The Quaker State 400 at Atlanta was a flat-out banger, and fans are still buzzing about it. The race saw 46 lead changes, with five drivers swapping the lead in the last 10 laps alone, cementing Atlanta’s rep as the ultimate drafting track. It also kicked off NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge, busting brackets as nine of 11 race winners this season got caught in the carnage.
Fans are so hyped that they’re calling for a major shake-up to the Cup Series schedule. One bold idea’s gaining traction: move Atlanta to the Fourth of July weekend, a slot long held by Daytona’s iconic summer race. “Hear me out, Make Atlanta the new 4th of July weekend race! All you have to do is move it back one more week!” one fan posted.
Others chimed in, with one saying, “If you think this weekend was hot, July is even hotter, but we would still be there.” The love for Atlanta’s high-octane action has fans dreaming of a new holiday tradition. Now, even insiders are weighing in, and their hot takes are fueling the debate about swapping Daytona and Atlanta’s spots on the calendar.
Insiders push for Atlanta as season cutoff
On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, insiders didn’t hold back on the schedule shake-up talk. Karsyn kicked things off asking, “Atlanta should move to the regular season cut-off and Daytona should go back to July 4th. Spot on, spot off Tommy?” Tommy jumped in, “Yeah, I always love Daytona on July 4th, so you can spend a couple of days down there. Besides that, I think Atlanta should be the last race before the playoff, right?”
Freddie Kraft wasn’t fully sold but added, “I don’t know. I don’t like the idea like played races but I guess you’re gonna run them anyway so you might as well. It does really matter where they’re at in the schedule. They all count the same. It would be wild though, Daytona is already wild as it is you know as the cutoff.”
For 60 years, from 1959 to 2019, Daytona’s summer race, whether called the Firecracker 400 or Coke Zero Sugar 400, was a Fourth of July staple, complete with fireworks and beach vibes. Fans could make a whole weekend of it, blending racing with Independence Day festivities. Since 2020, though, NASCAR moved it to late August, making it the regular-season finale through 2023. In 2024, it shifted a week earlier due to the Summer Olympics, losing some of its holiday magic. Karsyn and Tommy’s call to bring Daytona back to July 4 taps into that nostalgia, giving fans a long weekend of racing and celebrating.
Kraft also acknowledged that swapping the dates would work in favor of the drivers. “So Atlanta would be that much better because Atlanta is better. It’s a better race. Because you’re more in control of your destiny at Atlanta than at Daytona because Daytona is just ride around and get position save fuel and hope you come off the last pit stop with the lead or in position to be up front. So yeah, I am spot on for it,” he said.
Feb 19, 2024; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series drivers Joey Logano (22) and Michael McDowell (38) lead the field during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta’s 2022 reconfiguration turned it into a drafting beast, but with more skill and strategy than Daytona’s luck-driven chaos. Christopher Bell called it a “survival game” where drivers have more control, unlike Daytona’s fuel-saving roulette. The Quaker State 400 proved Atlanta’s edge, with its 3-wide racing and wild finishes earning a 91% fan approval rating on social media, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted, “Hot damn 91% rn.” However, given the current schedule and the shake-up NASCAR plans with road course, street and international events, they are likely to continue with this model.
Why Brad Pitt’s F1 movie was told ‘No’ at Daytona
When the team behind “F1 The Movie” wanted to film opening scenes at Daytona for their Brad Pitt-led blockbuster, they hit a roadblock. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski, fresh off “Top Gun: Maverick,” pitched shooting Pitt’s character, Sonny Hayes, winning the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona to establish his racing cred.
IMSA’s David Pettit, tasked with helping, had to deliver tough news: authenticity mattered more than Hollywood glitz. “My job is to help you break rules, to give you what you need,” Pettit told them at a rooftop lunch near Daytona International Speedway.
The compromise? The film crew set up in the infield for weeks in January 2024, capturing the Roar Before the 24 and the race itself. Daytona’s team made it work, but kept the focus on real racing, ensuring Pitt’s fictional win as an ex-F1 driver felt plausible without bending the track’s legacy.
The post Call Mount for Massive Daytona Schedule Shake-Up as Insider’s Drop Bold Claim appeared first on EssentiallySports.
