Last Lap: Remembering The Rock

My fondest memory of North Carolina Speedway wasn't made on a Sunday afternoon, rather an overcast fall Tuesday a couple years back.

I awoke that day to an email from North Carolina Speedway public relations director Kristi King, asking if I'd be interested in attending the Winner's Circle appearance she was hosting later that day.

	Marty Smith

The guest of honor was Dale Earnhardt Jr., but (miraculously) few folks, aside from a handful of local media, had RSVP'd. I wasn't particularly busy that day, and it was an opportunity to pick Junior's brain when he wasn't preoccupied with having to be somewhere else in five minutes.

I'm there.

When I arrived at the track, I heard the ebb and flow of simulated acceleration, as if an engine was being revved. Makes sense. I was at a racetrack, after all. But King hadn't said anything about folks testing there that day, so I was slightly stymied.

As I moseyed through the infield tunnel, there were no cars on the track, no transporters on the premises. There was, however, what appeared to be a show car trailer. Slightly tardym, I didn't investigate. Instead, I sprinted inside the media center to find Junior conversing with small group of locals.

He was in a good mood. The interview was sterling, as he answered all queries about the controversial topic du jour with standard candor. After several minutes, he was whisked outside for a television sit-down in front of a Busch Series-themed show car.

Assuming he was done for the day, I bid King a fair adieu, thanked her again from the heads-up and began to make my way to the door. Puzzled, she stopped me.

"Marty, aren't you going to ride?"

"Ride?"

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"Yeah, Junior's doing ride-alongs after this TV shot."

Uh, yes. I think I'll stay, thank you.

Several folks went before me, and it was obvious Junior was winding the car up pretty well -- especially considering its bare-bones engine. Outfitted in a royal blue and white fire suit seemingly tailor-made for Danny Devito, I was summoned to the passenger seat.

A total rookie, I could hardly even get in the seat properly. Junior grabbed the left seatbelt and held it while the show car driver tended to my right side. Junior's helmet visor was down. I couldn't see his face. But once I was strapped in and gave the thumbs up, he flipped it up.

His mouth was not visible, but the smile marks around his eyes told me all I needed to know: Hold on, I'm going to scare the ever-living crap out of you.

By the end of pit road we had to be going 100. I anticipated he'd gradually slow down as we turned left to exit pit lane, but he failed to see the reasoning for such strategy. We entered the racing surface in Turn 2, and by the time we got to Turn 4 I was dizzy.

I was smiling involuntarily. There was nothing I could do about it even when I tried. Our first full lap was exhilarating. His car control amazed me, gave me an entirely new perspective on what these guys do, and a heightened respect for the talent they have.

We couldn't have been three inches off the outside wall. By design, I'm certain.

At the exit of Turn 4 the wall juts out, and as we sped through the corner on my fourth and final lap, the rear end became slightly unstable. We'd nearly tagged the fence. I'd nearly soiled my britches.

He'd succeeded in terrifying me.

	Marty takes a spin at Rockingham with Dale Jr. Credit: NASCAR Scene

And just to make certain he was aware of how much I appreciated it, I composed myself, then informed him he was No. 1 all the way down the back straightaway. We howled in laughter.

I'll never forget that, and still chuckle at the thought of it every time I go back. It's a shame I'll never get that opportunity again.

There will never be another Winner's Circle appearance at Rockingham, but for me that memory will live on forever.

Now that Nextel Cup will not return to North Carolina Speedway, what are your favorite racing memories of The Rock?

racefan20n2: I know there have been tons of great moments at Rockingham, but my personal favorite is the race in February 2001 - the first race after Dale Earnhardt died. It rained all that Sunday morning: "tears from Heaven", as DW put it. When the race finally got underway, Jr. was involved in an early crash and went into the wall in a fashion eerily similar to Dale's crash the week prior.

The race was washed out shortly after, and resumed on Monday. Steve Park, the first driver Dale ever hired for DEI, won the race, holding off Bobby Labonte at the end, and he was met with a congratulatory driver's side to driver's side high five from new teammate Michael Waltrip. It was a great race, with a very fitting end.

This was a popular answer, and rightfully so. That weekend was surreal. No one wanted to be there, all wondered whether or not we should be. Folks went through the motions, all still in shock from the previous week's tragedy. Then Junior wrecked in Turn 3, at an angle eerily similar to his father's accident. No one knew quite what to think.

Then Park won, and suddenly a huge burden was lifted. It was confirmation that forging ahead was the proper course of action, and that DEI wouldn't crumble under the burden of it's founder's passing.

modor: I first became interested in NASCAR in 1991; and one driver that caught my attention from the get-go was Kyle Petty. Who could forget his dominance in the early 1990s in the Peak and Mello Yello Pontiacs?

Great call, Hemi. Petty won three-straight years at Rockingham from 1990 to 1992 in SABCO's No. 42 Pontiac. He is still the only driver in NASCAR history to record at least one victory in three-straight years at The Rock. I'd love to see that cat screech into Victory Lane just one more time...

SHORTRAKNUT: It's funny. When people talk about the "things to remember" about the ROCK (or any other short track), it's always about good racing! Down to the last race. Close finishes are the most memorable. How many WINSTON Cup Champions have been crowned there? Been going there for years and I cam remember 6.

I also think it should be said that one great memory of the ROCK I have are the people that worked there. Very friendly, always wanting to help. I will miss them. Yes, it's a sad day, very sad indeed!!! (P.S. Save this column in a file and change the name to Darlington next year.)

Excellent -- and critical -- point, Mr. Peanut. Lost in the debate between good and bad racing and small vs. large markets is the simple fact that closing a NASCAR-sanctioned racetrack adversely effects several other variables -- namely the local economy and those employed at the venue.

The ramifications of closing a track are astonishing. Wilkesboro fell apart when NASCAR left. And like Wilkesboro, small markets like Rockingham, Darlington and Martinsville depend on NASCAR for a significant portion of their annual budget. Hotels and restaurants will suffer greatly, losing an eight-figure economic impact, per race, to Dallas, Tex.

Fortunately, Southern Pines has a thriving golf industry to help drive tourism, but NASCAR's departure is a crushing blow. Moreover, King, Rockingham president Chris Browning and others with either be reassigned within International Speedway Corp. or be out of work. Here's hoping it's the former. They're such great people.

	Credit: Autostock

deek440: I don't remember too many races at this track, but to be honest, this year's race was a great one. Probably one of the wildest races at that track. I mean, two cars flipped, and you rarely hear of one car flipping at a 1-mile track. And that finish, one of the closest in history. Just a great race.

Amen, Deacon Jones. As I wrote in my post-announcement column last weekend at Richmond:

Before northcarolinaspeedway.com shut down earlier this year, it was adorned by a memorable photo -- the lasting image of Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne sprinting hellbent to the checkers this past February. Good thing that was a lasting image. It's the last one in the speedway's history.

Throw in Carl Long's tumble down the back straightaway, Robby Gordon's wild ride and a scoring snafu for the ages, there's no doubt Rockingham went down swinging.

Metalmilitia: Some of my fondest memories of The Rock would be Ward Burton's first victory in the fall of '95 where Rick Mast led the most but the engine failed and Earnhardt was penalized for a missing lug nut that was indeed on the tire.

The following spring was a great race between Bobby Hamilton and Dale E. Hamilton got the shorter end of the stick, but it was a great race. I'm glad I have it preserved on tape.

Few and far between were the dull moments at The Rock, for certain. Remember in 2002 when Mark Martin's spring was a quarter-coil too short, resulting in a 25-point penalty? And we've already mentioned the scoring deal this year...

One wonders, Militia, Def Leppard, Dokken, Warrant or Whitesnake?

skibum: Now that the Rock will fade into history, my favorite memory will come in the future. It'll be a decade from now, when those 100,000 fan tracks are sitting two-thirds empty. When sponsors will be dropping like flies because teams continue to hike fees due to exorbitant travel costs and the rate of return for advertisers becomes negligible. When drivers named Gordon and Earnhardt and Stewart bolt for greener pastures.

I'll be sitting in my recliner, flipping through the channels during the arena football commercial break. I'll flip past the Kansas race on Spike TV (not even FOX will want it) and stop briefly on SPEED. They'll be highlighting classic races of all time, and every few times, they'll head back to Rockingham or Darlington for examples.

The young punks entering racing will speak of the tracks with reverence and awe. Commentators will say "those were the days." And Brian France will still be claiming the "NASCAR's future is in the future." And once again he'll be wrong.

And I'll smile, and know that even though the "institution" told us we should embrace change, that we were right. NASCAR's future is intertwined with it's past. And those that forget that will destroy what could have been.

Picabo Street has common concerns, and voices a common sentiment regarding those concerns. Many folks feel NASCAR's continued westward expansion and focus on marketing will soon mark its demise.

They say that taking events from traditional venues in favor of larger markets will alienate core fans, and when the luster wears off for the newbies, NASCAR will be left wondering where it all went wrong.

I don't necessarily agree with those folks. I think NASCAR's doing the right thing from a business standpoint, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I know this: they must raise their race purses to make it worthwhile to teams to compete, because sponsors are soon to be maxed out. Without sponsors there are no cars, and without cars there is no racing.

truckfan: Bill Elliott's final (maybe) Cup victory. (Better not keep any tracks requiring inordinate amounts of skill - too many old-timers might win.)

You know, Bandit, I'm still semi-surprised Elliott retired after ending the season with a win at Rockingham, then all but winning Homestead. He had the best car at Kansas, too, and Kahne's success this year is evidence the No. 9 team is as stout as ever. Then again, "Awesome" had had enough of the off-track obligations. Can't blame him there.

3man: Think it was 1995. Ricky Rudd was fast that day, but his pit crew was having an off day for some reason. Every pit stop he'd go from first to about 7th or 8th and have to work his way back to the front. On the last caution he said the heck with it, I'm not pitting.

I think everybody (including me) thought he was toast, since new tires are so critical there. But somehow he held on and won. Old tires never work at The Rock, except that day. Was really impressed by that, he's not one of my favorites, but that race is one that sticks in my mind.

That was the 1996 ACDelco 400, Murph. Nevertheless, bravo on the memory.

LadyMidnight: Well, it's with a very bad taste in my mouth that I write this. The Rock was the 1st race I ever went to live, and the first time I met Rusty Wallace and got his autograph. While all the races I went to there I loved (okay so except for when Gordon won), my favorite part was the climate in the campgrounds.

We had friends that were on the rescue/fire team, and other friends that we all camped with and we always had a big cookout each night and had fun. Perhaps one of my favorite nights was one year the races fell on Halloween weekend and Elvis (NO not DW, LOL) came by for a visit, and also the shows that were put on over at the drag strip.

I still have pictures of Elvis and some of our other trick-or-treaters from that year, and I'll always miss going to Rockingham and having fun, watching the races and then cooking out before heading back home. I think NASCAR needs to look at Bristol and Richmond to see what the fans want. They are always sellouts.

Midnight's story is much like mine. Her fondest memories at The Rock didn't occur in an actual race setting, but were formed as a result of NASCAR's presence in the sand hills of North Carolina.

Hold onto those memories, because you'll never get the chance to make new ones.

The Last Lap appears every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.