NASCAR has a long history of racing on Easter. While the Cup Series will not be competing on the holiday this year, the situation is an anomaly across its 78-year history. From Dick Passwater securing his lone win at Charlotte Speedway’s dirt track in 1953 to Denny Hamlin taking the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway in 2024, the Easter Sunday races have seen plenty of unforgettable moments over the years.
How NASCAR Reverted to Tradition This Easter
Shocked. That’s one way to describe how fans reacted when the 2022 Cup Series schedule was released. It featured a race on Easter Sunday for the first time since 1970. Sure, there was a race on the holiday at Richmond Raceway in 1989, but it was a postponed event originally scheduled for February that was delayed by a snowstorm.
PREDICT THE CHASE: PFSN’s NASCAR Season Simulator
The decision led to mixed reactions from fans. While some relished the opportunity to watch a Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on a holiday, others felt it broke away from a longstanding tradition. The short track also hosted the Easter Sunday race in 2023, before NASCAR moved the race to Richmond Raceway the following year.
However, the decision was hard to ignore. After all, the NASCAR Cup Series hadn’t run a scheduled race on Easter Sunday from 1971 to 2021. As a result, the sanctioning body reverted to the holiday break in 2025, while Richmond Raceway was given just one race (scheduled for Aug. 16), and Autodromo Hermanos RodrÃguez took up the vacant spot.
However, with no race scheduled south of the border, NASCAR has introduced a new street course at Naval Base Coronado, which will take place on Father’s Day weekend in June 2026.
Why NASCAR Is Keeping the Easter Sunday Break in 2026
And just like last year, NASCAR has opted to have the Easter Sunday break in 2026 as well. It’s one of only two total off weekends on the schedule, with the other coming in August. This means there are 16 consecutive race weekends from Sunday, April 12, to Sunday, July 26, and 14 consecutive race weekends from Sunday, Aug. 9, to Sunday, Nov. 8.
STAY UPDATED: The Side Draft: PFSN’s NASCAR Newsletter
However, for fans who had grown accustomed to a Cup race on the holiday, the return to tradition isn’t exactly a positive. Over the last few years, NASCAR’s premier series has seen the likes of Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin secure wins on Easter Sunday. In fact, even before 1971, the sanctioning body held a race on the holiday for five consecutive seasons (1959 to 1963). Then they raced on Easter in 1965, and in 1969 and 1970.
While returning to tradition is one way to put it, it’s also fair to say NASCAR is steering away from the norm by moving the Cup Series race from Easter Sunday. Especially considering just how many times stock car racing’s premier series has competed on the day. Either way, fans will be divided by the decision, while drivers will enjoy the break before action resumes at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12.
