Michael McDowell to feature Rockingham race weekend on his No. 71 at Martinsville

Yesterday at 03:03 PM

In support of NASCAR‘s celebrated return to Rockingham Speedway, Spire Motorsports will showcase a "Race the Rock" paint scheme aboard Michael McDowell‘s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday‘s NASCAR Cup Series 400-lap contest at Martinsville Speedway.

For the first time in over a decade, NASCAR will return to the south-central North Carolina Piedmont for the highly anticipated return of major league stock car racing to Rockingham Speedway.

Track Enterprises, the official promoter of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black‘s Tire NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the Black‘s Tire 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, announced an agreement with Rockingham Speedway ownership last August to bring NASCAR back to the venerable Richmond County speedway Easter Weekend.

In addition to the Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events, the ARCA Menards East Series will mix it up for 125 laps prior to Saturday‘s headliner at the legendary one-mile oval.

"Track Enterprises is thrilled to partner with Spire Motorsports and Michael McDowell to showcase NASCAR‘s return to Rockingham Speedway," said Bob Sargent, President of Track Enterprises. "NASCAR has a very rich history at both tracks and Martinsville is just a couple-hour drive from Rockingham. We thought it made great sense to take advantage of a NASCAR Cup Series race in such close proximity to Rockingham. We want fans to know that we‘ll have an exciting weekend of racing in store and that tickets are still available, but they are going fast and we expect a great crowd both days."

Rockingham Speedway, formerly named North Carolina Motor Speedway, was a staple on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for nearly 40 years and includes a veritable who‘s who of NASCAR on its list of previous winners.

The Xfinity Series was a regular player at the historic venue from 1982-2004 and features a cast of winners who went on to be some of the sport‘s most respected names including David Pearson, Sam Ard, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Harry Gant, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Jamie McMurray.

Martin was an indomitable force at Rockingham in Xfinity Series competition throughout his career having collected 11 wins in 25 starts, including four straight during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. McMurray matched Martin‘s four-peat by recording victories in the track‘s most recent Xfinity Series races, over a decade ago.

The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series raced at Rockingham twice from 2012-2013 with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson collecting the victories. Matt Crafton, a 25-year CRAFTSMAN Truck Series veteran, is the only current series regular to have competed at the high-banked, D-shaped oval when the division last raced there 12 years ago.

Separate from Larson, current NASCAR Cup Series competitors Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were all part of the field when the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series last tested its mettle at Rockingham.

Although the 18-year Cup Series veteran has never raced at Rockingham Speedway, McDowell has plenty of fond memories of the track.

"Rockingham is a historic and iconic racetrack," said McDowell. "Even though I haven’t raced at it, I did a lot of testing there. When you’re a rookie in the Cup Series in 2008, you did a lot of testing, and Rockingham was one of those places. So, I have a lot of laps there – not racing – but a lot of laps. Rockingham is a great racetrack, iconic and historic, and it shows NASCAR‘s continued effort to get back to its roots."

McDowell compared "The Rock" to the recent buzz surrounding the NASCAR Cup Series recent return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the division‘s annual All-Star Race.

"If you look at the revival of North Wilkesboro with the new asphalt but still a legendary and historic feel, Rockingham is no different." McDowell continued. "It’s going to be a great Easter weekend, April 18-19, and tickets are still available. I’m going to be there with my family. It‘s going to be a lot of fun and I know the racing will not disappoint."

Fans can log on to racetherock.com for continuing details, schedule updates or to purchase tickets for NASCAR‘s return to Rockingham Speedway. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at Rockingham City Hall Monday — Thursday from 8 a.m. — noon and 1 p.m. — 5 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. — 1 p.m. Both single day and weekend ticket packages are available.

Sunday‘s NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, March 30 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The seventh of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

— Spire Motorsports —