ROCKINGHAM, NC - RIS - The new owner of North Carolina Speedway is Andy Hillenburg.  Hillenburg bught the speedway at auction for $4.4 million and plans to bring professional racing back to the venue.

The speedway, which had sit empty since a NASCAR Nextel Cup race in February, 2004, was owned by Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports.  He obtained it a lawsuit over a second racing date at his Texas speedway and immediately closed it.  On Tuesday, he unloaded the 250-acre piece of racing history, which is north of Rockingham, about 100 miles southwest of Raleigh.

Hillenburg had the distinction of being the favorite of Richmond County officials  who tried to persuade Smith to negotiate directly with him, but Smith would have none of it and continued his plans for the auction.  Hillenburg plans to have an event scheduled "within 12 months," and hinted that it might be an ARCA race.

"You can't make this work with just a few events a year," Hillenburg said.  "We're looking at all kinds of events.  Flea markets, car shows, big events, and our driving school will all be a part of the facility.  I've also been active in the motion picture industry, so that might figure into this too."

Hillenburg also noted that although the racing surface was in excellent condition, there was no equipment to be found to start a race.  "Most of the place is in excellent condition.  The luxury boxes are in good condition.  The concesson stands need some work.  I wish I could go into my office and start today, but that's not possible."

Also not included in the sale was the large grandstand on the backstretch which is currently being torn down.  Hillenburg admitted that he had no idea who was doing it or where it was going.