Rockingham, NC — Richmond County Commissioners voted 4-3 on Thursday to give a grant payment of $375,000 to a vendor for Rockingham Speedway. Now one city has called for an investigation.
On Wednesday, Channel 9 reported that some commissioners had concerns about providing money to the speedway to pay off a debt. Channel 9 found the speedway had an unpaid bill for SAFER barriers that were installed at the track prior to the April 2025 races.
But Channel 9’s Gina Esposito reports that commissioners were told they could lose races scheduled at The Rock in 2026 if they didn’t pay the bill.
Commissioners Jamie Gathings, Justin Dawkins and Jason Gainey opposed the measure.
Commissioner Jamie Gathings said he received a call over the weekend from Chairman Rick Watkins regarding the debt payment. He was told the speedway’s owner expressed the need for the payment to ensure The Rock would secure races for April 2026.
“According to Chairman Watkins—we need to write a $375,000 check to a SAFER barrier company that was getting ready to put a lien on the track,” said Gathings.
On Wednesday, NASCAR announced races would return to The Rock in April 2026.
Gathings said he loves NASCAR and would like to see the races return, but he and other commissioners expressed concerns about the process of providing taxpayer money to the speedway without an official meeting.
Gathings said Chairman Watkins was ready to sign an agreement to provide the money over the weekend, but commissioners called for a special meeting, Thursday to discuss it.
During Thursday’s meeting, some commissioners expressed concerns about Chairman Watkin’s handling of this matter.
Gathings said there was no public hearing, and the track’s owner, Dan Lovenheim, wasn’t able to speak or answer questions from the board. Gathings said Track Enterprises President Bob Sargent was listening to the meeting over the phone.
On Wednesday, Sargent told Channel 9 he was interested in purchasing the track, which is currently up for sale. He had said he supports any county support.
Channel 9 received a copy of the agreement signed by Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Rick Watkins, Rockingham Speedway owner Dan Lovenheim, and the owner of Track Enterprises, a company looking to purchase the racetrack.
The contract was signed on Aug. 15 by the two company owners. On Saturday, Wakins signed the agreement. County commissioners didn’t vote to approve the transaction until Thursday.
The contract obligated Richmond County to pay $375,000 within five days of the signing of the agreement to “…vendors with balances outstanding for services provided in conjunction with the 2025 event.”
The vote on Thursday was exactly five days after Wakins signed the agreement.
The contract also serves as an agreement between Rockingham Properties (Lovenheim) and Track Enterprises to negotiate the sale of the racetrack — from anywhere from $6.1 million and $6.9 million.
Now, Hamlet City Manager John Terzui has accused Richmond County of violating four state statutes and is calling on the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the vote’s handling.
Terzui said Richmond County violated open meeting laws with “failure to provide proper public notice and agenda” and violated constitutional rights by not allowing “citizens to speak.”
He also alleged conflicts of interest and ethics violations, saying there’s a report that indicated the “county chair executed a contract prematurely... prior to Board review.”
Terzui also said he believes the board failed to comply with economic development statutes and is misusing public funds.
“This allocation occurred while critical public services — including emergency response... remain underfunded,” Terzui said in a document.
Esposito is reaching out to the Attorney General’s office to see if they will consider opening an investigation.
No additional details have been made available.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.
WATCH: Racing’s return to Rockingham Speedway in doubt over $300,000 debt
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