Race fans will again be able to ride the train to NASCAR races at Rockingham
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Amtrak with NCDOT’s NC By Train will run the Rockingham Special April 4 from Raleigh.
- Standard tickets cost $25 each way and must be purchased online in advance.
- Leaves Raleigh, stops Cary and Southern Pines, then reaches a temporary speedway station.
For a second straight year, NASCAR fans will be able to take a train from the Triangle to watch racing at Rockingham Speedway.
Amtrak and the N.C. Department of Transportation will run a special train for race fans on April 4, the second day of the Easter Weekend Classic at Rockingham. The “Rockingham Special” will leave Raleigh Union Station that morning, with stops in Cary and Southern Pines before arriving at the speedway in time for the first of two races.
NCDOT’s passenger rail program, NC By Train, was inspired to offer the Rockingham train last year after the success of the “Open Express,” which carried passengers from the Triangle to the U.S. Open golf tournament in Pinehurst over four days in June 2024. Those trains sold out.
Last year’s NASCAR train also was a big success, said Bob Sargent, president of Track Enterprises, the NASCAR promoter at Rockingham Speedway.
“We’re fortunate to have NC By Train passenger rail tracks adjacent to the speedway,” Sargent said in a statement. “This is a one-of-a-kind travel solution and helps take some of the guesswork and effort out of the planning for our fans.”
Standard tickets cost $25 each way and must be purchased in advance at www.amtrak.com/promotions/rockingham. Customers should type or select “Rockingham” for your destination and return trip. Food and beverages, including beer, wine and liquor, will be available to purchase on board.
The morning Rockingham Special will leave Raleigh Union Station at 7:50 a.m. and stop in Cary at 8:05 a.m. and Southern Pines at 9:18 a.m. before arriving at a temporary station outside the raceway gate shortly before 10 a.m.
The evening train is scheduled to leave the speedway at 6:35 p.m. with stops in Southern Pines and Cary before returning to Raleigh a little after 8:40 p.m.
NCDOT subsidizes Amtrak service in North Carolina on the Piedmont and Carolinian trains. It works with Amtrak to make special stops at big events along those routes, including the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh and the Lexington Barbecue Festival.
