Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers hit Rockingham Speedway on Tuesday for a scheduled Goodyear tire test, a day-long preview of sorts to the series' race there next month. It will be the first NASCAR race at the track since 2004.
Between test sessions at "The Rock," James Buescher, Jason Leffler and Timothy Peters commented on the history of the 1-mile track and what fans can expect in the Good Sam Club Roadside Assistance Carolina 200 on April 15.
"Testing has gone really smooth," said Leffler, driver of the No. 18 Toyota. "So far the truck has run great, so I'm just looking forward to coming back and seeing 35 other trucks out here racing hard."
"It's going to make for great action for the fans," said Peters, who drives the No. 17 Toyota. "The tire that they've given us is good, and we've been running it through different scenarios. You're going to see people on the bottom, middle and top. It's going to be awesome."
Last September, the 47-year-old track announced it would host its first NASCAR race since 2004. Since the announcement, the track has undergone various improvements, most notably the installation of SAFER barrier walls, in anticipation of the event. The Good Sam Club 200 will be the third race of the 2012 Camping World Truck Series season. Andy Hillenburg, president of Rockingham Speedway, commented on improvements currently in the works to make the racetrack as fan-friendly as possible for the April race.
"The installation of the SAFER barrier walls has been an exciting, ongoing project," Hillenburg said. "We've moved Victory Lane out on the front stretch so fans can now participate with the winning team and see the emotion of that driver when they step out of the truck. Rockingham Speedway is one of the building blocks of NASCAR, and we want to put our best foot forward to make sure we're part of the NASCAR schedule moving forward."