Nascar started racing on Mother’s Day in 1954. The race was held at the half-mile Wilson Speedway dirt track. The winner of the race was Buck Baker, who lapped the entire 16-car field. The race was 200 laps long, and Baker’s average speed was over 100 mph in his winning run.
That’s was the first time that Nascar raced on Mother’s Day.
They kept racing on mother’s day until 1986
For the next 3 decades, the tradition of racing on Mother’s day continued. In 1955, Tim Flock lapped the field at the Arizona State Fairgrounds (1-mile dirt track), and Buck Baker won again in 1956 at the 0.9-mile Orange Speedway dirt track.
In 1986, this tradition was ended when only 3,000 people showed up to the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Nascar Cup series has not raced on Mother’s Day up until 2007; Darlington Raceway hosted the race on Mother’s day.
But not on purpose!
The race was actually supposed to be run on Saturday (May 12), but due to bad weather, the race was postponed until Sunday, which was Mother’s day.
The most recent NASCAR Cup Series race held on mother’s day was on May 9, 2021.
What happened in the most recent mother’s day NASCAR Cup race?
In the 2021 mother’s day race, the Goodyear 400 in Darlington, Martin Truex Jr. dominated the whole race. He led for a total of 248 laps over 293 laps. This was his 3rd win of the season, and he remains the only multiple winner in the NASCAR Cup Series this year.
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
You can watch a replay of the race here:
Why is NASCAR racing on mother’s day?
Nascar traditionally holds races on holidays that are widely recognized and celebrated in the United States. Memorial Day, Labor Day are the holidays on which Nascar races are commonly held. Mother’s Day is another one of them.
Racing on Mother’s Day is a way for Nascar to show its appreciation to mothers across the country. It is also a way to bring families together to enjoy a fun and exciting day at the races.
Let’s see what NASCAR drivers think about this!
NASCAR on mother’s day – rare and special
Racing on Mother’s Day is a rare and special event. It is not often that Nascar races on this holiday. When it does, it is a big deal.
This year, the Xfinity at Darlington will be held on Mother’s Day.
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References:
- https://www.driveraverages.com/nascar/race.php?sked_id=2021012
- https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/mothers-day-racing-returns
Nascar states that they are a family organization but it does not look like it. They depend on the wives or spouses to care for their children or extended family members all year long as they are out of town for most of the year. The wives or caretakers take the children to school/sports events/dr appointments/everything that has to be done for a human. And to show their appreciation you race on the one day of the year to celebrate mothers day so mothers don’t get that day off! But, wait! They do get an entire week off for Father’s Day! Actions speak louder than words. No wonder Nascar is loosing its fans.