Rockingham Speedway
Rockingham, NC, USA
Track History
Rockingham Speedway, known simply as The Rock, is a 1.017-mile oval in the Sandhills region of North Carolina that earned its reputation as one of the most demanding tracks on the Cup schedule over nearly four decades of racing. The abrasive surface chewed through tires at a ferocious rate, forcing teams to solve the equation of balancing speed against tire wear in a way that no other track demanded. The Rock rewarded patience, consistency, and the kind of long-range strategic thinking that defined the best crew chiefs of their era. Pit strategy was paramount — the timing of stops, the number of tires taken, the call to stay out or come in — and the crew chiefs who understood Rockingham's unique demands held an advantage that often proved decisive. When the Cup schedule moved on from Rockingham, the sport lost one of its most honest proving grounds, a track that separated the genuinely fast from the merely lucky with ruthless efficiency.
Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference
Top Drivers at Rockingham Speedway
Mark Martin leads all drivers at Rockingham Speedway with 13 wins across 61 starts.
All-time stats across Cup, O'Reilly & Trucks (min 3 starts)
| Driver | Races | Wins | Avg Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Martin | 61 | 13 | 11.1 |
| Richard Petty | 54 | 11 | 13.9 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 60 | 7 | 10.2 |
| Cale Yarborough | 40 | 7 | 10.9 |
| David Pearson | 27 | 6 | 14 |
Race Winners (1965-2026)
Rockingham Speedway has crowned 52 different Cup Series winners since 1965.
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black's Tire | William Sawalich |
| 2026 | Black's Tire 200 | Corey Heim |
| 2025 | NASCAR Xfinity Series at Rockingham | Sammy Smith |
| 2025 | NASCAR Truck Series at Rockingham | Tyler Ankrum |
| 2013 | North Carolina Education Lottery 200 | Kyle Larson |
| 2012 | Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 presented by Cheerwine | Kasey Kahne |
| 2004 | Subway 400 | Matt Kenseth |
| 2004 | Goody's Headache Powder 200 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2003 | Rockingham 200 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2003 | Target House 200 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2003 | Subway 400 | Dale Jarrett |
| 2003 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Bill Elliott |
| 2002 | Subway 400 | Matt Kenseth |
| 2002 | Sam's Club 200 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2002 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Johnny Benson |
| 2002 | 1-866RBCTerm.com 200 | Jason Keller |
| 2001 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Joe Nemechek |
| 2001 | Dura Lube 400 | Steve Park |
| 2001 | Sam's Club 200 | Kenny Wallace |
| 2001 | Alltel 200 | Todd Bodine |
| 2000 | Alltel 200 | Mark Martin |
| 2000 | Dura Lube/Kmart 400 | Bobby Labonte |
| 2000 | Sam's Club 200 | Jeff Green |
| 2000 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Dale Jarrett |
| 1999 | Dura Lube/Big Kmart 400 | Mark Martin |
| 1999 | Kmart 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1999 | Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 | Jeff Burton |
| 1999 | Alltel 200 | Jeff Burton |
| 1998 | GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200 | Matt Kenseth |
| 1998 | GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1998 | ACDelco 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1998 | AC Delco 200 | Elliott Sadler |
| 1997 | Goodwrench 400 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1997 | Goodwrench Service 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1997 | AC-Delco 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1997 | ACDelco 400 | Bobby Hamilton |
| 1996 | Goodwrench Service 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1996 | AC-Delco 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1996 | ACDelco 400 | Ricky Rudd |
| 1996 | Goodwrench Service 400 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1995 | ACDelco 400 | Ward Burton |
| 1995 | Goodwrench 500 | Jeff Gordon |
| 1995 | AC-Delco 200 | Todd Bodine |
| 1995 | Goodwrench 200 | Chad Little |
| 1994 | Goodwrench 500 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1994 | AC-Delco 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1994 | Goodwrench 200 | Terry Labonte |
| 1994 | ACDelco 500 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1993 | Goodwrench 500 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1993 | ACDelco 500 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1993 | Goodwrench 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1993 | AC-Delco 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1992 | Goodwrench 200 | Ward Burton |
| 1992 | AC-Delco 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1992 | ACDelco 500 | Kyle Petty |
| 1992 | Goodwrench 500 | Bill Elliott |
| 1991 | Goodwrench 500 | Kyle Petty |
| 1991 | Goodwrench 200 | Dale Jarrett |
| 1991 | AC-Delco 200 | Ernie Irvan |
| 1991 | ACDelco 500 | Davey Allison |
| 1990 | Goodwrench 500 | Kyle Petty |
| 1990 | Goodwrench 200 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1990 | AC-Delco 200 | Steve Grissom |
| 1990 | ACDelco 500 | Alan Kulwicki |
| 1989 | Goodwrench 500 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1989 | ACDelco 500 | Mark Martin |
| 1989 | AC-Delco 200 | Harry Gant |
| 1989 | Goodwrench 200 | Rob Moroso |
| 1988 | AC Delco 500 | Rusty Wallace |
| 1988 | Goodwrench 200 | Mark Martin |
| 1988 | AC-Delco 200 | Harry Gant |
| 1988 | Goodwrench 500 | Neil Bonnett |
| 1987 | AC Delco 500 | Bill Elliott |
| 1987 | Goodwrench 500 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1987 | AC-Delco 200 | Morgan Shepherd |
| 1986 | Goodwrench 500 | Terry Labonte |
| 1986 | Protecta-Liner 200 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1986 | Sandhills 200 | Morgan Shepherd |
| 1986 | Nationwise 500 | Neil Bonnett |
| 1985 | Sandhills 200 | Brett Bodine |
| 1985 | Komfort Koach 200 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1985 | Nationwise 500 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1985 | Carolina 500 | Neil Bonnett |
| 1984 | Warner W. Hodgdon American 500 | Bill Elliott |
| 1984 | Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 | Bobby Allison |
| 1984 | Komfort Koach 200 | Geoff Bodine |
| 1984 | Komfort Koach 200 | Sam Ard |
| 1983 | Warner W. Hodgdon American 500 | Terry Labonte |
| 1983 | Coca-Cola 200 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1983 | Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1982 | Warner W. Hodgdon American 500 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1982 | Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1982 | Coca-Cola 200 | David Pearson |
| 1981 | Carolina 500 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1981 | American 500 | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1980 | Carolina 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1980 | American 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1979 | American 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1979 | Carolina 500 | Bobby Allison |
| 1978 | American 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1978 | Carolina 500 | David Pearson |
| 1977 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1977 | American 500 | Donnie Allison |
| 1976 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1976 | American 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1975 | Carolina 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1975 | American 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1974 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1974 | American 500 | David Pearson |
| 1973 | Carolina 500 | David Pearson |
| 1973 | American 500 | David Pearson |
| 1972 | American 500 | Bobby Allison |
| 1972 | Carolina 500 | Bobby Isaac |
| 1971 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1971 | American 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1970 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1970 | American 500 | Cale Yarborough |
| 1969 | Carolina 500 | David Pearson |
| 1969 | American 500 | LeeRoy Yarbrough |
| 1968 | American 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1968 | Carolina 500 | Donnie Allison |
| 1967 | Carolina 500 | Richard Petty |
| 1967 | American 500 | Bobby Allison |
| 1966 | American 500 | Fred Lorenzen |
| 1966 | Peach Blossom 500 | Paul Goldsmith |
| 1965 | American 500 | Curtis Turner |
Race Dynamics
Short tracks feature close-quarters racing with higher caution rates. Aggressive drivers and bump-and-run tactics thrive here. Strong restarts and late-race speed are essential. Track-specific history matters more here than at any other track type.
Top Rated Drivers at Rockingham Speedway
No NR-Rating driver data available for this track yet.
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Track similarity data not yet available.
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