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Road America president reveals level of interest in bringing NASCAR back to Wisconsin

Nick Profile Picby: Nick Geddes05/02/25NickGeddesNews
Road America
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Road America currently hosts races from the IndyCar Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship among others. NASCAR, however, is not on the schedule for the 2025 season, marking the first since 1992 that there will be no races in Wisconsin for the Cup, Xfinity or Truck series.

Mike Kertscher, Road America president, said he spoke to NASCAR officials during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in January. Kertscher said they are “not waiting around” for NASCAR to decide if they want to come back to the four-mile track.

“I mean, they know who we are,” Kertscher told Dave Kallmann of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They certainly understand what we’re capable of. There’s nothing to report. There’s nothing to hide either. If it works for them, it works for them. And we’re here. We’re also not waiting around. We’re moving forward.”

Road America hosted Xfinity races from 2010-23. The first Cup race to take place at Road America came back in 1956. It did not host a Cup race again until 2021. Chase Elliott won that event, with Tyler Reddick taking the checkered flag the following season. Those races were part of a two-year deal after NASCAR exited Chicagoland Speedway in 2020. The Chicago Street Race replaced Road America on the schedule in 2023.

Road America president: NASCAR’s choice if they want to come back

But Wisconsin wasn’t left out completely in 2024. The Milwaukee Mile hosted the Truck race in May. But this year, that date was erased due to a scheduling conflict with IndyCar. Ultimately, Kertscher would love to see NASCAR return.

“We’d love to see NASCAR come back,” Kertscher said. “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.

“I lobby all the time. 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.”