ROCKINGHAM, N.C.– Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers hit Rockingham Speedway Tuesday for a scheduled Goodyear Tire test, a day-long coming attraction of sorts to the full-length feature in mid-April.
Between test sessions at “The Rock,” James Buescher, Jason Leffler and Timothy Peters commented on the history of the one-mile track and what fans can expect in the Good Sam club Roadside Assistance Carolina 200 on April 15.
“Testing has gone really smooth,” said Leffler, driver of the No. 18 Dollar General Toyota. “So far the truck has run great, so I’m just looking forward to coming back and seeing 35 other trucks out here racing hard.”
“It’s going to make for great action for the fans,” said Peters, who pilots the No. 17 Tire Kingdom/Service Central Toyota. “The tire that they’ve given us is good, and we’ve been running it through different scenarios. You’re going to see people on the bottom, middle and top. It’s going to be awesome.”
In September, the 47-year-old track announced it would host its first NASCAR race since 2004. Since the announcement, the track has undergone various improvements, most notably the installation of SAFER barrier walls, in anticipation of the event. The Good Sam Club 200 will be the third race of the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
Andy Hillenburg, president of Rockingham Speedway, commented on improvements currently in the works to make the race track as fan-friendly as possible for the April race.
“The installation of the SAFER barrier walls has been an exciting, ongoing project,” Hillenburg said. “We’ve moved Victory Lane out on the frontstretch so fans can now participate with the winning team and see the emotion of that driver when they step out of the truck. Rockingham Speedway is one of the building blocks of NASCAR, and we want to put our best foot forward to make sure we’re part of the NASCAR schedule moving forward.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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