Coke Zero Sugar 400 locked into late August? Daytona International Speedway president likes it
Remember three years ago, when NASCAR announced it was dumping yet another tradition and moving Daytona’s summertime race off the Fourth of July weekend?
Sixty years of tradition – and fireworks! – were being swooped away and moved to Indianapolis, of all places. Indy already has the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” why do they need another gift handed to them?
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Worse yet, it wasn’t like NASCAR was moving the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (the moderation iteration of the great old Firecracker 400) to a cooler, less rainy part of the calendar. Nope, they were moving it to late August, when it’s still hot, when it still rains a lot, and when locals know we’re getting to the unofficial start of true hurricane season.
The upside, we were told, was making Daytona the final stop of the 26-race regular season, book-ending it with the season-opening Daytona 500.
This year's 400 has ramped up the intensity, with playoff spots dwindling
Well, as if the first two late-August 400s weren’t exciting enough, this year’s race has ramped up the anxiety. Fifteen racers and teams enter Saturday night already locked into the playoffs, so just one spot remains and there are 15 outsiders licking their chops and hoping for a shot coming off Turn 4 on the 160th and final lap.
The added attention and intrigue is palpable, particularly within the industry.
So, naturally, guess what. Daytona International Speedway leadership is now in no mood to even consider requesting a return to the old July date.
“New traditions are being made and we’re gonna work hard to keep our spot on the schedule,” said Speedway president Frank Kelleher. “I think the action on the track has definitely provided our fans, whether they’re at home or the folks who are here in the stands or camping, just a wonderful experience.”
Well, Frank, we have to ask. What if NASCAR came to you and asked if you’d mind handing over Race 26 and maybe returning to the old July date?
Silly question, actually.
“I doubt they would ‘ask’ me,” Kelleher said. “It’d be more like, ‘Here’s what’s happening . . .’
“But if, over a beer, they said, ‘Hey, whaddaya think?’ I’d say, ‘no way!’ ”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR's Daytona race in August a winner to Speedway's Frank Kelleher
