NASCAR hopes Road America can become a new summer holiday tradition
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
NASCAR’s first attempt to create a new Independence Day tradition lasted one year.
Its second attempt could last much, much longer.
Talk to NASCAR drivers and those in the industry, and they still feel strange about not heading to Daytona Beach this weekend, where for decades NASCAR raced at Daytona International Speedway either on July 4 or as part of the weekend closest to the holiday.
That race used to start in the late morning, and the industry would be soaking up rays on the beach by mid-afternoon. It was then moved to a Saturday night race, often allowing for a Saturday morning or Sunday visit to the ocean.
"For me, I have personal ties to Daytona and just the July 4 race being there because that’s how I grew up, and that’s where I’ve spent over probably half of the July 4ths in my life," defending Cup champion Chase Elliott said.
In trying to create the most drama possible for its regular-season championship and heading into the playoffs, NASCAR last year moved the regular-season finale to Daytona, giving the event a late August date instead. The unpredictable nature of racing at Daytona creates more potential for a walk-off moment in NASCAR’s win-and-in playoff system.
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NASCAR appeared to succeed with that move, as William Byron earned his first career Cup win to make the playoffs, with the drivers inside and outside the cutline changing lap to lap.
But the Independence Day race weekend — and creating a new annual must-attend stop on its schedule — remains on the to-do list for the Cup Series.
Last year, NASCAR went to Indianapolis on the holiday weekend. With no fans because of the pandemic, it would stand to reason that no one could've gauged whether the Brickyard could become the new tradition.
Then again, that move didn't ever seem to make sense. Coming just five weeks after the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard gave Roger Penske little time to switch focus to promoting the NASCAR races following the marquee event. Plus, the heat in Indianapolis — with no beach to make it somewhat bearable — at a track where the Cup cars have struggled to put on a good show, didn’t seem like a recipe for success. Not to mention, the traditions of hometown parades and July 4 events are staples of the nearby communities.
Enter Road America. The 4.048-mile road course an hour north of Milwaukee has all the elements for a signature event. With its crowd coming primarily from camping, families can make a weekend of getting away from home at a time when many can take off a workday or two. Generating a crowd of 30,000 or more campers is much easier than trying to fill a facility of 100,000 seats during a holiday weekend.
Even if it's in the high-80s or low-90s — as predicted for this weekend — the heat shouldn’t be as brutal as it was in Daytona or could be in Indianapolis.
Finally, NASCAR’s new embracing of road-course racing — there are seven road courses on this year’s schedule, instead of the two or three of the past several seasons — allows for a showcase of a product that it believes is some of its most exciting racing.
Beer, brats, fireworks and NASCAR. This might work.
"It was an exciting Saturday night superspeedway race [at Daytona] in the middle of the summer that was around an important weekend for our country," Elliott said.
"Can Road America now be that fit? I don’t see why not."
That feeling is echoed around the NASCAR industry as it prepares for its first Cup race at the track since 1956.
"It’s going to be different, but Road America is arguably one of the most beautiful race tracks we go to, as well as one of the biggest fan bases we go to, one of the most passionate fan bases we go to, just a great facility," said Justin Allgaier, who has an Xfinity win at the track.
With the Xfinity Series having raced at Road America for a decade, it won’t be a new experience for many drivers. While they know NASCAR can switch gears quickly when it comes to the schedule, they can’t ignore the potential.
"Who knows what mainstay is going to be?" said AJ Allmendinger, who has won in the Xfinity Series at the track. "It’s important to find places in the schedule that attracts people at that time of year. ... There’s so much camping and cooking out there, I would agree it feels like way more Fourth of July-ish than at Indy, where you’re standing on black pavement all day.
"It has the potential. It’s a beautiful place, for sure."
Allmendinger has no doubt about one thing: The Cup cars will put on a show.
"It’s going to be fast," he said. "The scream, the noise is going to bounce off the guardrails and stuff. It’s going to be awesome to just be a part of and to hear."
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass.
