“There is not a lot of other tracks that can provide what Daytona can provide on a holiday weekend. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s always been that way, it’s the beach, it’s just a real nice place to go visit and be in the middle of the summer. “At every race track we go to on the schedule, if you said what fits with July 4th weekend, it’s Daytona,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., the recently retired racer and current NBC broadcaster. The venue that hails its February event as “The Great American Race” also served as the signature racing site for what many would consider a great American holiday.īut NASCAR will scrap tradition after this season in an attempt to add spice to its Cup Series playoffs as Daytona will play host to next year's regular-season finale on Aug. For 61 years, with the exception of one because of wildfires, NASCAR has celebrated Independence Day by racing either on that day or the nearest weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
