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Dale Jr. revealed his thoughts on NASCAR returning to Rockingham Speedway on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, mentioning that he did not feel the track had a chance to be featured on the calendar again. Notably, the last Xfinity Series race was run here over two decades ago.
Rockingham Speedway is marking its return to NASCAR for the first time since the 2004 season. The return of the iconic 1-mile track has been quite exciting for most people, and JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. also feels positive about getting back on the track. He revealed that he did not like racing on the track back in the day when he was still a full-time driver, but later regretted not having run enough.
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He revealed that during his racing days, he prefered racing on fresh asphalt, and Rockingham was one of the tracks that did not have newly paved asphalt. However, his opinion has changed over the years.
"When I was young and started racing in the NXS and Cup, I hated Darlington, Rockingham, all the worn-out places, and I ran great at the high-grip repaves," Dale Jr said. "We went to Pocono after they had repaved i,t and man, we were hooked up. Michigan, they paved it…hooked up. But now, I like the old worn-out tracks."
Moreover, he now has a positive outlook on the track returning to the Xfinity Series.
"I am glad (it’s back in the schedule)," he said. "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."
Dale Jr. reveals why he did not appreciate Rockingham back in the day
Rockingham Speedway poses challenges of its own. The partly oval circuit has witnessed many incidents in the past, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had been a part of one too many.
Reminiscing about his memories of racing on The Rock, Dale Jr. revealed that he could not find himself appreciating the track because of the troubles he faced:
"I ran there in the NXS in 1997 and drove the Wrangler car," he said. "My track bar was dropping on the right side as we ran and I ended up running 14th or something like that. I ran there again in 1998 and 1999 and I don’t think anything great happened."
"It just made me have a hard time appreciating the track because of how brutal it could be,” he said. “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," Dale Jr added.
With the Xfinity Series returning to the track, reports speculate that the authorities could find a way for the Cup Series to return here, too. The last time NASCAR's top tier raced here was back in 2004. This is a historical track; NASCAR was a regular visitor between 1965 and 2004.
