The history of NASCAR racing on Father’s Day
For the first time in NASCAR’s modern-era, there are no races scheduled for Father’s Day weekend.
Last year, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ran at Knoxville Speedway the night before Father’s Day. Todd Gilliland won.
In 2021, the NASCAR Cup Series ran on Father’s Day at Nashville Superspeedway. Kyle Larson led 264 of 300 laps and won.
Larson also won the 2017 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Before the 2021 race, that was the most recent Cup Series race run on Father’s Day.

Back in 2020, the NASCAR Cup Series was going to run the GEICO 500 on Father’s Day at Talladega Superspeedway. However, rain pushed the race to that Monday.
HISTORY
Father’s Day became a national holiday in the United States on April 24, 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the holiday to be observed on the third Sunday of June.
The first time NASCAR raced on the officially recognized holiday was at Riverside International Raceway on June 18, 1972.
Road course ringer Ray Elder picked up his second and final career win in the Cup Series driving for his father’s team.
The tradition continued for another 27 seasons with a majority of the races held at Michigan International Speedway. Riverside International Raceway and Pocono Raceway also held a Father’s Day race.
In 2000, the streak then ended, as inclement weather postponed the Pocono 500—originally scheduled for Father’s Day—to the Monday after.
The last Father’s Day race at Pocono to date was held the following year in 2001.
Michigan held races on the holiday thereafter through 2014, with the exception of 2009 and 2010 races at Sonoma Raceway.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series even got a chance to host a Father’s Day race in 2015-16 and 2018-19.
In 2015, Erik Jones led 94 of 200 laps and won at Chicagoland Speedway.
Then in 2016, Sam Hornish Jr. led 183 of 250 laps and won at Iowa Speedway. When Xfinity Series racing on Father’s Day returned to Iowa in 2018-19, Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell won.
OVERALL

Thirty drivers have a win on Father’s Day in 43 total points-awarding Cup Series races.
Three-time series champion Cale Yarborough won a record four Father’s Day races. 1988 champion Bill Elliott has three Father’s Day wins, which is the second-most.
Three Father’s Day winners went on to win the title in the same year—Richard Petty (1974); Cale Yarborough (1977, 1978); and Jimmie Johnson (2010).
Michigan has held 30 Father’s Day races. Pocono has also held eight races, Riverside has held three and Sonoma Raceway has held two.
FATHER’S DAY WINNERS
YEAR | DRIVER | TRACK |
1972 | Ray Elder | Riverside International Raceway |
1973 | Bobby Allison | Riverside International Raceway |
1974 | Richard Petty | Michigan International Speedway |
1975 | David Pearson | Michigan International Speedway |
1976 | David Pearson | Michigan International Speedway |
1977 | Cale Yarborough | Michigan International Speedway |
1978 | Cale Yarborough | Michigan International Speedway |
1979 | Buddy Baker | Michigan International Speedway |
1980 | Benny Parsons | Michigan International Speedway |
1981 | Bobby Allison | Michigan International Speedway |
1982 | Cale Yarborough | Michigan International Speedway |
1983 | Cale Yarborough | Michigan International Speedway |
1984 | Bill Elliott | Michigan International Speedway |
1985 | Bill Elliott | Michigan International Speedway |
1986 | Bill Elliott | Michigan International Speedway |
1987 | Tim Richmond | Riverside International Raceway |
1988 | Geoff Bodine | Pocono Raceway |
1989 | Terry Labonte | Pocono Raceway |
1990 | Harry Gant | Pocono Raceway |
1991 | Darrell Waltrip | Pocono Raceway |
1992 | Davey Allison | Michigan International Speedway |
1993 | Ricky Rudd | Michigan International Speedway |
1994 | Rusty Wallace | Michigan International Speedway |
1995 | Bobby Labonte | Michigan International Speedway |
1996 | Jeff Gordon | Pocono Raceway |
1997 | Ernie Irvan | Michigan International Speedway |
1998 | Jeremy Mayfield | Pocono Raceway |
1999 | Bobby Labonte | Pocono Raceway |
2001 | Ricky Rudd | Pocono Raceway |
2002 | Matt Kenseth | Michigan International Speedway |
2003 | Kurt Busch | Michigan International Speedway |
2004 | Ryan Newman | Michigan International Speedway |
2005 | Greg Biffle | Michigan International Speedway |
2006 | Kasey Kahne | Michigan International Speedway |
2007 | Carl Edwards | Michigan International Speedway |
2008 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Michigan International Speedway |
2009 | Kasey Kahne | Sonoma Raceway |
2010 | Jimmie Johnson | Sonoma Raceway |
2011 | Denny Hamlin | Michigan International Speedway |
2012 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Michigan International Speedway |
2013 | Greg Biffle | Michigan International Speedway |
2014 | Jimmie Johnson | Michigan International Speedway |
2015 | Erik Jones (Xfinity) | Chicagoland Speedway |
2016 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Iowa Speedway |
2017 | Kyle Larson | Michigan International Speedway |
2018 | Justin Allgaier | Iowa Speedway |
2019 | Christopher Bell | Iowa Speedway |
2021 | Kyle Larson | Nashville Superspeedway |
SOURCES
Dummies.com
Racing-Reference.info
TimeandDate.com
Categories
Cup, News, Statistics, XFINITY
What a letdown. I have been a true nascar fan for 50 years and went to MIS for years on Father’s Day or watched it on tv. Now what do I do for Father’s Day without nascar Get it together Nascar
Why no race