NASCAR is prepared to return to the Rockingham Speedway this coming Easter weekend as racing returns to the 1.5-mile track for only the second time in the past two decades. The track made a striking return to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Truck Series calendar last year, but the Cup Series did not return here. Given the questionable forecast, the Cup Series drivers are likely glad they have the week off.

Clouds over Rockingham threaten NASCAR’s Easter weekend

This upcoming race at the Rockingham Speedway will be a special event taking place over Easter weekend, but, as with the trend earlier this year, there is a threat of the weather acting up and hampering the race. The track will remain considerably cool, so that would be an added advantage for drivers as tire degradation would be under control (although bringing them up to optimum working temperature could be challenging).

Friday, 3 April

For Friday, the weather seems rather stable, but risky. There is a slight chance of rain; however, it is not too concerning for the drivers. According to The Weather Channel, the temperature will peak at around 80° and drop to 61°. There will be a huge cloud cover over the track, but precipitation is not expected.

In the late hours of the morning of the 3 of April, the Truck Series drivers will take to Rockingham Speedway, with their practice session beginning at 11 AM ET. An hour later, it will be followed by their qualifying session. Later, the NOAPS drivers will begin their practice session at 01:30 PM, followed by qualifying an hour later. And at 04:30 PM, the Truck Series drivers will begin their race.

Saturday, 4 April

Saturday will be the main event, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race scheduled for 02:30 PM. This will be relatively hotter than Friday, with temperatures peaking at 83° before dropping by roughly 20 degrees overnight. But for the main race, the track could be a little heated because of the lower cloud cover. With this, the threat of rain will remain low, although a partial cloud cover can be expected.

This could probably be the best news for the Cup Series drivers, as they will be enjoying their week off and not battling against the weather, because on Sunday, there is a very high chance of rain. The peak temperatures drop to 78° with a high probability of rain throughout the day. Luckily for NASCAR, however, there are no events scheduled for that day.

Famed automotive YouTuber to make NOAP Series debut at Rockingham

This is going to be more than just a scheduled race for Richard Childress Racing, as popular automotive influencer Garrett Mitchell will make his NOAPS debut with the team. He is better known as Cleetus McFarland, and he will be piloting the #33 Chevy on the track. Earlier this year, he also made his Truck Series debut at Daytona, although the result turned out to be rather disappointing with a DNF, but he could perform better at Rockingham Speedway.

This will be one of the three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races he is scheduled to run with the team this season. The series has expanded quite a bit in recent years, with more participation from the lesser-experienced drivers. McFarland, however, comes with some prior experience from the ARCA Menards Series.

The weather will also play to his advantage, as it won’t be a very hot day; moreover, the small chances of precipitation will make it a good race.