ROCKINGHAM — Several streets will be closed Wednesday afternoon through Thursday night for this week’s NitroFest.
Starting at 6 p.m. Sept. 23, the following streets will be closed downtown, around Harrington Square, to prep for the festival welcoming the NHRA Nationals to Rockingham Dragway:
Intersection of Hancock and E. Washington streets
N. Lee Street between at the ATM drive-thrus for Truist and PNC banks
One lane of W. Washington Street will remain open for bank traffic.
The streets are scheduled to reopen after 9 p.m. on Sept. 24.
Similar to ThunderFest, which celebrated the return of NASCAR to Rockingham Speedway, NitroFest is a free event ahead of NHRA Nationals at the Rock — the first-ever NHRA points event at Richmond County’s historic dragstrip.
More than 30 NHRA drivers are scheduled to be on site for autograph signings and a meet-and-greet, including: six-time Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson; three-time Funny Car champ Ron Capps; up-and-comer Maddi Gordon; “Tricky” Rickie Smith; Jeff Lutz; Lyle Barnett; husband and wife Matt Smith (six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ) and Angie Smith; and Matt Latino.
Anderson was at the Rock last November for the announcement, and Capps and Gordon came to the track in March to promote the event. Both Anderson and Capps previously competed at Rockingham Dragway during the NHRA Winston Invitational, a non-points race that ran from 1989-1998.
NitroFest will also have several automotive and racing-related vendors, as well as multiple food trucks, a Kids Zone and live music from country rap duo The Lacs.
The event is organized by the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority and city of Rockingham, with Tourism Director Meghann Lambeth and city Events Coordinator Kim Williams at the helm.
NitroFest is free and open to the public and is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m.
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