Road America and Wisconsin return as Cup Series hosts

First of all, a nod to the obvious scheduling maneuver, proving someone in HQ completed Marketing 101 over at the junior college: When you bring in a track called Road America, and you have a chance to plant it on the Fourth of July weekend, well, some no-brainers are even easier than others. As for the racing, the Xfinity Series has been going to the historic Wisconsin track yearly since 2010, so there should be no surprises logistically. Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell are the two most recent winners there, but Chase Elliott is an obvious road-course ace and Kyle Larson must be agitated after losing twice (TWICE!) in one weekend. Oh the horror!

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What about Cup Series history at Road America?

It’s a short one — just one race, back in 1956, won by Tim Flock, with Billy Meyers and Fireball Roberts running second and third. Frankly, results from that race look like they might be upside-down. Right there at the bottom is a young Junior Johnson, with Marvin Panch and Curtis Turner also in the bottom five. According to old race reports, Junior lost his clutch on Lap 1, and that’s no way to run a road course. Two races later, Junior was leading laps at Hickory but fell out due to “vapor lock” — yes, the same malady that befell Aunt Mae upon seeing her first R-rated movie. 

— Ken Willis