NASCAR racing and America are synonymous. Nearly since its inception, NASCAR has held races on either the 4th of July or around the 4th of July weekend. Originally, these races were held at the now-long-gone Raleigh Speedway. Then, after the construction of the Daytona International Speedway, the yearly patriotic event was moved to Florida for the Firecracker 400. This was the case until 2020, when the race was once again moved. The Summer Daytona race was shifted to either being the cutoff race for the regular season or, as in the case last year, inserted into the NASCAR Playoffs.
For the 2020 season, the race that was held on July 4th weekend was the Brickyard 400. In 2021 and 2022, the annual holiday races were moved to the patriotically named Road America road course. However, a new tradition began in 2023. Part of a three-year deal with the city of Chicago, the July 4th weekend was shifted to the downtown area of the Windy City. 2025 was the last year in that initial agreement. And though current Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated that he was “open” to having NASCAR back, he also stated that if a new agreement was to be reached, he would want the race to be held on a different weekend.
So, more likely than not, the July 4th weekend race will not return to Chicago next year or in the foreseeable future. With that in mind, what track could potentially pick up that July 4th weekend date? Here are just some of the options.
The first three of the races on this list have all hosted the date before. So, potentially, they could again. Granted, there are different degrees in which this is a possibility. Perhaps one of the more likely tracks that could be moved into the slot is the Brickyard 400. In 2020, the event was run during the July 4th weekend. Currently, the race is slated to be run during the last weekend in July. It is possible that NASCAR could shift things around and plop Indy down into this slot. The race has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. Following the 2020 season, the Brickyard 400 was moved to the less prestigious in-field road course. However, it came back with a lot of clout in 2024. Many drivers consider the race one of the crown jewels of NASCAR.
With that in mind, could NASCAR move the Brickyard 400 back to the July 4th weekend to boost the prestige? Possibly. It would be a small shift in the NASCAR schedule. As to what could fill the current date Indy has on the schedule, there’s another oval track adjacent to Chicago that many NASCAR fans are clamoring to be added back to the NASCAR schedule…
Road America hosted the July 4th weekend dates from 2021 through 2023. While perhaps not as likely as sliding the Brickyard into the date, it’s still a decent possibility. The road course, by and large, is a great, modern facility that most NASCAR fans enjoy. The racing there is typically pretty good, and the patriotic atmosphere is some of the best the sport has ever seen. That said, the biggest drawback for Road America returning to the date is the perceived oversaturation of road courses on the NASCAR schedule.
NASCAR, at its core, is an oval racing series. I’m not saying that road courses don’t have a place on the NASCAR schedule. Of course they do! But, in 2021, there were seven road course races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. That’s a bit much, in my opinion. And many NASCAR fans feel the same way. I’m not sure how many fans would be too thrilled with NASCAR adding yet another road course date to the schedule without dropping another…or two. But, if they wanted to do away with the street course concept altogether and go to a more traditional, purpose-built road course, Road America could be a viable option.
The Daytona International Speedway is the longest-tenured track to host these dates. The Firecracker/Pepsi/Coke Zero 400 was held on July 4th or the weekend around July 4th from 1959 through 2019. That was a sixty-year tradition that raised a lot of eyebrows when it ended. That said, Daytona has found a new home for its summer race on the NASCAR schedule, it being the last race of the regular season and before the NASCAR Playoffs. The race has seemed to thrive in that slot. So, what’s the likelihood of NASCAR giving the date back to Daytona? Really, it’s a 0% chance. Never going to happen.
Still, many fans are nostalgic and have fond memories of the July 4th races at Daytona. There was just something magical about the weekend: NASCAR under the lights in star-spangled liveries.
While it is unlikely that Daytona will ever host the July 4th weekend races again, one track that could slide into the slot that could have that same kind of nostalgic superspeedway feel, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, is Atlanta Motor Speedway…or EchoPark Speedway. Whatever. That track in Hampton, Georgia that got a facelift in 2022 and now has pack racing. The race is already dated for the last week in June. It would be an easy swap to bump it week and replace it with either Chicagoland or something else.
Since transitioning to a superspeedway-style race, Atlanta has been one of the hottest tickets on the schedule, despite early skepticism. Under the lights, late June or early July…it could be just what the doctor ordered. The more traditionalist fans who miss Daytona in the date could scratch their superspeedway itch and NASCAR wouldn’t have to move Daytona in its current date. Seems like a win-win to me!
Maybe the easiest swap for this date is to just insert another street course on this weekend. NASCAR seems to really like the street course concept and has been in conversations with different markets to host NASCAR races in the future. With the Chicago deal being done and a 2026 return looking less and less likely by the day, why not just take this race to a different city? One of the more prominent cities mentioned regarding hosting a street race in the near future is San Diego. With NASCAR looking to get back into the SoCal market, it would make sense for them to return with a street race in San Diego. The schedule wouldn’t have to be altered too much to make this happen. It seems like an easy fix. And, with the next race being Sonoma, it could be part of a West Coast Swing, Summer Edition.
These are just our thoughts, Daily Downforce readers. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
