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
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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
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