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As NASCAR fans in Wisconsin look ahead to the 2025 season, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a return of national NASCAR racing to Road America isn’t in the cards—at least not anytime soon. Road America president Mike Kertscher shared a candid update during his annual sit-down with the *Milwaukee Journal Sentinel* on May 1, revealing that recent communication with NASCAR hasn’t gone beyond polite conversation.
“I mean, they know who we are,” Kertscher said, referring to a brief exchange during the Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend in January. “They certainly understand what we’re capable of.”
Despite a decade-long run with the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2010 to 2023 and hosting the Cup Series in 2021 and 2022, Road America won’t be part of the NASCAR national calendar in 2025. This year marks the first time since 1992 that no Cup, Xfinity, or Truck series races will take place in Wisconsin.
A Shift in Focus — But the Door Isn’t Closed
While disappointed by the absence of NASCAR, Kertscher made it clear that Road America isn’t dwelling on the loss.
“There’s nothing to report. There’s nothing to hide either,” he said. “If it works for them, it works for them. And we’re here. We’re also not waiting around. We’re moving forward.”
He emphasized that Road America continues to thrive through a full calendar of high-profile motorsport events. “Our other events have grown and our schedule is packed,” Kertscher noted, while some 70 cars circulated the track in a light drizzle that same morning.
NASCAR’s Past Presence in Wisconsin
That's what NASCAR availed, especially to fans across the Badger State. Road America officially came to be a fixture on the NASCAR calendar starting with the Xfinity Series in 2010, hosting Cup Series races in 2021 and 2022, part of a two-year fill-in after NASCAR pulled its operations off the Chicagoland Speedway.
The Milwaukee Mile has been hosting NASCAR races from 1993 until 2009 and offered some hope for a brief time by presenting the Truck Series in 2023 and 2024. Scheduling conflicts with IndyCar for 2025 have halted those plans within a few hours.
Promoter Track Enterprises could not find an alternate date after IndyCar moved their weekend with State Fair Park to August 23-24. The organization has not ruled out some time in the future returning to the Mile, though; there are no promises.
Jampacked Calendar at Road America
With no NASCAR event at the moment, Road America is instead filling its calendar with top-quality motorsport attractions. The Elkhart Lake circuit has these main race weekends with IndyCar and IMSA, along with Vintage festivals, Motorcycle Racing, SCCA National Championship Runoffs, amateur competition, club events, and private track rentals.
“There are no open dates here,” Kertscher said. “We’d love to see NASCAR come back. It looks good here. It’s a nice product. Our success certainly isn’t defined by having it here, but we’d love to see it come back.”
The Pitch Remains Ongoing
Despite the tight schedule, Kertscher hasn’t given up on advocating for a future NASCAR return. “I lobby all the time,” he admitted. “But ultimately it’s their choice, it's their series. They've got a lot of choices. A lot of people vie for a NASCAR date, many of which have never had one, and we were blessed with so many great years and two wonderful Cup races.”
As Road America keeps its motorsport heritage alive and thriving, fans can only hope that NASCAR takes notice and returns to the state where racing remains part of the cultural heartbeat.
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