For years, everyone knew where NASCAR was racing on the 4th of July, but, in recent years, that has changed. This is a point of contention amongst many fans who have places they would prefer that NASCAR go to. Where are the different places that NASCAR could consider going to on 4th of July weekend?
Nashville is filling in a nice slot right as summer officially begins in late June. With the track and the market already being a big hit for NASCAR, why not give Nashville a prime date on the calendar? It could be an intriguing new tradition in a market that has come to embrace NASCAR.
However, this could rattle the cages of some traditionalists. Why give a marquee date to a simple, intermediate race track rather than a more historic venue? Admittedly, this idea would have a tough time winning some fans over, but it could be an interesting idea.
New Hampshire has traditionally held a midsummer date for NASCAR, so why not move it to the Fourth of July. Also, why not give the Fourth of July date to the region of the country where the American Revolution started? It’s an interesting marketing ploy if nothing else.
However, New Hampshire is not exactly the most popular venue on the calendar. It’s not universally hated, but it’s not a race that everyone outside of New England is circling on the calendar. However, given that it’s a typical midsummer date, it would not throw the schedule too far out of whack.
This year, Atlanta is in its’ second year as the first race after the Fourth of July, and it’s marketing has marketed it as the next Fourth of July race. That is somewhat of a return to tradition with a race on a superspeedway-type race track. It is also a historical venue, as Atlanta has hosted NASCAR since 1960.
Again, this could rub traditionalists the wrong way because of it not being NASCAR’s typical Fourth of July venue. However, it is still a historic race track, so that may be a bit less in this case. Still, it’s not the typical date for Atlanta either.
When NASCAR went to Road America on the Fourth of July in 2021, and people showed up at the race track that Sunday. Many people thought this could be the start of a brand new NASCAR tradition. The Chicago Street Race came along instead, which nixed Road America from the calendar.
While it is popular amongst fans, the racing product at Road America is the question mark. The Next-Gen car has been questionable on road courses, and the most recent race at Road America ranked 31st out of the races ranked on Jeff Gluck’s “Was it a Good Race?” poll last season. It’s popular, but would the racing be good enough, and would the fans stay.
For many, this list should start and end here. Daytona was the traditional 4th of July venue for decades and decades. Now, it is the final regular season race held in late August.
The move back to Daytona would be immensely popular with fans, but then you have to look at which race to become the final race before the Playoffs. Could that be Indianapolis again, or maybe Atlanta? That is uncertain, and that is the thing NASCAR needs to figure out if they want to bring Daytona back to the 4th of July weekend slot.
The Fourth of July weekend is an event that is immensely important for NASCAR. It is a race that needs to be promoted well on a weekend where many are out and about. A great event on a day like that could give NASCAR a big mid-summer boost.
