North Carolina’s Rockingham Dragway has been in a perpetual state of improvement ever since new owners Dan VanHorn and Al Gennarelli bought the fabled facility in late 2022. After completing a total renovation of the racing surface months after taking over, VanHorn and Gennarelli went to work on pretty much everything in sight, juggling the projects simultaneously since they didn’t feel they had enough time to complete one project, then move on to the next. “Back when we first began all these renovations, everything was going on at once, and that’s pretty much how we still do things!” says VanHorn.
Fast-forward one year after the overhaul to the racing surface, it was discovered that some settling and shifting had occurred in the 800 feet of new concrete poured the previous year, causing some wavy areas in places. VanHorn and Gennarelli immediately commissioned Southeast Grinding to come out and profile the track. “We had them smooth the entire 1,320, then continue the process 400 feet into the shutdown area to make it smooth as well, and they did a great job,” says Gennarelli.
Next, the aging blacktop in the pits was replaced with brand-new asphalt where needed. “Another legacy problem we tackled during the offseason was fixing the drainage problem that caused ‘Lake Rockingham,’” laughs VanHorn, referring to infamous area in the pits where a body of water would form after a hard rain, sometimes lingering for weeks before eventually disappearing.
Gennarelli headed up the effort to cut a trench and install new drains, which pretty much eliminated the problem. The area still represents a low place in the pits, but now after a torrential downpour the water might hang around for a couple hours at most before completely draining.
By early 2024, construction had also commenced on new showers being built inside the men’s and ladies restrooms. Additionally, lots of LED lights have been installed in recent months throughout the facility, with more being added at the top of the concrete grandstands.
Another lingering problem that Rockingham has experienced was when the sun was positioned directly behind the scoreboards, it made it difficult to see dial-ins and elapsed times, but a simple swap from conventional bulbs to LEDs completely fixed the problem.
Speaking of scoreboards, VanHorn and Gennarelli saw fit to install a brand-new set on the front of the tower, which allows viewing the important numbers from many more angles in the pits and grandstands.
Since RV camping is a big part of Rockingham, additional full hook-up spots have been added at around the 1,000-foot mark, as well as additional “power only” hook-ups in the upper pits.
A huge upgrade in the RV spot reservation process came when Rockingham went completely digital, and patrons may now reserve an RV spot through the Rockingham Dragway website. “This doesn’t sound like much of an improvement, but internally this was huge!” explains VanHorn. “Roughly 50% of our calls to the office was to reserve an RV spot and it was quite time consuming, but now people can reserve their exact RV spot, just like choosing a seat on an airplane, and the whole process takes approximately five minutes, whereas doing it over the phone usually took 15 minutes.”
Finally, the dream of building a bar also came full circle in early 2024 with the grand opening of “On the Rocks Pub,” which is located at the pit-side concession stand. Previously, the building was a souvenir stand before being used for storage.
“After a whole lot of work it turned out to be a really nice bar, and I’ve got to mention some great local businesses like Advanced Concrete Finishing and Elite Roofing, who’ve been so instrumental in several of the projects that we’ve been able to accomplish,” says VanHorn. “I can also say with confidence that no other track in the country receives more support than we do from Richmond County Tourism. Their support has made it possible to accomplish so much, and they really fight for us, as does Ben Moss, our State Representative.”
The 2024 season schedule is stacked with many great events. The season-opening bracket points weekend was moved up this year to mid-March with the running of the Billy Weeks Shamrock Challenge, an event that honors the late track manager. “Billy was such a huge part of this track, so it was a no-brainer to name the season opener in his honor,” says VanHorn.
While the first Dig or Die event was cancelled due to rain, Import Face-Off on Sunday saved the weekend with the largest turnout ever. The reception for Mopars at The Rock was also huge, with 17 states and Canada being represented. This theme continued in early April, as Rockingham hosted what was among the most heavily-attended NMCA/NMRA events in recent memory, followed by Rudy’s Truck Jam the following week. The NC Speed Labs Civil Wars event was a welcomed returning attraction from being resurrected in 2023. It featured a new twist this year with the inclusion of Donald Long’s Duck X Battle of the Thrones. Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School is also in session at Rockingham for several dates this year.
May 3-5 kicked off the AHDRA All-Harley Drags. Big-money bracket racing is also contested throughout the year with four weekends slated for SFG competition, including the May 8-10 Mother’s Day 100Ks. The Carolina N/T series will also make several stops in Rockingham. The Big John Memorial Brackets with CCRA event closes out the month of May.
June has an action-packed schedule including R/C Drag Racing from touring series RCHRA, and later in the month, Lindsey’s Truck Show. A brand-new attraction called Rock Around and Find Out is also slated for June and features some of the most popular bands in the Carolinas.
The Dig or Die Super Bowl of No-Prep is slated for July 19-20. DreamFest No-Prep is a returning attraction scheduled August 17, and has an import slant, featuring no-prep racing on the quarter mile. The bracket points season comes to a close with the Sand Hills Brackets on Labor Day weekend.
Rockingham requested two NHRA race dates this year and got them, first with the running of the brand-new Rock Records Open, featuring racing on the eighth mile and the quarter mile on the same weekend, with a chance to set NHRA national records. Super Chevy Show with Brew’palooza is slated for Sept 28-29.
Street Outlaws No Prep Kings promises to be an epic gathering at The Rock, and is scheduled for Oct 11-12, with the NHRA Lucas Oil Divisional the following weekend.
Big Wheel Inc. is a donk race and is a brand-new event at Rockingham. “We had pretty much everything on the schedule this year except a donk race, and we needed one, so I was happy when they reached out and expressed an interest in coming here,” says VanHorn.
Holiday Jr. Jam and Dig or Die – Christmas Clash 5 closes out a robust schedule in 2024.
This story was originally published on July 25, 2024.
The post Work in Process: New Owners Dan VanHorn and Al Gennarelli Continue Upgrades on Rockingham Dragway first appeared on Drag Illustrated.