Jeb Burton continues the momentum at Rockingham Speedway by winning the Keystone 21 Means 21 Pole Award in today’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. This is his second consecutive pole and also set a new track record with a speed of 146.909 mph in the No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet.
This is the same truck that Kasey Kahne drove to victory last year in the inaugural North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
James Buescher will start on the outside pole. Last spring, he finished the race in second place and is hoping to capture his fifth win today.
Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Matt Crafton complete the top five in the starting lineup.
Today’s race will be Crafton’s 297th consecutive start and will replace a record previously held by Terry Cook.
Ryan Blaney will begin the race from the sixth position, followed by Joey Logano in seventh place. Dakoda Armstrong, Brendan Gaughan and Darrell Wallace Jr. will round out the top ten starting positions.
The green flag will wave at 2:18 p.m. for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock when track president, Andy Hillenburg, gives the command, “Drivers, start your engines.”
Kyle Larson led the first practice session for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Rockingham Speedway with a top speed of 144.31. Ryan Blaney was a close second at 144.127. Ty Dillon, Timothy Peters and Ron Hornaday Jr. completed the top five.
Larson will have to qualify his No. 30 Chevrolet on time tomorrow. Hornaday Jr. will also have to qualify on time in the No. 9 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet.
Joey Coulter, Max Gresham, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter and Jeb Burton rounded out the top ten.
Final practice was led by Chase Elliott. David Starr had the second best time followed by points leader Johnny Sauter in third place. Ryan Blaney and Matt Crafton were fourth and fifth respectively. Darrell Wallace Jr. was sixth in the afternoon session. Erik Jones, Jeb Burton, Kyle Larson and Todd Bodine completed practice in positions seven through ten.
Sauter, who won the first two races of the season, will be going for a record three consecutive victories.
“This is a great way to start the year off with two in a row and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Sauter.
Burton claimed his first pole last week in Martinsville and captured a career best third place finish. He’s hoping to keep the momentum going with another single digit finish at The Rock.
Qualifying will be held Sunday at 11:05 a.m. followed by the ‘North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock.’ Track president Andy Hillenburg will give the command, “Drivers, start your engines,” at 2:10 p.m. The green flag is set to drop at 2:18 p.m.
Last year I was fortunate to be among those present at Rockingham Speedway as NASCAR returned for the first time since 2004. It was my also my first trip to the legendary track and my expectations were high. I was not disappointed.
After the completion of last year’s race, track owner Andy Hillenburg took a few moments to reflect on the weekend.
“I feel like we did the best that we could based on the knowledge that we had. But I feel confident in saying that if I get a second chance from NASCAR, I can do even better.”
That second chance comes on April 14th with the running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock presented by Cheerwine.
As promised, Hillenburg plans to make this season’s race as memorable as the first. To that end, we will see the return of some popular activities and events plus a few new twists.
Hillenburg has partnered with the USO (United Service Organization) of North Carolina to bring back ‘Send a Soldier to The Rock.’ Through this program, fans can purchase tickets to the race. These tickets will be distributed by the USO to servicemen and women and their families. Rockingham Speedway will donate a portion of these ticket sales back to the USO of North Carolina.
The program is important to Andy for obvious reasons.
“The nation’s servicemen and women do so much for our country. This year with getting the USO involved I think we can do even better. Everyone in our country owes a debt to our servicemen and women. It may not be a race ticket but it’s something small and fun and a way to get involved. It’s a pleasure and a privilege.”
Friday features the Thunderfest celebration in downtown Rockingham. Activities begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 10:00 p.m. There will be something for everyone with a free kids zone, caricature drawings, mechanical bull rides, a beer garden, entertainment and more. The highlight of the evening will undoubtedly be the Hauler Parade at 6pm.
The on track action will feature the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (FKSSN) practice and qualifying and United Auto Racing Association-Stars Late Model Series (UARA) practice.
Saturday includes back-to-back racing action. The UARA Late Model event begins at 2:00 p.m. The Frank Kimmel Street Stock drivers are up next with an approximate start time of 4:45 p.m. The NCWTS drivers will run practice sessions on Saturday too.
After the races, fans can relax and enjoy a concert under the stars. The Chris Lane Band will take the stage at 6:00 p.m. followed by Ty Brown. The Hoss Howard Band will close out the night and will be back on Sunday to sing the national anthem before the NCWTS race.
Sunday will showcase some of the best racing in NASCAR.
“The thing about Rockingham is that it’s a racetrack that you can pass on,” Andy explains. “They proved it once again last year. You can pass and you can race on Rockingham Speedway. That’s one of the things that we’re very proud of.”
Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 11:05 Sunday morning. The NCWTS drivers will kick it into high gear at 2:00 p.m. for 200 laps at ‘The Rock.’
In closing, I asked Andy, ‘what makes Rockingham Speedway so memorable?
“A race at Rockingham is history,” he answered, “Rockingham is old school racing and there’s a camaraderie between the competitors and the fans. There’s nothing fancy about Rockingham but it’s the feel that you get whenever you walk on the grounds.”
Please visit http://rockinghamspeedway.com/home.html to purchase tickets online or call 910-205-8800. If you’re lucky, you may even get to speak with Andy Hillenburg who recently posted the following on twitter.
“Busy day at the Rock. Getting ready for April 12-14 weekend. If I took your ticket order today, sorry that I am slow. Lol, I talk racing.”
Kasey Kahne was in the lead heading into the final 20 laps at Rockingham Speedway. He never relinquished that lead, scoring the victory in the inaugural Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway. This was Kahne’s first victory in of 2012.
Kahne described this as “the best weekend I have had in a long time.” He drove in three races this weekend with three impressive finishes; third place in the Nationwide Series in Texas, seventh place in the Cup race, and the win at Rockingham.
[media-credit name=”Credit: Rainer Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”253″][/media-credit]He went on to explain how happy he was to be a part of the event.
“When I heard they were putting a race on here at Rockingham, as soon as I heard about it, I was trying to figure out whom I would race for and how I would make it here,” he said.
He only got about 4 ½ hours sleep the previous night but that did not dampen his enthusiasm.
“Coming to ‘The Rock’ I was so excited that I woke up early. My alarm was supposed to go off at nine this morning and I woke up at 7:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep.”
Sunday marked NASCAR’s first return to Rockingham Speedway since February 2004.
‘The Rock,’ under the guidance of Andy Hillenburg, opened its arms to the fans allowing them access to the infield and pit road, areas that are normally out of bounds for most ticket holders. Golf cart shuttles were available to take fans to their seats. They were limited but if you didn’t mind waiting, you could catch a ride. The atmosphere was more like a family reunion than a sporting event.
Everyone from the staff to the fans to the drivers was excited to be a part of the track’s return to NASCAR.
Nelson Piquet Jr. led the field to green on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200. He led a total of 107 laps during the race and was dominant most of the race.
Points leader John King spun out on lap four, hit the inside wall and brought out the first caution.
Piquet continued to lead the field and had just lapped the tenth place car when a debris caution was called.
Matt Crafton took the lead shortly after the restart, leaving Piquet Jr. in second place.
Kasey Kahne started in the rear of the field but quickly worked his way into the top three battling with Matt Crafton and Nelson Piquet Jr. for the lead. Kahne took over the lead on lap 155.
On the final pit stop Piquet Jr. was caught too fast exiting and had to go to the back of the field, ending his bid for a win. He fought his way back to finish the race in seventh position.
James Buescher finished the race in second place position earning him his second top ten finish of 2012. Matt Crafton finished third followed by Johnny Sauter. Timothy Peters rounded out the top five.
Peter’s fifth place pushed him to a six point lead in the point standings over Justin Lofton. Ty Dillon is third, followed by James Buescher and Parker Kligerman.
Ty Dillon finished in eighth place and was the highest finishing rookie.
The next Camping World Truck Series race will be April 21, 2012 at Kansas Speedway.
Unofficial Race Results
Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200, Rockingham Speedway
Wednesday afternoon I headed out to Rockingham Speedway to meet with track President, Andy Hillenburg. I wanted to find out a little more about the man who made it his mission to bring NASCAR racing back to Rockingham Speedway.
I arrived for my appointment a little early and sat in my car for a few minutes before going inside. As I sat waiting, I noticed someone out front trimming the hedges while another man stood nearby checking periodically to make sure everything looked just right. I suddenly realized that the other man was Andy Hillenburg. This was my first clue about the type of man I was about to interview.
He calls himself a ‘blue collar man’ and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make one of his dreams come true. If something needs to be painted, you’ll likely find him with a paint brush in hand. He’s quick to point out that the track doesn’t have a huge budget so he often has to get creative in order to get things accomplished.
One of his latest endeavors is a car he calls the “Rockmobile.” It’s a 1975 Dodge Coronet with a paint scheme designed to resemble a police car. On one side it reads, “To Serve and Promote,” and the phone number for ticket sales is prominently displayed. It’s a rolling advertisement that Hillenburg often drives around town.
Another thing that stood out as we talked is his passion for racing. It’s a passion he has carried with him his entire life.
Hillenburg was born and raised in Indianapolis, Ind. He worked in the family construction business but every spare moment was spent going to races.
“I’ve wanted to race for as long as I can remember,” he told me. “I never really wanted to do anything else.”
He built his first race car when he was 16 years old and began racing sprint cars. Over the next 10 years, he raced in open wheel cars whenever he had a chance. He competed in the USAC (United States Auto Club) series, the World of Outlaws series and anything else that was available. It didn’t really matter to him, as long as he was racing.
His goal was to one day race in the Indy 500.
He came close a couple of times. The first time he was actually entered to run but the team abruptly folded just prior to the race. The following year he thought he had a deal put together but a couple of weeks before the race, he realized it wasn’t going to happen.
He was becoming increasingly frustrated when a good friend suggested that he move to North Carolina and try his hand at stock car racing.
“I hadn’t really given it much thought,” he said. “In Indianapolis, there’s so much racing. It’s everywhere you go. You just drive two miles down the road and there’s another race shop. I didn’t think any place could match that. I was perfectly content to stay in Indianapolis.”
But then his friend took him to a Busch (now Nationwide Series) race in Hickory, N.C. in the spring of 1990.
Hillenburg was so impressed that he made a drastic decision. With only a duffle bag full of clothes, his helmet, and a hundred dollars he borrowed from another friend, he got in his truck and drove to Charlotte, N.C. Hillenburg spent the first four nights sleeping in that truck across from Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Then he ran into Kenny Schrader. He’d raced against Schrader so they knew each other slightly, but they weren’t what you’d call good friends. They stood around talking for a while and Schrader asked Hillenburg what he was doing in town.
“I moved here,” Hillenburg told him.
Schrader said, “That’s great. Do you have a deal?” “No,” Hillenburg replied.
Schrader then asked, “Where are you living?” “Right there in my truck,” Hillenburg responded.
At this point, Schrader began laughing. But he ended up taking Hillenburg out to his shop and gave him a place to stay for about 6 months.
During the day, Hillenburg visited all the race shops, looking for any kind of job just to get his foot in the door. In the evenings, he helped out at the shop by mowing the grass, taking out the trash, washing cars and anything else that needed doing.
He finally got a job at Fast Track High Performance Driving School. It wasn’t long before he was running the entire shop. The owner of the shop even fielded a couple of cars for Hillenburg to run two Cup races. It wasn’t much but it was enough to keep the dream alive.
About this time Hillenburg had the opportunity to buy the school. It was a decision that would require him to put his driving career on hold for 3 years. He found that he loved the driving school business and worked hard to make it a success.
But he hadn’t given up on his racing career.
He finally had a chance to run a full season in 1995 in the ARCA series. He made the most of it by winning the championship.
As he reflected on his life, he paused and said, “I’m a person that has a lot of dreams and I’ve been fortunate to accomplish several of them.”
Then he leaned in, as if to tell me a secret. “But not all of them; because I have lots.”
In the 1990s, most of Hillenburg’s time on the track was spent as a test driver. He test drove for over 20 Cup teams, Ford Motor Company and Dodge Engineering. He was also an IROC test driver for about 10 years.
He never really had the opportunity to race full time but he has no regrets and feels like he accomplished what he set out to do.
One of the highlights of his racing career came at Daytona Speedway in 1998. He had to qualify on time to enter the race and he remembers it as “the best race I ever drove in my life.”
Then, in 2000, at 37 years of age, he went to Indianapolis and competed in the Indy 500, accomplishing yet another lifelong dream.
Hillenburg has also tried his hand as a team owner, most recently in the Camping World Truck series and the ARCA series.
Did I mention that he has a lot of dreams?
In his spare time, he also works as a stuntman and acts in commercials and movies.
In the back of his mind, he knew that there was one piece missing to complete his business circle; owning a racetrack.
It would give his driving school a home base and would come in handy for the stunt work and acting gigs that he likes to do as well.
He had looked at a few tracks but nothing seemed like a good fit until Rockingham Speedway came up for auction in 2007.
One of his goals from the very beginning was to bring NASCAR racing back to the track but he’s a little surprised at how quickly it happened.
He’s also extremely proud of what he’s been able to accomplish and excited for the future. But he doesn’t take all the credit. It’s been a team effort from everyone at the track and the support of the community has been invaluable.
But there’s no doubt in my mind that without Andy Hillenburg, it would not have happened.
It is his blue collar work ethic, his willingness to take risks and his vision that have made it all possible.
Rockingham Speedway seats approximately 30,000 and ticket sales are progressing well. But Hillenburg says they aren’t going to stop until one of two things happens.
“We’re either sold out or we give the command to start your engines.”
My last question for him was this. Why should fans come to Rockingham?
“I feel like we’re unique. I want to be the facility that’s an old comfortable pair of shoes; a nice evening on the porch. We’re that race track. All those old memories that you can relive as well as build new ones, that’s what I’m after.”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to “The Rock” on April 15th. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit online at rockinghamspeedway.com.
In the countdown to Daytona, there are just 80 more days until the green flag waves. While there have been many drivers in the No. 80 car, including Dave Blaney, Joe Ruttman, Mike Bliss, Randy LaJoie, Carl Long, Ted Christopher, Mario Gosselin, Andy Hillenburg and Aric Almirola, the driver with the most time behind the wheel of that car number was without a doubt Jimmy Horton.
[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Curtis Palmer/Wikipedia” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Horton, a driver born and bred in New Jersey, raced in 48 NASCAR Cup races in eight seasons. He was behind the wheel of the No. 80 for 22 races, ranging from 1984 to 1994.
“It was a good deal,” Horton said of his ride in the No. 80 car. “We started out in the No. 85 and then turned it over to the No. 80 because we couldn’t have No. 85 when we ran Cup.”
“We started out running Cup with it but backed off a little bit to learn a little more,” Horton continued. “Then we went ARCA racing and we did real well. We won a total of eight ARCA races, five in a row.”
As with many race car drivers, Horton started racing on dirt tracks close to home. He first started racing in 1974 in Middletown, New Jersey on Saturday nights and at Nazareth, Pennsylvania on Sundays, winning track championships at both tracks.
Horton’s first asphalt race was at Daytona, which was also his first time ever in the draft.
“I ran a Busch car in 1985 at Daytona,” Horton said. “We qualified 19th and ended up breaking a motor early. But that was my first real asphalt race that I ran and my first time in the draft.”
“Bobby Allison helped us,” Horton continued. “At the time there were short fields in the Cup cars. Our first car was a Ford Thunderbird.”
Horton also ran Dover and Pocono in the Cup series and then went ARCA racing. His first race in ARCA was again at Daytona, where he took the checkered flag.
Yet in spite of his ARCA success, Horton was unable to return to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. As he described it, he was caught in the ‘middle generation’ of NASCAR drivers.
“I had my foot in the door with the Cup deal and it was going to take off,” Horton said. “But when I was trying to get in, all the owners wanted older, experienced drivers.”
“I was 33 years old when Jeff Gordon comes in at 20 years old,” Horton continued. “And everyone jumped over that whole one crop.”
“I wasn’t alone but they jumped over that whole group and went to the younger drivers,” Horton said. “That middle generation got skipped.”
In addition to running the No. 80 car, Horton is also known for two other reasons. First, many fans may recognize that he subbed for an injured Darrell Waltrip. The other reason for Horton’s notoriety is for two major crashes in which he was involved, one where he flew off the track at Talladega and the other a major wreck at Atlanta.
“I drove for Darrell (Waltrip) when he got hurt and I ran real good,” Horton said. “I ran three races and Greg Sacks drove the car until Darrell was able to get back in it.”
“I’ve had my share of crashes,” Horton said. “I was conscious for that whole time at Talladega when I crashed right off the race track.”
“I started to get out, but the State trooper put his hand on my helmet and told me I better sit there a minute,” Horton continued. “I told him I’d had about all I could stand and I was getting out.”
“Two years later, I wrecked at Atlanta and that one hurt me pretty good,” Horton aid. “I had a cracked skull, two broken shoulder blades, and a broken wrist. That one hurt me.”
“But we mended good and went racing again.”
At age 55 years, Horton is still honing his craft. For the 2011 season he ran close to 60 races, at his regular dirt track on Saturday nights and some select special races, winning one race and finishing fifth in points.
“I’ve always said when I don’t win a race in a year, I’ll retire,” Horton said. “I’ve been lucky the past two years that I’ve won a race a year, so I’ll keep going.”
“Next year, we’re just going to run selected races and I’m looking for a ride to run a full schedule,” Horton continued. “Right now I work building racing radiators and all parts for the race cars.”
But for Horton, sitting behind the wheel of the No. 80 car was one of the most special times in his life.
“The 80 car was a real good deal,” Horton said. “The 80 number has been good to me.”
[media-credit name=”Rockingham Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”265″][/media-credit]Monday morning I was at home doing the usual housework when all of a sudden it hit me. Why am I in the house on such a beautiful day when I could be at ‘The Rock’? So I ditched the chores, hopped in my car and drove out to Rockingham Speedway.
I arrived around 2:30 pm and decided to check in at the office. One of the best parts of the day was the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Andy Hillenburg. His vision and perseverance combined to bring NASCAR back to this historic track.
After parking my car I walked to the grandstands, took my seat and joined the others who were there to watch the testing session. As I sat and watched, I couldn’t help but smile. ‘The Rock’ is an integral part of NASCAR history and a sense of awe immediately enveloped me.
While I was thinking about all that had come before, a father and son walked past me and caught my eye. I listened as the father patiently explained to his son what was happening. The young boy gazed into his father’s eyes, determined not to miss a single word.
That’s when it dawned on me. Maybe I had been looking at this all wrong. Maybe it’s not the past that’s important but the new memories that this young boy and others like him will make when NASCAR returns to ‘The Rock’.
That reunion will take place when Rockingham Speedway hosts the Camping World Truck Series on April 15, 2012. Tickets are available for pre-order now at www.rockinghamspeedway.com.
Drivers who participated in the test session:
NASCAR Sprint Cup – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Nationwide – Steve Wallace, Michael Annett, Darrell Wallace Jr.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Kyle Busch, Brian Ickler, Timothy Peters, David Starr
