Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

NASCAR: Previewing Every Race at Rockingham

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Thomas Carelli | Last updated Apr 2, 2026 4:31 PM ET

The NASCAR Cup Series has the week off for Easter Weekend. However, NASCAR is not off as a whole. The O'Reilly Auto Parts and Craftsman Truck Series are headed to Rockingham Speedway this weekend for a doubleheader of races. Big names such as Cleetus McFarland are taking the track, and this article will advise you how and when to watch every practice, qualifying, and race session on the weekend.

Friday, April 3


Event	Time (ET)	TV Channel	Radio
Craftsman Truck Series Practice	11:00 AM	Fox Sports 2	N/A
Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying	12:05 PM	Fox Sports 2	N/A
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice	1:30 PM	The CW App	N/A
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying	2:35 PM	The CW App	N/A
Craftsman Truck Series: Black's Tire 200	4:30 PM	Fox Sports 1	SiriusXM/NASCAR Racing Network

Saturday, April 4


Event	Time (ET)	TV Channel	Radio
ARCA East 125	12:00 PM (Noon)	FloRacing	N/A
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black's Tire	2:30 PM	The CW	SiriusXM/MRN

The weekend gives us bonus racing in the form of the ARCA East Series. They will practice and qualify at 9:00 AM, untelevised, on Saturday, April 4. The race can be watched on FloRacing.

What to Watch: Craftsman Truck Series

Justin Allgaier (#7 JR Motorsports BRANDT Chevrolet) during the NASCAR Xfinity Series NC Education Lottery 250 at Rockingham Speedway. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Truck Series has a duo of drivers dropping down for a part-time appearance at Rockingham.

Sammy Smith gets his first Truck Series start of the season, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Truck for Spire Motorsports, sponsored by Allstate Peterbilt. It is simply easier to sell a sponsor when Smith is the defending champion of the NOAPS Series at Rockingham.

Carson Hocevar is a dual part-time entry for Spire Motorsports, stepping into the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for Delaware Life.

Corey Heim races part-time for TRICON Garage, and he will almost certainly be the race favorite. Heim won his prior Truck Series start at Darlington after a last-lap surge on fresh tires.

What to Watch: O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

The headlining topic of the weekend is that of YouTube star Cleetus McFarland . He has signed a deal to race with Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway, among other tracks. Though McFarland has virtually no chance to win the race, it will attract many more eyeballs to the coverage, which runs without the Cup Series this Easter weekend.

No single racer has run at Rockingham in any NASCAR Series more than once. The defending champion from 2025 is Sammy Smith. While JR Motorsports has run very strongly, their cars will be favored, with Justin Allgaier most likely the ultimate betting favorite.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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