This weekend, a classic NASCAR race track returns to the calendar. Rockingham Speedway is steeped in NASCAR history. From Richard Petty’s 11 Cup Series victories, the most of anyone, to his son, Kyle Petty’s dominant run with SABCO racing in the early 2000s, the track never ceased to disappoint. However, in 2004, the track disappeared from the Cup Series, and by 2013, it was off the NASCAR calendar for good. In 2025, its return is being celebrated by all diehard fans as waves of nostalgia echo across the hallowed tracks. The return has even brought drivers out of retirement, such as Kasey Kahne!

Kahne made his NASCAR debut in the same season when Rockingham hosted its final Cup race, and retired in 2018. He finished 2nd behind Roush Racing’s Matt Kenseth in 2004, and now, in 2025, he will be driving for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series race at Rockingham, completing a full-circle moment of his iconic career. That’s right, Rockingham is back, but not in the Cup Series, just the Xfinity and Truck Series. However, Kahne isn’t the only veteran looking to take a trip down memory lane, as another veteran has staked his claim for this weekend’s nostalgic showdown.

Rockingham Speedway will be new territory for JJ Yeley.

NASCAR veteran JJ Yeley is expected to race for Joey Gase Motorsports, driving the #53 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series. Yeley has competed in over 800 races across NASCAR’s three national series, many of them as a part-time entry. However, his trip to Rockingham will be the first of his career! The 48-year-old’s name was recently seen in the entry list for the Xfinity Race, as posted by @StartAndParkCar on X, who wrote, “#53 JGM Entry was TBA, JJ Yeley now listed as the driver for Rockingham.”

Yeley also made his debut in the same year that the track was removed from the NASCAR calendar, but only on a part-time basis. His official debut came in Michigan, but he failed to qualify for the race. Two races later, he made a second attempt and successfully qualified for the Cup race at the Auto Club Speedway, finishing 41st. Even though his career overlapped with Rockingham’s NASCAR tenure in the Truck Series, he only competed in a handful of races at the time, and none of those coincided with a race at ‘The Rock’.

Of course, Yeley’s participation in the Xfinity race is not guaranteed. This is because he is not one of the chartered cars on the track, and will have to drive his way in via qualifying into a grid limited to 38 cars. The competition will be stiff, with the likes of Kasey Kahne and Katherine Legge, who is also making a wildcard appearance. Legge’s Cup Series debut at Phoenix did not go to plan, as the tough handling of the Next-Gen car, combined with the challenges of oval racing, did not bode well. However, Rockingham is a track that suits her strengths, so expect Legge to be a factor in qualifying and the race, if she makes it.

Either way, two drivers are going to walk away empty-handed. So the three mentioned drivers need to work hard to ensure that they are not among the ones failing to qualify. This will be Yeley’s second attempt to qualify for a 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. As it happened, he failed to make the cut at the Daytona International Speedway with RSS Racing.

Rockingham is a track with a decent amount of history to it, as it has been on the Xfinity calendar since 1982, until its removal in the 21st century. The most successful driver in the Xfinity Series scene is Mark Martin, who grabbed an astounding 11 wins at the racetrack. Now, it is a chance for the current crop of Xfinity Series drivers to etch their names in history, along with veterans vying for a shot at glory.

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Another year added to a long list for J. J. Yeley

Frankly, Yeley has enjoyed a very long career at the Cup level since 2004, and he is still active to this day. What’s interesting is that he kicked off his NASCAR Cup career with Joe Gibbs Racing and stuck with the team until 2007. During that 4-year tenure, he enjoyed a best finish of 2nd in 2007 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, losing only to Casey Mears.

Beyond that, he was often shuttled between a variety of teams in his career. Most of his career was spent either at Tommy Baldwin Racing or Rick Ware Racing, only driving a handful of times. Currently, he races for the NY Racing team, which he has been doing since 2024. Truthfully, the team is one of those backmarker teams, and his best finish has been 23rd in the Atlanta fall race in 2024. However, Yeley did give a scare to Jimmie Johnson during the 2024 Daytona 500 Duels race, nearly knocking him out of an open entry spot.

Now, Yeley is eager to turn his fortunes around in the Xfinity Series and add another year to his tally of NASCAR racing. What are your expectations from J. J. Yeley at the Rockingham race this weekend? Let us know in the comments!