Over a year since the NASCAR Cup Series grid had its final race in Road America, memories of the sputtering engines continue echoing through the road course. The facility has since been repaved and had multiple upgrades. However, hope is the only answer that the track officials have when asked about the possibility of NASCAR returning to race on it.
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In a recent interview for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the venue’s president, Mike Kertscher, was asked about NASCAR coming back to Road America. He said the purpose of having stock car races on his track was fulfilled in the two years that the Cup Series raced on it (2021 and 2022). Explaining, he cited the increased audience turnout and revenue generation in 2023 that came from other events.
He said of the effects, “We saw significant growth at all of our events, all year long. It was really great to see them [audience] return. They clearly like the Road America experience and they found another event to come to with family and friends.” Though his goal has been attained, Kertscher does hope that the racing series returns for the sake of an image appeal.
“We hope it comes back,” he continued. “It’s definitely for us, it’s nice to have. It’s not necessarily a need to have. Our success is not defined by whether NASCAR races on the track, but man, it looks better with them here.” The decision of a return is something that needs to be taken more by NASCAR than Road America, as Kertscher agrees.
Why did the Cup Series move away from Road America in just two years?
In 2023, the inaugural Chicago Street Course race replaced the Road America fixture. NASCAR’s VP of racing development and strategy, Ben Kennedy, reassured NBC Sports at the time that moving away did not mean that the 4-mile course would never come back on the schedule again. He reasoned the departure towards wanting to be present in a market like Chicago and doing something new.
Kertscher said then, “We understand NASCAR’s efforts to improve the sport while introducing it to new fans, and we look forward to welcoming them back to America’s National Park of Speed in the future.” While the Cup Series broke away in 2022, the Xfinity Series held on for another year. In late 2023, it was announced that the track would not hold any NASCAR races in 2024.
