It’s been 21 years. That’s the last time an Xfinity Series race was held at Rockingham Speedway. From being one of the nine most active tracks in NASCAR’s second-tier’s inaugural season in 1982 to fading into obscurity, the 1.017-mile track has been through it all. Despite making its long-awaited return this weekend, ‘The Rock’ remains a tough place to race, with its asymmetric oval having its quirks, combined with a tricky Turn 2 and a brand new pavement.

Michael Waltrip knows all too well about struggling at Rockingham Speedway. The Kentucky native has been through his fair share of hardships at the track and was taken aback when some Truck Series drivers described the venue as ‘wide open’ ahead of the 2025 Black’s Tire 200.

Michael Waltrip remembers how challenging ‘The Rock’ can be

The stars have aligned, and Rockingham Speedway is all set to make its long-awaited comeback in the NASCAR calendar. The upcoming race weekend will mark the most significant activity on the track in the last two decades, as the Cup and Xfinity Series haven’t raced at ‘The Rock’ since 2004. Meanwhile, the Craftsman Truck Series held a couple of races at the venue in 2012/13, but that was still over a decade ago.

With the 1.017-mile track making a return to NASCAR, 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip is taking a trip down memory lane, recalling his many struggles at the venue over the years. Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he said, “My first start at Rockingham was in the Darlington Dash Series in ’83. Believe this or not, in 1983, the whole Darlington Dash Series season was, I don’t know, 14 races? I sat on 13 poles. The only pole I didn’t sit on was Rockingham. I just couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t get my foot down when it needed to go down.”

Despite winning the Darlington Dash Series that year, Waltrip still remembers his struggles at ‘The Rock’ from over three decades ago, going on to say, “Just how tough that place was. And I think that, talking to some of the Truck racers that are going there for the races this year, they’re like, ‘It’s wide open. It’s pedal to the metal.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not.’ You know how challenging and slick, and slippery that place was.”

This is not a sentiment that he holds alone. Anyone who’s raced at Rockingham will tell you that the track is far from what it seems. Even the track’s greatest champion, Richard Petty, with his 11 wins, recalls the tenacity of Rockingham. In a conversation with his son, Kyle Petty, Richard said, “It was a combination of a superspeedway and a short track… It made handling that much more important.” Kyle Petty added, “The more you let the car do the work, the easier it was to get around the racetrack.” Pushing hard would never get you anywhere at Rockingham, and it was a lesson that Waltrip learned the hard way in his NASCAR career.

Michael Waltrip’s struggles at Rockingham are well known. The Kentucky native made a total of 37 appearances at ‘The Rock’ over the years, but failed to win a single race at the track during his NASCAR career. Two top-ten finishes and seven early retirements are not flattering, which may go on to explain why he finds claims about the venue being ‘wide open’ so bizarre. However, modern times require newer solutions, and the 1.017-mile track now looks like a shadow of its former self.

It recently had a $9 million overhaul, which includes renovated grandstands, a repavement, SAFER barriers, and the installation of new catchfencing. The D-shaped oval is back in NASCAR, and the upcoming weekend begs the question of whether a future Cup Series appearance is on the cards. Perhaps it would all depend on how the Xfinity and Truck Series races go, which may prompt NASCAR to reconsider the venue for the highest level as well.

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Dale Jr. has a love-hate relationship with Rockingham Speedway

It seems like Michael Waltrip isn’t the only driver who struggled at ‘The Rock’ during his racing days. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t such a big fan of the track either, but he’s glad to see it make a long-awaited comeback in the Xfinity and Truck calendars. JR Motorsports will be eying Victory Lane at the iconic racetrack in the coming weekend, and the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 will be bringing back some faded memories for Junior on Saturday.

Reflecting on Rockingham’s return, Dale Jr. said on his podcast, “I am glad (it’s back in the schedule). I didn’t think Rockingham had a shot. I hated that place until the very last race, and then I was sad that I didn’t get more shots to run there.” He went on to say, “It just made me have a hard time appreciating the track because of how brutal it could be. I went there as a rookie in the Cup Series and literally ran last all day, not knowing what the hell I was supposed to be doing. It was a track I didn’t appreciate, and it was hard.”

However, it seemed like Rockingham Speedway was determined to give Junior a parting gift. Just before the track was removed from the calendar, it all clicked for Dale Jr. in that final race. He said, “The last race, I ran fifth, and I had a good car and felt like I had figured it out. I was like, ‘man, that was pretty fun.’ Then they quit going.” A return to the D-shaped oval is an exciting prospect, and the JR Motorsports co-owner will hope to hit the ground running at the freshly repaved venue this weekend.