It's time for fans to put up or shut up about Rockingham with NASCAR returning to track

NASCAR returns to Rockingham Speedway next year with a truck race on April 15 (a Sunday) and one can almost hear long-time fans cheering the sport’s return to this track.

The 1.017-mile speedway held its first Cup race in 1965 (Curtis Turner won) and hosted two Cup races a year from 1966-2003. Its final Cup race was in Feb. 2004 (Matt Kenseth won). In between were many memorable moments from Benny Parsons claiming his only championship there in dramatic style to Richard Petty winning 11 times to Steve Park winning there in a Dale Earnhardt Inc. car a week after Earnhardt died in the 2001 Daytona 500.

For years, traditional fans cried about the loss of North Wilkesboro on the schedule (last Cup race 1996), the Southern 500 being moved off Labor Day weekend and Rockingham going off the schedule. There’s no doubt that losing those events were devastating to fans who didn’t like the changes they were seeing.

For such fans, here’s your chance to prove NASCAR was wrong to abandon Rockingham Speedway and to make a stand that NASCAR belongs at this track.

It’s time to put up or shut up.

You know the date. You have time to plan. No, it’s not a Cup race but don’t think for a moment that a Cup race will ever return to the track. It won’t. Not with a Cup race at Darlington, three (including the all-star race) in Charlotte and two each in Richmond, Martinsville and Bristol and a race in Atlanta. Simply put, the Southeast is oversaturated with Cup events. It’s a great thing for fans in the area because it gives you plenty of choices. Just don’t expect the Rock to have a Cup date some day.

No, if you want to see a NASCAR race at the Rock, you’ll have to see the truck series. Yet, isn’t that what some of you consider the best series among NASCAR’s top three divisions? Isn’t that the series that represents what NASCAR once was?

So, you’ve got your track back on the schedule with the series some consider the best series in NASCAR.

Now, I understand this economy is not good and that may keep some people away. That’s understandable. Look at other tracks around the circuit. Many don’t sell out.

But the fact is if you’re one of the ones complaining about how Rockingham should have not been abandoned by NASCAR, here’s your chance to buy a ticket and show up and prove that the series needs to remain there.

Otherwise, if the support lags and NASCAR takes the date away, don’t say anything.

Now, it’s also on the track to provide fair prices for this event. It’s not a Cup event so there shouldn’t be Cup ticket prices.

Just to give you a sense of what’s reasonable for a Truck race ticket, here’s this:

At Chicagoland Speedway (trucks race Sept. 16), ticket prices range between $16.50-$40.

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway (trucks race Sept. 24) ticket prices range from $40-$50 (includes a modified race; also youth ages 12-16 get in for $5 and those 11 and under get in free with paying adult)

At Martinsville Speedway (trucks race Oct. 29), ticket prices are $30 with children 12 and under free.

So, there you go. You’ve got your track, you’ve got NASCAR and you’ve got a date.

Now what are you going to do about it?

Put up or shut up?

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