Rookie Gio Ruggiero Fastest Driver in Two-Day NASCAR Rockingham Test

The bad-fast two-day (expanded to a second day after a damp track delay on Tuesday morning) NASCAR Xfinity Series/NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series test at Rockingham Speedway concluded on Wednesday afternoon. While every driver flashed speeds good enough to surpass the track record over the two days, no driver turned a faster lap than NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year contender Gio Ruggiero.

In the first of two NASCAR Truck Series one-hour test sessions on Wednesday, Ruggiero clocked in an impressive 21.888 second lap time driving the No. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, which equates to an average speed of 167.270 mph around the 1.017-mile oval in Rockingham, North Carolina.

Ruggiero narrowly out-paced Kaden Honeycutt, who drives the No. 45 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports, by 0.029 seconds. Ty Majeski, who turned the fastest lap of the opening day of the test, was third-fastest at 0.095 seconds off Ruggiero’s lap time.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Two-Day Cumulative Best Lap Times

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it was another rookie driver who led the way over the two-day test session. Corey Day, driving the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, posted a lap time of 22.540 seconds (162.431 mph) on Tuesday, which held up through Wednesday to secure the fastest lap time for the Xfinity Series test at Rockingham.

Richard Childress Racing’s second-year driver Jesse Love came in second-fastest with a lap time just 0.127 seconds off the time set by Day. Harrison Burton, who moves to the AM Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series team after three years in the NASCAR Cup Series with Wood Brothers Racing, was third-fastest, 0.148 seconds off of Day’s lap time.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Two-Day Cumulative Best Lap Times

Day, who also tested the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Truck, completed the most laps of anyone throughout the two-day test with him being behind the wheel for a total of 442 laps. That will equate to a massive amount of additional experience for the 19-year-old Hendrick Motorsports development driver.

If the speeds achieved by the drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series over the last two days at Rockingham seem fast, it’s because they truly are.

Heading into April’s race weekend, the all-time NASCAR National Series track record at Rockingham was a 158.035 mph lap turned by Rusty Wallace in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the 2000 Dura Lube / Kmart 400 at the race track.

Ruggiero’s fast lap in the No. 17 truck would smash Wallace’s all-time track record by nearly 10 mph. To further blow your mind, the all-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series track record at Rockingham is more than 20 mph slower than the lap turned by Ruggiero. Jeb Burton currently holds the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series track record with a 146.909 mph pole-winning run for the 2013 NASCAR Truck Series event at Rockingham.

The all-time NASCAR Xfinity Series track record at Rockingham Speedway sits at 156.358 mph, which earned Greg Biffle the pole for the 2001 Alltel 200 at the track.

What we learned from the two-day test session is that a fresh track surface, which was paved in 2022 and hasn’t been used in a competitive race since will likely result in new track records across the board for the legendary 1.017-mile track.

Rockingham Speedway, which hasn’t hosted a NASCAR National Series event since the 2013 season, when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series held its second event, to date, at the speedway, is set to make its comeback during Easter weekend in 2025.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will both compete at Rockingham Speedway that weekend (April 18-19), which happens to be the lone NASCAR Cup Series off-week of the 2025 season. Rockingham Speedway says tickets remain for the Easter Weekend NASCAR Truck Series/Xfinity Series double-header race weekend. The track has partnered with Tickets-Center.com, where interested fans can purchase their tickets.