The Rockingham Speedway, endearingly called “The Rock” by its fans, saw motorsports action after a long time in 2021. The subsequent efforts that were put forward in renovating the entire track also attracted NASCAR. After two decades, NASCAR decided to put the Rockingham Speedway on its schedule. Even though it did not make the cut for the Cup Series, it did host the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series races in 2025. But a rival has ended that hope now.

Formerly known as the North Carolina Speedway, the track was dropped by NASCAR during the Ferko lawsuit and saw its downfall in the coming years. Numerous ownership changes and a lack of accountability did not help its cause either. It was Rockingham Properties LLC that finally managed to bring back racing to the track. Now that Rockingham was hosting other NASCAR events, fans were hoping to see it back in action in the Cup Series.

But, out of nowhere, it was announced that the Speedway had been sold again. This time, the International Hot Rod Association has taken control of the Rockingham Speedway. Now, IHRA is a series that regularly competes with NASCAR for viewership. Even though it has found a dedicated fan base, it has yet to reach the level of fame that NASCAR has. They have been acquiring other motorsports tracks in a bid to increase their popularity and reach amongst the American audience. Hence, doing this was a big leap towards that goal.

And now that IHRA has nabbed the Rockingham Speedway, the entire motorsports community is discussing the potential after-effects of a direct clash with NASCAR.

IHRA’s acquisition of Rockingham Speedway brings hope to fans against NASCAR’s monopoly

The IHRA is gaining traction among the American audience. The rise in popularity is partly due to the fact that NASCAR has become more and more monopolistic. The fact that teams need to pay a hefty sum in order to buy a charter and race in NASCAR makes newcomers hesitant to join NASCAR. Additionally, the recent lawsuit between 23XI and NASCAR also put the series in a bad light.

Then comes the competition and structure of the championship. The playoff system has been a constant source of irritation to the fans. And now that NASCAR has started replacing its classic tracks with new ones, people have started to steer away from the pinnacle of stock car racing. They want a new contender. They want someone who can challenge NASCAR. So when Bob Pockrass announced the acquisition of Rockingham Oval by IHRA, the reactions were overwhelmingly positive.

People were praising the initiative taken by IHRA. “This could be good … a group that wants to bring upgrades to the track and keep its history.”

Similarly, other opinions also echoed the same energy, “The IHRA stock car series has an opportunity to be BIG.” It’s been a long time since “The Rock” oval was out of action.

Naturally, the audience wants more racing action on the banked track of the circuit. “Interesting. That’s the same group that bought Memphis Motorsports Park. Please tell me they bring the oval back.”

Alternatively, there are some fans who just want to see Cup races on the track after the series left Rockingham in 2004. “The only Rock news I want is a Cup schedule placement. Even if it’s Shootout or All Star.”

Now, even though there is no action from NASCAR yet, the speedway could end up in hot water if NASCAR decides to file an antitrust lawsuit against it.

People are optimistic that the two motorsports series can co-exist and let the audience enjoy the show from both cars. There was also a lot of criticism against the NHRA for its way of operating during the championship.

“I think everyone is done with NHRA after they didn’t make up the championship race and determined champions with no final race!! This is a great opportunity for IHRA to take fans away from the lame -NHRA with their all-Chevy Pro Stock division and same engine dragster!!”

It should be noted that with this new acquisition, IHRA now owns these tracks: Darana Raceway, Darana Raceway Hebron, Heartland Motorsports Park, Maple Grove Raceway, and Rockingham Speedway. The Rockingham Speedway is their very first oval circuit. Is this an open challenge towards NASCAR? If it is, then IHRA should gear up and take it all away so that the audience can finally enjoy more motorsports action.

If IHRA does make chink in NASCAR’s armor of perfect audience takeover, then the pinnacle of stock car racing will have to improve itself. What are your thoughts about the future of NASCAR and the IHRA?