Richmond County greenlights $375,000 grant just days after saving Rockingham Speedway from losing a major NASCAR deal

The Richmond County Board of Commissioners has granted Rockingham Speedway a hefty amount of $375,000. Per reports, that money will pay the vendors who installed the SAFER barrier at the track before this year’s race.

That being said, without the involvement of the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Doctor Rick Watkins, and everyone else on it, this year’s April race could have been moved to a different venue.

“NASCAR has expressed a real commitment to Rockingham Speedway and I believe that there exists an opportunity for a Cup race in the very near future,” he said in a statement.

Watkins also said that this year’s race at Rockingham Speedway generated nearly $40 million in revenue for the region, with the largest share going to the neighboring Moore County. Needless to say, economic development equations like these are built on trust.

“It’s not uncommon for municipalities to get involved … and invest in professional sports facilities to boost economic impact,” Watkins further added, while referring to the football and basketball facilities in Charlotte.

For now, all eyes are on Daytona International Speedway, which will host this coming Saturday’s (August 23) race, which also happens to be the final race of the regular season. Named Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 400-lap race will be televised live on Peacock (7:30 pm ET onwards).

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Amid Rockingham Speedway updates, NASCAR picks Dover Motor Speedway for its All-Star Race

It's now confirmed that the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (currently Xfinity Series) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will return to the iconic Rockingham Speedway on April 3-4, 2026. But that is not the only change that NASCAR aficionados should be excited about.

As part of NASCAR’s 2026 schedule, the All-Star Race will move from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway. It will mark the first time Dover has not hosted a points race since 1969.

However, that doesn’t mean that Dover Motor Speedway will host the prestigious All-Star in 2027 as well. Speaking of which, NASCAR’s executive vice president, chief venue and racing innovation officer, Ben Kennedy, said in a statement,

“Even though it’s going to be the All-Star location for next year, it doesn’t mean it's going to be there every single year. We talk about the Clash, we talk about the All-Star Race, we feel like both of those venues could potentially be kind of rotational slots.”

“But it also doesn't mean that when we announce our 2027 schedule that Dover’s going to be our All-Star Race as well. So, even though it's the All-Star Race next year, we want the All-Star Race to feel like a major event in our season. So, we’re going to continue to look at a number of options for both the Clash and the All-Star Race and continue to move it around and keep it fresh for our fans,” he added.

Furthermore, the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will leave behind the Mexico City street race, which took place at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez earlier this season. North Wilkesboro will host the coveted road race instead.