For the first time since 2012, NASCAR’s Feeder Series, ARCA Menards East, is returning to Rockingham Speedway for the ARCA 125. “The Rock,” as it has become widely known, is a d-shaped oval speedway stretching 1.017 miles. It got its iconic nickname because it is 10 miles outside Rockingham, North Carolina. Though Rockingham Speedway’s rapport with hosting the ARCA Menards Series isn’t quite as notable as the Xfinity and Cup Series, there’s still a rich history.
The inaugural ARCA race was held at the track on June 10, 1973, and was dominated by Charlie Glotzbach. Glotzbach led an exciting 285 of 295 race laps over Charlie Blanton. More recent wins at the track include Team Penske’s great Joey Logano, who made his ARCA RE/MAX debut there on May 4, 2008. Other NASCAR greats have also achieved wins at the track, including David Pearson (11), Cale Yarborough (7), Richard Petty (11), and Dale Earnhardt Sr (2).
As ARCA drivers head to “The Rock” for the 13th race in over a decade and the second of 2025, they’re excited to breathe much-needed life back into the sport. Statistically, it has lost nearly a third of its viewership recently. The Daytona 500, the Crown Jewel of all races, shockingly saw an 8% decrease in viewership this year. Therefore, the franchise decided to resurrect Rockingham once the very fabric of NASCAR’s Golden Era in the 1960s. Will ARCA Menards East do it proud?
NASCAR ARCA Pensacola 150 Recap
ARCA Menards East is returning to the ever-historic Rockingham after an eventful season opener at Five Flags Speedway. Part-time driver of the No. 18 Max Reaves for Joe Gibbs Racing took the checkered flag in his debut run. He is now one of 15 to win a race on a debut run. Reaves was unaware of what to expect when he got behind the wheel of his JGR Toyota on March 22nd. However, he recognized the challenges he was up against with Kole Raz and teammate Connor Mosack during the NASCAR ARCA Pensacola 150.
Both drivers have shown immense promise in their quests to make a name for themselves in ARCA/NASCAR. Like Joe Gibbs’ teammate Max Reaves, Mosack won his inaugural race in Kansas and currently holds two career wins. On the other hand, AM Racing’s Kole Raz has only secured one. Despite the fierce competition, Reaves never wavered, even toward the end of the race when Raz challenged him. The pair were 27 laps to the end of a 150-lap race when Raz blew past him for the lead.
The heat was on, and for a split second, it seemed Raz would emerge victorious, but no such luck. It was down to the wire, but Reaves found an opening and worked his way back in. Once the JGR driver worked his way back in, he charged for the lead and held on until he reached the checkered flag. Kole Raz was then relegated to P2 as Max Reaves cruised to victory lane. Post-race, a shocked Reaves spoke to reporters about his debut win with Joe Gibbs Racing.
“I’m speechless right now,” Reaves said. “I felt like Superman when I passed Kole Raz for the lead and passed lapped cars. It was awesome, and the car was awesome,” Reaves said of his debut race win.
Going into the season’s second race at the historic Rockingham Speedway, ARCA Menards East is ready to turn up the heat. Drivers are eager to write a more modern history for the first time since Joey Logano’s win 13 years ago in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Newcomer Max Reaves already etched a piece of his own history at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola on March 27th during his ARCA Debut. The Joe Gibbs No. 18 driver won over AM Racing’s Kole Raz, but is not expected to race this weekend. Who will take the checkered flag at Rockingham? Stay tuned.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly been looking for another skill position player to help supplement their offense, but wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni believes Calvin Austin III is more than capable of filling the No. 2 role behind DK Metcalf. "Everyone's downplaying, underplaying our group right now," Azzanni said, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski. "I love it that way. I don't want anyone looking at us anyway. It'll be good. So I think that two spot is all Calvin's. And really him and DK are such different players, there's going to be plays where he is the one guy, 'cause that's his route and vice versa, because they're so different in stature." The Steelers' receiver room has been rather thin over the past few years. While Metcalf is likely an upgrade over George Pickens, who was traded to the Dallas Cowboys last month, the team still has a need for supplementary pieces who are capable of making an impact on a weekly basis. While Roman Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, and veteran Robert Woods, who signed a one-year deal in April, will both be incorporated within Pittsburgh's offense, Austin seems to be in line for an elevated role after flashing his potential throughout the 2024 campaign. While showing signs that he was becoming a more well-rounded receiver, Austin finished the year with 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns while acting as the Steelers' primary option out of the slot. He had a bit of a slow start to his career after missing his entire rookie campaign in 2022 due to a foot injury, but the 26-year-old has gotten back on track over the past two seasons. There's plenty of explosiveness in his game, and Azzanni is bullish about what he brings to the table as he enters a contract year. "I think everyone overlooks No. 19," he said, per Steelers insider Mark Kaboly. "That guy's a legit NFL receiver ... he just gets separation all over the field, he'll bite your face off in the run game, nothing affects him, a great leader. He can do a lot of things a two can do."
The Denver Broncos officially signed running back J.K. Dobbins to a one-year contract, the team announced Wednesday, confirming prior media reports. To make room on the offseason roster, the Broncos released long snapper Zach Triner in a corresponding transaction. Undrafted in 2015 out of little-known Assumption University, Triner has made 84 career appearances since entering the league, including six seasons with the Buccaneers during which he won a Super Bowl. The 34-year-old spent part of the 2024 campaign on the Miami Dolphins' practice squad. Triner signed a non-guaranteed one-year, $1.17 million contract with the Broncos in April, reportedly to provide "legitimate competition" for incumbent long snapper Mitch Fraboni, who inked a three-year extension at the start of the offseason. Recovering from a minor back operation that sidelined him during spring practice, Fraboni is expected to return for training camp and should continue as Denver's primary deep snapper for the third consecutive campaign. “The intricacies of that are the location. When you look at a snapper like that, you look at where the ball is located, how tight the spiral is, and then the lace location," former Broncos special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica said of Fraboni last September. "That also has to do with the holder, so I would say that they are in a good spot. They are in a really good spot. It is further ahead than it was last year at this time, and it’s good to see that. Any time you can see players who are working on things and then it ends up converting, especially on Sundays, it’s really neat to see.”
The Green Bay Packers‘ personnel on offense might have gotten a bit more explosive this offseason, thanks to the arrival of rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden and his 4.29 speed. But, it’s another one of Jordan Love’s weapon who has a strong message for the quarterback and his head coach. Packers’ Tucker Kraft Wants to Get Vertical With Packers mandatory minicamp in full swing, tight end Tucker Kraft says he wants a bigger piece of the pie this season. “One thing I felt like I could’ve done better,” Kraft told reporters, of his goals for 2025, “was separate in man-to-man. Most of my game was checkdowns underneath and my yards-after-catch ability. I’m looking to put it all together. I’m looking to have every resource I need based on the repetitions I’ve gotten over and over and over this offseason.” No team posted more explosive plays in the vertical passing game than the Packers’ 38 last season, and while Green Bay is banking on Golden’s speed taking the top off opposing defenses, Kraft has the skill-set to play a factor deep downfield, as well. Only four tight ends boasted a higher Average Depth of Target than Kraft did a year ago, and then there’s his desire to leverage his 6-foot-5 and 259-pound frame into being a bigger weapon after the catch. If Kraft’s message was anyting close to “throw me the football,” it was received loud and clear by Love. “Get him as many touches as possible each week,” Love said, of Kraft. Whether Kraft can go from a YAC Machine to veritcal mismatch remains to be seen, but if Love starts airing it out, Kraft could be an even more vital piece of the offense’s success.
Before quarterback Matthew Stafford left some money on the table and worked out an agreement to remain with the Los Angeles Rams through the 2025 season, stories suggested Los Angeles could trade Stafford and then sign Aaron Rodgers to serve as its short-term starter. During a Wednesday appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" program, Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed whether acquiring Rodgers was viewed as a backup plan for the club this past winter. "If [keeping Stafford] wasn't able to occur, then [signing Rodgers] was definitely a conversation and a possibility for us," McVay explained, as shared by Madison Williams of Sports Illustrated. "I have a ton of respect for [Rodgers'] body of work, and I've gotten to know Aaron and really enjoy the conversations and the approach, the way that he thinks about the game and in life. That was a possibility, but our first priority was always to get Matthew back." Following the 2024 season, the Rams allowed Stafford to explore a trade to either the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders. However, he has since made it known that he "never really wanted to leave" what's been his NFL home since 2021. Considering what could have been, it's somewhat ironic that a report from early March revealed that Rodgers' two-season stint with the New York Jets may have "brought some grass-isn’t-greener perspective to Stafford’s position" regarding his decision to stay with the Rams. As for Rodgers, he remained unsigned until he inked a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend. Not long after the Rams confirmed that Stafford would be their QB1 through the upcoming campaign, they signed free-agent wide receiver Davante Adams to a two-year contract that could be worth up to $44M. Adams and Rodgers were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 2014-21 and again with the Jets for a portion of last season. One can't help but wonder how Rodgers feels about the fact that he once again could have been sharing a locker room with Adams this summer had Stafford agreed to join either the Giants or Raiders in March.