Previewing NASCAR's Return to Rockingham Speedway

Rockingham Speedway first opened in 1965 under the name North Carolina Motor Speedway. The 1.017-mile track hosted 78 events in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1965 until 2004, with its unique d-shape, high banks and abrasive surface producing exciting racing. Richard Petty is the all-time leader in Cup wins at Rockingham with 11.

However, Rockingham was removed from the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2004, and sat dormant until a pair of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events in 2012 and 2013 before closing once more. Thus, this weekend's racing is also the restoration of a NASCAR tradition, going back to one of the original staples of the calendar.

While the Truck Series was part of NASCAR's brief reuniong with Rockingham in the 2010s, Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series event will be the first at the track since Jamie McMurray won there in 2004.

High Speeds Expected at New-Look Rockingham

Rockingham Speedway has been repaved since those last races in 2013, and that presents a new challenge for this weekend's competitors. During testing in January, the fresh pavement produced incredible speeds, setting the expectation that track records will officially fall this weekend.

Gio Ruggiero set the fastest lap over two days of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series testing, with a time of 21.888 seconds (167.270 mph) around the track. That mark is nearly 10 miles per hour faster than Rusty Wallace's Cup Series track record of 158.033 mph from 2000.

Corey Day was fastest among Xfinity Series competitors during the test, with a lap time of 22.540 seconds (162.431 mph).

Kasey Kahne Making NASCAR Return

Rockingham Speedway is not the only return of the weekend. Kasey Kahne, a 15-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series, makes his first NASCAR starts since 2018 as part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series field on Saturday.

Kahne won previously at Rockingham as part of the 2012 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at the track. Now, he returns to "The Rock" with Richard Childress Racing for a one-off appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

READ MORE: Why Kasey Kahne is Returning for NASCAR Xfinity Series Event at Rockingham

While Kahne has not been racing in NASCAR since 2018, he has competed in Sprint Car races in recent years. He currently competes full-time in the Kubota High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series, sitting eighth in points.

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