ROCKINGHAM — The setting sun over Rockingham Dragway provided a fitting end to the Street Outlaws No Prep Kings’ two-day racing event.

In the finale of Saturday’s motorsports extravaganza, New Orleans-base racer Scott Taylor narrowly defeated Clay Cole, and credits his crew for keeping the car together past the finish line.

“We burnt a pushrod up, the rear-end, every round it was something, but my crew – they kept us going every pass. Every team has to have a great crew, and we got that,” Taylor said.

The showdown between Taylor and Cole was just the desert of a feast of racing that began Friday afternoon and did not wrap up until the twilight hours Saturday. For Richmond Tourism Authority Director Meghan Lambeth, who volunteered for the event both days, seeing it come to an end was bittersweet.

“It has been a huge success with little to no hiccups. It’s been amazing. It’s been a great program to bring back. The community really showed up. I met people from Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia,” Lambeth said. “… We’ve been planning for this since December, but to get through it, have it run so well and meet so many new people, we made so many great memories here. It was worth it. These people, coming from all over to The Rock. We love it and we want more people out.”

For Rockingham Dragway Owner Dan VanHorn, who purchased the racetrack in 2022, hosting organizations like the Street Outlaws No Prep Kings is always unique. With promoters playing up each race – exhibiting the drama and pagentry of straight track racing – fans in attendance last Saturday received more than fair value for the price of their tickets.

“There are not that many events that we can have that are this size. We are grateful we have great weather and the support of the community. We had so many people volunteering to help, which helped us as a track be successful. I can’t thank them enough. Between the City of Hamlet, the mayor, the tourism director of Richmond County (Lambeth), the list is too long of people who helped. They are all people that are a part of this community, who this track has been in their lives longer than mine. To see them try and keep it alive and grow, like it’s doing, is humbling to say the least,” VanHorn said.

Although late into 2024, racing season at Rockingham Dragway is far from over.

“We have the NHRA Divisional and Open next weekend. We have the Jim McClure All Harley World Final the last weekend in October. We have our Freedom at The Rock veterans and first responders event the first week of November … We still have a full schedule. There are still two full months of racing,” VanHorn said.