North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway, affectionately known as “The Rock,” will rejoin the NHRA Member Track Network on Jan. 1, the NHRA announced today.

Built in 1971, Rockingham Dragway will return to NHRA’s Southeast Division, where it previously held membership from 1989-1998 and served as the longtime host of the NHRA Winston Invitational all-star race. The track will host one of the NHRA’s Southeast Division events in the 2015 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as well as many other NHRA-sanctioned racing programs.             

“The NHRA Sportsman racers throughout the Southeast are the real winners in this announcement,” said NHRA Division Director Rich Schaefer. “They will have a chance to race at a great facility with lots of heritage. Rockingham Dragway is one of the sport’s original showplaces and continues to add to that legacy today.”

As an NHRA-sanctioned track, the facility will be eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Jr. Street and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA.   Additionally, the track has the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events including the National DRAGSTER Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, and NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge.

“I think it is the right thing to do for our racers and our track at this time,” said Steve Earwood, Rockingham Dragway owner. “We are anxious to get started on an exciting new chapter in our history with the world’s top drag racing sanctioning body, NHRA.”