Racing Louisville, Chance the Rapper and Daytona International Speedway? Happening this July

DAYTONA BEACH — Women's soccer will take center stage in the infield of Daytona International Speedway on Fourth of July weekend.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) will hold a regular-season match between Racing Louisville and Orlando Pride July 3, the second day of the inaugural Daytona Soccer Fest event. The announcement was made at the Speedway on Tuesday.

"This is just such a cool opportunity for us to show off our venue in such a whole new platform," Speedway president Frank Kelleher said. "We're excited for that element, we're excited to be partnering with our friends right down the road with the Orlando Pride and also excited for our community — Central Florida, all of Volusia County — to have such a fun event for Fourth of July weekend to come on out to the racetrack."

CBS will broadcast the game live at 8 p.m., said Liz Dalton, the NWSL's managing director of competition and player affairs. The visibility and the fact that points will count toward the standings ramp up the event's importance, the players believe.

"We've really struggled for, basically, the entirety of how long this league has been here for us always getting the back seat," Pride forward Sydney Leroux said. "Being prime-time, we always talk about that. We deserve that. Prime time here is something else. We're very excited. We think we're moving in a good direction, and we hope this can happen throughout the league."

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A new, natural grass field will be constructed to account for the width of the playing surface and raised 18 inches. It will extend from the double yellow line of the track near the pit road wall, with the start/finish line serving as the midfield stripe.

The intent, Kelleher said, is to open the primary center section of the grandstands. Mobile, temporary seating will be configured around the pitch. As of now, there is not a firm number for maximum capacity.

Soccer Fest will also include live music. Puerto Rican sensation Rauw Alejandro and Adassa, who recently played the role of Dolores in Disney's Encanto, will perform in concert Saturday, and Chance the Rapper is scheduled to take the stage Sunday.

Colombian clubs América de Cali and Deportivo Cali will highlight Soccer Fest's opening day — a rivalry popularly known as “El Clásico Vallecaucano" that dates back to 1931.

The NWSL started in 2013 as the preeminent professional women's league in North America.

Orlando Pride entered as an expansion franchise three years later. U.S. international Leroux and Melbourne native Toni Pressley are among the Pride's star players, as is Brazilian legend Marta, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in a March 26 match against North Carolina Courage.

"To have (the match) in this iconic setting and this festival, I think it could be the beginning of something really great and regular, a tradition," Orlando Pride chairman Mark Wilf said. "We're excited to really lean into it. Our whole organization, our whole community, our fan base, we're going to bring the troops, if you will, to get the support."

One of two franchises to join the NWSL in 2021, Racing Louisville is led by Danish forward Nadia Nadim, who scored 17 goals in 28 appearances for French giants Paris Saint-Germain between 2019-21. The club's name refers to Louisville's horse racing venues, most notably Churchill Downs — site of the prestigious, annual Kentucky Derby.

"We're super excited to play our NWSL clash against Orlando in July at Daytona," Racing captain Gemma Bonner said. "It's going to be a great festival, and we can't wait to put a show on for you all."

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Daytona International Speedway announced plans for Soccer Fest way back in February 2020, targeting Independence Day weekend of the following year. Then-president Chip Wile wanted to appeal to new audiences in showcasing the venue's $400 million renovation.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, eventually resulting in Soccer Fest's rescheduling. Daytona International Speedway finally lifted capacity restrictions last August, just in time for the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

In addition to the two main matches, the World Freestyle Football Association event will hold an event during the weekend. Sunday's festivities will include a Legends Game pitting European stars against counterparts from the Americas.

World Cup champion David Trezeguet (France), former Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano (Argentina), former Paris Saint-Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi (Argentina), former Lazio and Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón (Argentina), former Valencia midfielder Gaizka Mendieta (Spain) and Werder Bremen all-time top scorer Claudio Pizarro (Peru) are among the legends scheduled to appear, Galarza said.

Tickets for the weekend start at $99 for a day pass. Visit www.daytonasoccerfest.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Soccer Fest to include Racing Louisville, Chance the Rapper