that may be a 'trend' or common occurrence but it's not 'true' in any universal sense. they are just bolt center diameters for different amounts of strength and dynamics.

reasons why you'd want a 130 bcd for the road: gearing can be made smaller or more compact so you get the same gear ratio with:
less weight
more ground clearance or ability to utilize a low bb for aerodynamics and handling
less chain to get slacky requiring longer derailleur sweep/pull/whatever its called

reasons why you'd want a 144 for track:
longer crank spindle arms mean less radial distance per set chainring diameter to prevent warping and keep good chain tension and line at all points of crank spin
track bikes have a high bb and you don't need ground clearance on a track so larger chainrings are easier to produce and stronger than smaller cogs

reasons not to use either for either purpose:
none unless you have specific clearance/cost issues.

generally, if you're using a ring of 44 teeth or more, 144bcd is going to give you a stiffer front drivetrain with less chance of bent rings.

but you certainly don't need one for the other and if you buy a lower quality ring or set, you'll lose any possible physical performance advantage to low quality inefficiencies.