The iconic Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina will transition to new owners over a two-year period, according to track officials.
Current track owner and operator Steve Earwood has entered an agreement with Al Gennarelli and Dan VanHorn to take over the track, which opened in 1968 and was one of the first drag strips to feature amenities like permanent restrooms, concrete grandstands, and corporate suites.
The pair will take the next two years to observe and learn about the race facility before assuming full ownership in October 2022.
Earwood notes that it will be “business as usual” at the Rock during the interim, including a full slate of events, which can be found at rockinghamdragway.com/schedule/.
“All of our personnel will stay in place,” Earwood said, “and I don’t see any major changes other than we are adding more non-traditional events to our calendar, which has been one of our trademarks. In the past, we’ve hosted the Smoke Out Festival, Metallica concerts, and the more recent Epicenter concert and we’re looking right now for opportunities to bring similar non-racing events to Richmond County.”
Earwood will continue to oversee day-to-day operations and will remain a consultant to Gennarelli and VanHorn after the sale.
This story was originally published on July 8, 2020. 
