Driving through the tunnel and into the infield of North Carolina Speedway last week, it was hard not to sense the dread in the air.
There was no roar of engines. There were no transporters, no fans and no racing. In fact, it seemed almost certain that the 1.017-mile speedway would never see racing again.
The track looked perfect. The grass was cut neatly and the buildings and grandstands well kept. It was hard to believe it had been three and a half years since a race had been held at the high-banked oval that held its first race back in 1965.
But today was different, many of those assembled came not to cheer, but to say goodbye. The Rock was being sold at auction by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the large speedway conglomerate that wound up with full ownership of it via a lawsuit against Int’l Speedway Corp., with whom it had partnered to buy the track in 2003 in order to move the two NASCAR Cup Series dates there to bigger more modern facilities in larger markets.
The Richmond County oval’s days were numbered. Many NASCAR teams tested there, and there was some club racing on the infield road course, but there were no spectator events.
Thus, as a crowd of about 100 gathered in the tri-oval of the speedway to hear famed auctioneer Eddie Haynes call out the sale, an air of sadness shared the glorious afternoon sunshine.
“It’s a sad day,” said Darlington Raceway General Manager Chris Browning, who served in the same capacity at North Carolina Speedway for 12 years.
Nine bidders came, all with different plans for what to do with the land. But one man had a dream of there being racing at Rockingham again. Labeled the favorite by some, a dark horse by others, and a self-proclaimed “sentimental choice,” race car driver Andy Hillenburg had a plan for Rockingham.
All he needed to do was be the highest bidder at an auction that seemed to require more money than the former ARCA champion may have been able to muster.
But fate shined on Hillenburg, who drove his first stock car race at Rockingham in 1991. But, it was not without a scare. With Hillenburg the high bidder at $4 million, Haynes called a break in the bidding to allow other bidders to discuss their prospects of outbidding Indiana Andy.
“It was like leading the race and they threw the red flag,” said Hillenburg, one of only a handful of racers who have competed in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. “I didn’t understand that. I’ve never seen that before, but I have also been leading races and they have been red flagged and I had the same kind of emotion then.”
After a brief break, which included a song from a Bluegrass band that performed live prior to the start of the bidding, Haynes returned to the podium and reopened the bidding. No one outbid Hillenburg.
North Carolina Speedway (soon to be Rockingham Raceway Park) had a new owner, Speedway Motorsports had earned about 4 cents on the dollar for the $100 million it and ISC had paid in 2003, and Andy Hillenburg had a new job — track owner.
But most of all, a speedway was saved.
“It’s emotional. I am an emotional guy,” said Hillenburg, as he fought back the tears while he and his wife, Michelle greeted the media and other well wishers following the sale. “You want to make a difference in your life and this is another segment where I feel like I can make a difference.
“I love this sport. It has given me a lot. It will help me put my kids through college, I hope, and I want to give back to the sport.”
You might say, he has a piece of The Rock.