NASCAR race today? No, Cup Series goes quiet on Easter at Rockingham

• The Cup Series is taking its only break of the regular season on Easter Sunday.
• The Cup Series has raced on Easter Sunday 14 times since 1953.
• The next Cup Series race is the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27.

NASCAR had two notable races this weekend.

After a long hiatus, it returned to Rockingham Speedway for Xfinity Series and Truck Series events. Xfinity cars hadn’t run there since 2004. Same for the trucks since 2013. 

Tyler Ankrum snapped a six-year, 130-race winless streak in Friday’s Black’s Tire 200. Then, in Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250, Jesse Love took the checkered flag before being disqualified for failing inspection. As a result, Sammy Smith rose from second place to first.

But now all is quiet at The Rock. The Cup Series will sit Easter Sunday out, taking a one-week break. It’s the only off-week of the 26-race regular season.

Here’s what you need to know.

Why is NASCAR off on Easter?

The Cup Series always rests for one or two Sundays during the regular season. 

Last summer, it pressed the breaks for two weeks in July and August during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. This season, the schedule makers chose Easter as the lone vacation.

Some years, that’s the case. Some years, well …

Does NASCAR take every Easter off?

Nope.

In fact, Cup Series drivers turned laps each of the last three years on Easter Sunday. Overall, they have competed in Easter races 14 times since 1953.

The first spawned from a postponement, when rain pushed a Saturday start to Sunday at the old Charlotte Speedway dirt track. The eventual winner? Dick Passwater.

In 2024, Denny Hamlin prevailed at Richmond.

When is next NASCAR Cup Series race?

Engines fire back up next Sunday, April 27, for the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick won that race last year.

It is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will air on Fox.