20 years ago today, the NASCAR Cup Series took the checkered flag for the very last time at Rockingham Speedway. The D-shaped 1.017-mile oval hosted Cup races from 1965 to 2004.
Now, 2004 was a year of change for NASCAR, utilizing a playoff format for the first time in its history. As the sport evolved and moved into the future, 'The Rock' was soon to be one of the things it left in the past. As fate would have it, the track would give us something to remember it by as the race for the win that day came down to the reigning series champion and a rookie driver, appropriately giving us a battle between the sport's past and its future.
