Residents cling to hope of Rockingham revival (cont'd)

"We're still extremely disappointed with the decision NASCAR made to move beyond its roots," said Gene McLaurin, Rockingham's mayor for the past 10 years. "I think this is the core fan base here in the South, and we think Rockingham could have been successful with a better date. Yet we understand the economics of the world of NASCAR, and what's happening."

It was a blow to more than Rockingham's stature. Deeply rooted in the South's textile belt, the town has faced struggles familiar to many other rural municipalities: factory closings, job losses and unemployment. Just this week a Hanes plant announced it was shutting down, taking 300 jobs with it. The NASCAR races were an economic engine that brought in visitors willing to spend money, and helped locals in the service industry get by.

"There's no doubt that, as a part of the rural South, we're struggling as most rural areas are to carve out economic growth for our citizens," McLaurin said. "But we're doing pretty well. This is a proud community."

And a persistent one. McLaurin recently led a contingent to Charlotte to meet with SMI president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler about bringing races back to The Rock. He has a grand vision, of lights and a springtime Saturday night race like the one that helped save Darlington. The town is putting together a Web site, bringbacktherock.com, in an attempt to build grassroots support.

"We'd love to see it return," McLaurin said. "I don't mind saying that just in the last few weeks, we've visited with Humpy Wheeler, and we would love to see racing return to Rockingham. We think it would be a chance for NASCAR to maybe re-establish ties with that core base of fans that supported the sport and helped it to grow. We don't know if that's in our future or not. We are a proud part of NASCAR's history, and yet at some point we'd like to think we could see racing return to Rockingham."

It won't be easy. The 2012 schedule is getting crowded already, with International Speedway Corp. bidding to build a new facility near Seattle, exploring the possibility of another facility outside Denver, and keeping one eye always on New York. And Rockingham didn't help itself at the box office, falling well short of sellouts in its final few races even though everyone knew its survival hinged on attendance.

But the mayor will continue to lobby and politick, spreading the word that Rockingham is ready for NASCAR to return if and when the series ever decides to do so. Drivers, who relished the facility's challenge, would clearly love to go back. Old-school fans, weary of watching follow-the-leader racing on cookie-cutter tracks, clamor for the place. The infield facilities remain superior to those at some tracks that have two events each year.

Still, the idea of NASCAR returning to a track it abandoned seems about as unlikely as Michael Waltrip winning the Nextel Cup title. But these textile towns breed dogged folk. It's been three years since the team haulers last pulled out of North Carolina Speedway, and the mayor still maintains hope of them coming back.

"If we could get a groundswell of support," McLaurin said, "who knows what might happen."

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.