The Rock holds special memories for fans who made the drive to Rockingham, NC for the NASCAR races over the years. Now privately run, the track hosts some smaller series and is a popular rental for NASCAR teams who want to test.
Today at 1:30PM ET SPEED is telecasting the final ARCA race of the season from the Rock. Rick Allen and Phil Parsons are going to call the race. Ray Dunlap and Jim Tretow are on pit road.
The ARCA Series limps into the Rock like so many other racing series around the nation. Title sponsorship is gone, teams are struggling to make ends meet and the "rent a ride" boom is in full swing.
Patrick Sheltra, Craig Goess and Tom Hessert are the three ARCA regulars who are battling it out for the championship. Sheltra is a Florida native backed by his family-owned construction business. New Jersey's Goess is a Legends car veteran in his second ARCA season racing for Eddie Sharp.
Hessert is the most interesting story of the three. Click here for a recent story on the philly.com website about Hessert's family sponsorship and the vast difference in culture between his team and most of the ARCA regulars.
Rockingham offers a narrow backstretch where accidents happen quickly and a wide and well-banked frontstretch that has made for exciting side-by-side action for many years. SPEED's live ARCA coverage is rather fundamental and is basically a throwback to the days of limited equipment and "old school" racing coverage on TV.
With current racetrack owner Andy Hillenburg unable to afford installing a SAFER Barrier, it does not look like NASCAR's truck series or even the regional series will be returning to the Rock anytime soon. This maybe the only opportunity for some fans to get a glimpse into NASCAR's past.
We welcome your comments on the coverage of the ARCA race from Rockingham on SPEED. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
36 comments:
Happy Race Day Planeteers <3
I hope Andy can get the funding one day for the barriers and maybe we can go back. My understanding was weather was a factor for fans but the Rock had some great racing! The last race there BOTH N'wide & Cup had GREAT races. I remember the interwebs talk being "WHY are we leaving here again? This is a great race!" My friend went there for years & she and her DH carved their initials in their seats.
I'm just glad he was able to buy her & get her some action from time to time.
But look forward to the ARCA gang today! Great youngins in the series.
Rockingham was always one of my favorites. Looking forward to watching the race! :)
I really miss going there, it's a throwback track in so many ways.
"Can you smell what the Rock is cookin'?"
I know, lame.
Hopefully, Andy is making money renting out the facility for teams' testing. He certainly has made a niche there with that and the Little Rock small track.
Looking forward to the ARCA race, but honestly, I've got P-i-P with CFB in the little window.
ok, so hessert's (kinda) my local boy so it'd be great to see him take the championship.
but my emotional favorite is steve park.
Sheltra's family owns the construction biz that builds and fixes our roads here in FL.
Small world...
*giggles* Patrick
I hear ya Ms. Red! I love Steve! When Steve was still with DEI our Yahoo group sent him & Harley gifts for Christmas one year and were touched by the thank you note we received back. It wasn't the generic "thank you for what it was that you sent" but for each of us it listed WHAT we sent to them.
ok, i can't avoid saying this any longer:
hey marty reid? want to know what race fans want from a broadcast? pretty much what's happening right now. no gimmicky cameras, nice long shots balanced against tight shots, strong play by play, commenting on the entire field, not just the top 3 who are racing for the season championship.
also, no plethora of talking heads: just two guys talking about what's happening ON the track. no "theme," no agenda, no "if the race ended now" nonsense. just solid information. rick allen and phil parsons are doing it all without resorting to explaining the basics of the sport to us.
and b/c i know there aren't a lot of cameras at the track, i'm ok with seeing the wrecks on replays as long as you let me know what's happened until the truck can cue up the video.
is that specific enough for you?
Had that bottled up did ya?
you go Ms. Red <3 Tell 'em
was it that obvious? i'd apologize but i'm still . . . unhappy with those comments.
We are still talking about it behind the scenes. My mistake for opening the door on Twitter to anyone and everyone to comment.
I learned my lesson.
I am to Red. Hey Marty see their not using two boxes to show the race and it is working. I guess you should get the one box right before you try two.
:( *hugs* JD
nice little moment on park's win after earnhardt sr's death. just enough to make me smile.
so, another thought: how come nascar can't let go of some of its money & help tracks like the rock (& pocono & other cup-level tracks!) get SAFER barriers installed all the way around? can't race the big guys at the rock until that happens and boy, what an historic track that produces some wonderful racing!
i know: i'm being idealistic. but it would benefit the sport, make the tracks safer for racing and maybe give these great old tracks a shot at returning to former status.
and once again, the arca broadcast puts all others to shame! low tech, perhaps, but high quality production and strong work by everyone involved!
I've just been sitting here watching the pictures and I wonder if maybe besides liking Rockingham very much the pictures seem better because a0 nobody in charge is concerned that the stands are not jammed, and b) the back stretch and(especially) into & thru 3&4 above the track there is only fence and sky as the cars go by. The latter makes it look like I remember racing. I am really enjoying this.
AncientRacer, it may also be because we're actually seeing the racing all the way around the track. the lack of gimmicks and specialty cameras means that the cameras which are at the track have to be basic work -- and so we get to see the race.
you're right: not trying to hide empty seats and following the cars as they race the entire track has a distinct throw-back feel to it for me!
and that's NOT a bad thing.
Yes I love Roger & Keith...no agenda, no "fancy" graphics, no one showing us what a tire is, just showing us what we want to see...the RACING and telling the stories for EVERYONE.
I don't see the SAFER barriers as an issue for the K&N East series, it would be nice to see a NASCAR sanctioned race at the track again. But it is more ego than anything. NASCAR will not admit they made a mistake dumping the Rock.
Loving the broadcast. Is it so difficult to just broadcast a race? No need to broadcast every radio transmission, no fabricated storylines. The engines speak for themselves.
Well, since the subject has been brought up…..
When I first read Mr. Reid’s opinion, I shook my head and laughed. Then I got all southern on him and thought, “Well, bless his heart”. He was trying to justify his job performance. Since one of ESPN execs thinks the ratings are due to start times, he probably has a good chance of convincing them.
As I know a lot more than Mr. Reid about NASCAR racing and NASCAR fans, I’ll just take him with half a grain of salt and file his opinion under “doesn’t matter”. :)
Love it, no in-car cam. You can see passing better without it.
Phil Parsons lost all credibility with me during his stint on TNT. Having said that, he is much more tolerable without Michael Waltrip in the booth. When he calls the race it is ok but trying to outwit Mikey turns into a blabber fest. I've enjoyed this race so far.
Poor Steve & Tim :(
Pretty good broadcast with only 2 in the booth. They did show one time that I noticed the points as of now. Nice racing track, but it looks like they are going around slow.
A nice telecast.
Tomorrow I will be on after the Packer game. I will try to be more specific about the race so Mary Reid will have a better understanding what I am saying.
Marty Reid, not Mary. Sorry about that.
wow, wow, and wow!
great race, great broadcast, great winner, great champion.
nice to watch a broadcast and feel so positive at the end!
Great race from the Rock. Hope everybody enjoyed the ARCA telecast. The Nationwide broadcast may run off the tracks. Time for Bama football.
Nice simple coverage of a race. ESPN2 is on the air at 4PM ET with NNS from Cali.
What Red said! :)
Charlie! Freudian slip?
red, don't you know NASCAR *always* lets someone else pay for their privileges? Thing is, if every Cup driver who ever said he loved the Rock coughed up some cash it would be paid for. Maybe we could have a bake sale....
Mary, Marty like I did bummer cam and bumper cam. Guess my fingers have their own voice. ha ha.
The new post is up for the NNS race coverage on ESPN2 beginning at 4PM ET.
Thanks for all the ARCA comments.
Now that was a good race to watch. Not alot of gimmicks and good camera shots and announcers.
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