 1965 as North Carolina Motor Speedway, has been purchased by the International Hot Rod Association.

The IHRA, based in Fairfield, Ohio, announced the purchase of Rockingham Speedway on New Year’s Eve 2025, just a day after it said it had acquired Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas. The announcement also came less than two months after the NHRA announced it would conduct a 2026 event at Rockingham Dragway, which is located across the street from the 1.017-mile oval that was a long-time home for NASCAR events.

In Wednesday’s announcement, the IHRA said its purchase of Rockingham Speedway reflected its “commitment to preserving motorsports heritage while thoughtfully reinvesting in legendary racing properties.”

“This is a special place with a strong foundation,” IHRA owner Darryl Cuttell said in a prepared statement. “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.”

Planned improvements include facility upgrades, expanded fan amenities, and the addition of entertainment elements such as concerts and festival-style experiences in addition to races.

NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) and Craftsman Truck series returned to Rockingham Speedway last year. They are scheduled to race this year at the facility April 3-4. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has an open test scheduled at the track January 27-28.

In Wednesday’s release, IHRA leadership said conversations were underway with respected industry operators, including Bob Sargent and Track Enterprises which oversaw last year’s NASCAR weekend when the track was owned by Dan Lovenheim. Slightly more than a month after the sold-out 2025 NASCAR weekend, Lovenheim, who acquired the 250-acre property in August 2018, announced it was for sale.

Rockingham Speedway and Heartland Motorsports Park weren’t the only acquisitions the IHRA made in December 2025. Two days before Christmas, the IHRA announced it had acquired the facility in Millington, Tennessee, formerly known as Memphis International Raceway and Memphis Motorsports Park. In mid-December, the IHRA obtained Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania.

In addition to track purchases, in the last two months of 2025, the IHRA acquired F1 Powerboat Racing and the World Drag Racing Alliance, created an alliance with the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association and the Hot Shot’s Secret Pro Pulling League, and launched a new stock car racing series that will conduct events at tracks in the Southeast and Midwest. The eight-race IHRA Stock Car Series schedule begins March 21 at Pulaski (Virginia) Motorsports Park and ends October 17 at Memphis Motorsports Park.