NASCAR is heading to Plymouth, Wis., for its 4th of July race, which takes place at the aptly named Road America race course.
Sunday’s Jockey Made in America 250 presented by KwikTrip will be the first NASCAR Cup Series event at the track; the last time NASCAR’s premier racing circuit visited was in 1956. when it was called “Grand National.”
Regardless, Sunday’s race — one of only seven road courses in the 2021 season — provides an opportunity for non-Hendrick Motorsports teams to take the checkered flag after a four-week hiatus. Kyle Larson won three straight events before teammate Alex Bowman won the first race of the doubleheader at Pocono on June 26.
Drivers have only seven more races in the regular season schedule — Sunday’s included — to secure a spot in the 16-car playoff. Only 11 drivers have won NASCAR events this season, leaving space enough for five more drivers to secure a spot. Assuming there will be a few more repeat winners, it’s imperative for the top non-winning drivers — Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon — to cement themselves with good positions in the ensuing races.
