The Daytona International Speedway Road Course will host the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time this weekend with a nod toward the history books.
The track’s road course has been the sight of a myriad of races since its inception with the centerpiece being the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The iconic sports car race is considered one of the most prestigious events in all of motorsports.
While there have been other forms of racing held on the course, this Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 is the first time NASCAR’s premiere division will compete on the layout. The circuit has been modified to add an additional chicane off the superspeedway’s fourth turn and now measures 3.61-miles in length with a total of 14 turns.
As has been the case since NASCAR returned to action after the two month COVID-19 hiatus there will not be practice or qualifying this weekend. That compounds what is already going to be a difficult proposition to race on a track for the first time that much more of a challenge.
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However, many drivers are embracing the opportunity, including the man on top of the series point standings.
“I think it will be fun,” said Kevin Harvick, who will start from the pole. “As you look at the events that we have and those unique events – I’ve been talking about that for years and I think this will be one of them. The Daytona road course is very historic and it’s a little bit different (for us) with the chicane on the front straightaway. I started working on it this week. We’re week-to-week people.
“I’ll turn my iRacing simulator on for the first time since I ‘left’ North Wilkesboro (May 9) and figure out where the hell I’m going, and then I’ll go to the real simulator on Wednesday and figure out how to drive. It will be interesting because of the fact we have no practice. But that’s what we need. We need more unique events.”
While Sunday’s race is unique, there is a tinge of nostalgia attached to a NASCAR road course race in Daytona. The origins of the sport trace back to the historic Daytona Beach road course where NASCAR racing was held before “The World Center of Racing” opened its gates in 1959. The course started with cars headed south on the pavement of Highway A1A. Drivers would turn and race back to the north on the sandy beachfront of the Atlantic Ocean to complete a lap around the distinctive layout.
The second race in the sanctioning body’s existence was held on the course. Red Byron won that afternoon and would go on to win NASCAR’s first championship in 1949. NASCAR competed on the beach course through the 1958 before migrating to the new Daytona International Speedway.
So in many ways this week’s road racing adventure is a bit like “Back to the Future” for NASCAR racing.
“It’s fun just doing different things, new things and this year has brought a lot of that,” added Jimmie Johnson. “There’s silver lining moments we’re all experiencing with this pandemic. You look at the schedule and races moving around and Daytona being an example of that with the road course, it’s nice to have something a little different, especially where I sit with my career and looking for new experiences.”
Motor Racing Network will have live coverage of Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 starting at 2 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series will also be competing on the 3.57-mile road course with MRN broadcasting each race. See schedule for start times.
