How many times has NASCAR raced on Veterans Day?
The NASCAR Cup Series is not racing on Veterans Day this year, but the sport has had a history of racing on the federal holiday.
Across its 78-year history, the NASCAR Cup has raced on Veterans Day on 10 occasions. The holiday is observed on Nov. 11.
The first two Veterans Day races were held on the same day in 1951, on opposite ends of the United States.
Tim Flock scored the win at the 1-mile dirt track Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia. Bill Norton won at the .5-mile Carrell Speedway in Gardena, California, his lone Cup Series win.
The same happened in 1956, two races held on the same day. This was during a time NASCAR would schedule multiple races on the same day, per Pure Thunder Racing.
Other Veterans Day victors include Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.
The last three Veterans Day races were held at Phoenix Raceway, with the most recent held in 2018. Kyle Busch won that race.
History
The federal holiday is a day to thank and honor all United States military personnel.
Nov. 18, 1918 is recognized as the day that ended World War I as fighting ceased “on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The next year, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared Nov. 11 as “the first commemoration of Armistice Day,” per the VA.
In 1938, the day became recognized as a federal holiday, known as Armistice Day through 1953.
The VA says the holiday became known as “Veterans Day” in 1954 at the “urging of the Veterans service organizations” during the Korean War era.
From 1971 to 1977, the holiday was observed on the fourth Monday of October, per History.com, before President Gerald Ford signed into law to return the holiday to its original date in 1975, starting again in 1978.
When the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Veterans Day is observed federally “on the previous Friday or following Monday, respectively,” per History.
NASCAR Cup Series winners on Veterans Day
| DATE | RACETRACK | WINNER |
| 11/11/51 | Atlanta | Tim Flock |
| 11/11/51 | Gardena | Bill Norton |
| 11/11/56 | Hickory | Speedy Thompson |
| 11/11/56 | Lancaster | Marvin Panch |
| 11/11/62 | Tampa | Richard Petty |
| 11/11/84 | Atlanta | Dale Earnhardt |
| 11/11/01 | Homestead | Bill Elliott |
| 11/11/07 | Phoenix | Jimmie Johnson |
| 11/11/12 | Phoenix | Kevin Harvick |
| 11/11/18 | Phoenix | Kyle Busch |
SOURCES
History, Pure Thunder Racing, Racing-Reference.info, Time and Date, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.