"In the Know" Road America

“In the Know”
Road America

The NASCAR Cup Series JOCKEY Made in America 250 presented by Kwik Trip at Road America will air on NBC (Sunday, July 4, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern – 1:30 p.m. Central). The NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 will air on NBC (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern – 1:30 p.m. Central).

Road America’s key attraction is that there is no assigned seating, and fans are free to roam about the property to find their favorite viewing location. You’ll enjoy acres of green grass, tons of trees, rolling hills, and elevated vantage points that offer fans totally unique perspectives to watch the action.

The 4-mile, 14 turn road course hasn’t run a Cup Series race since the 1950s. The NASCAR Xfinity Series has been here previously, which has provided a little experience for some of the drivers, but for many, this will be the first appearance at Road America. The track is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out in 1955. Sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines makes it one of the most challenging circuits in the world.

The Details

● Event: Jockey Made in America 250 (Round 20 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 4
● Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
● Layout: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course
● Race 1 Laps/Miles: (62 laps/250 miles)
● Race 1 Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 14 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 33 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

What Our Drivers are Saying:

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang

Are you at a disadvantage at Road America because so many of the younger drivers who have come up through the NASCAR Xfinity Series have raced at Road America and have a good bit of experience there?
“I would say so. I would say that their experience and those visuals are definitely on their side. I think as you hear people talk about racing there and the things that happen at that particular racetrack, everybody enjoys driving the racetrack and racing on that track. It was another track we decided to run the Xfinity car, be a part of the event the day before, and try to use that real-life experience to get us up to speed for Sunday.”

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Pit Boss Grills Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Do you feel confident going to another road course for the first time?
“Our finishes don’t show it, but we have actually improved our road-course program. I feel more confident behind the wheel and I think the package we run has worked in our favor this year. We had a good day at the Daytona road course earlier in the year. I couldn’t see at COTA with all of the rain, and we were in position for a top-10 at Sonoma before we had to avoid an accident at the end of the race that forced us off the track. We just need to put a full race together, minimize mistakes, and have a good day on pit road.”

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School/HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’ve said that Road America is one of your favorite places to visit. What makes it so special?
“I have always loved visiting Road America. It’s always one of the best crowds for the Xfinity Series and I’m sure we’ll see the same for Cup. It’s just a beautiful part of the country. I think I’ve discovered some hidden areas, but the place is so big, it seems like I find something new every time. I’ve been able to do all the trails and disc golf. I’ve done a lot of things at Road America and got to see parts of the racetrack where, if you just show up as a driver on race weekend and don’t explore, you would never even know were there.”

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

You’re returning to Road America, where you’ve enjoyed three solid runs in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, but this time in a Cup Series car. Your thoughts?
“I’m really excited for Road America. It’s a really prestigious road course in our country and I think it’s a place where, if you have any bad tendencies, it’s going to show up at Road America. You have so many different corners, there are so many hard corners, it just brings out some of the best road-course racing.”

SHR Stats

While it’s his and the rest of the field’s first Cup Series appearance at Road America, Cole Custer has three NASCAR Xfinity Series races and one ARCA Menards Series outing there, all resulting in top-11 finishes. In two starts at Road America in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chase Briscoe posted finishes of seventh in 2019 and third last year in the No. 98 SHR Ford. He also raced in the last year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Road America, co-driving with James Pesek in a Ford Mustang GT4 prepared by PF Racing.

Aric Almirola has 25 road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, although this will be his first visit to Road America. He has two top-10 finishes at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway with a best of eighth, four top-20s at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International with a best finish of 12th, three top-20s on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval with a best finish of 14th, and a top-12 finish in the Feb. 9 Busch Clash on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course – his best road-course finish of the year.

Kevin Harvick has made a total of 45 NASCAR Cup Series starts on road courses, but like Almirola, he has never made a start at Road America. He has 20 starts at Sonoma, 19 at Watkins Glen, three at the Charlotte Roval, two on the Daytona road course and one at COTA. He has scored two wins – Watkins Glen in 2006 and Sonoma in 2017 – along with 10 top-fives and 23 top-10s with 195 laps led.