1. Two and done for Road America?
It’s the story every potential NASCAR Cup Series venue wants to tell: NASCAR takes a chance, adds you to the schedule, you have a successful debut, the follow-up sells well too, and then the series doesn’t come back after that.
OK, maybe that last chapter leaves a little bit to be desired.
Road America has seemingly done its part to repay NASCAR for putting it on the Cup Series slate, hosting a pair of races that have proved popular with fans in the greater Milwaukee area. It’s a beautiful venue, and has had a pair of popular winners after this past weekend’s Kwik Trip 250.
But it’s future is very much up in the air, and there are questions about whether the circuit is truly well-suited for stock cars. Fans on Twitter liked Sunday’s race, but not by a wide margin in Jeff Gluck’s poll.
The question of Road America’s future is also being framed as a zero-sum game against a potential Chicago street race. If that event comes together, the thinking is that the upper midwest doesn’t need both that and Road America.
Maybe that’s true. But if so, it stinks that Road America did pretty much everything right and still might not be back in 2023.
2. Maybe returning July 4 weekend to Daytona is one tradition NASCAR should honor
Even if Road America does return next year and beyond, does it need to be on the holiday weekend?
When the second Daytona race was held on or around July 4, it just felt right — even more so than the Daytona 500 leading off the season, to be honest. It helped the return seem special and it was easy to remember when it would take place.
NASCAR hasn’t stuck to many old-school dates for specific races as it’s worked to revamp the Cup Series schedule over the past few years, so in that respect, moving Daytona II to a random August weekend is no different.
(Also yes, the new date isn’t exactly random, since it’s the regular season finale, but the point remains.)
But with all due respect to Road America, there’s nothing about that race that screams celebration. Restoring the 400-miler to the World Center of Speed would be a great nod to tradition in the midst of continual evolution elsewhere, and a move NASCAR should definitely consider.
3. Tyler Reddick’s win was something we needed to keep Winpocalypse 2022 alive
Though it’s seemed possible several times over the last few seasons, there’s been something about the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season that made it feel…
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