Many dreams and ambitions never materialize. In NASCAR, you can find a generous spread of such instances. In the 2010s, there was a proposed racetrack across Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. However, the plan was scrapped by the Bass Pro Shops founder and owner of Big Cedar Lodge Johnny Morris due to complaints from residents. While this track was opposed, some tracks have been promises that were never kept, notably one by the POTUS Donald Trump over two decades ago.

Donald Trump won the 2024 US elections as the Republican candidate. The POTUS even planned to include a Coca-Cola 600 visit in his campaigns – but that did not materialize. However, this is only the most recent promise to the sport that Trump could not fulfill. A long-forgotten plan lies buried in his history of interaction with NASCAR.

Donald Trump dreamed big

Well, the origin of NASCAR was the result of a dream. The passion for stock car racing emerged back when moonshine runners fled from law enforcement. After that, the France family built their empire, step by step – creating jaw-dropping racetracks like Daytona International Speedway. International Speedway Corporation was a publicly traded company before Jim France acquired it in 2018. By 1999, it owned five racetracks, including Daytona and Watkins Glen in New York. Currently, ISC owns and operates 13 facilities, among the 42 tracks that NASCAR uses across the USA and Canada. Interestingly, Donald Trump also wanted to contribute to this list.

The first vision came in 1996, when he proposed building a Trump Motor Speedway in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Then three years later, Donald Trump offered to pay the Town of Riverhead on Long Island $55 million to acquire the Northrup Grumman test site. But Riverhead already had a racetrack and local residents protested against the project citing noise and chaos. However, Trump was still determined – he partnered with then NASCAR president William France Jr. to build a major speedway. It would be 1000 acres big and cost $400 Million while seating 300,000 race fans. According to a Trump executive, “It’ll be the tallest building in the world sideways.”

However, this tall dream fell through. Several sites were considered in the Catskills, northern New Jersey or Connecticut. Donald Trump thought there needed to be a track closer to New York, a hub of capitalism. Yet no architect renderings were made or ever existed. Trump filed a trademark for Trump Super Speedway in 2004, but the application was abandoned in 2008. That was the year when the Great Recession hit, and it axed Trump’s plan. Attendance and ratings began to slide in NASCAR races and sponsors began to bail on their commitments.

Donald Trump’s failed dream may have upset a section of NASCAR fans. This year as well, the POTUS was not particularly welcome.

A great racing spectacle was at stake

Trending

NASCAR’s Foul Antics to Fool The Public Revealed By Disgraced Driver

Rumor: Struggling Cup Series Driver to Lose His NASCAR Seat in 2025

Duped Fans Eyeing a Class Action Lawsuit Amid Rising Rusty Wallace Driving Experience Complaints

Bubba Wallace’s Two-Word Declaration for His Partner of Nearly 15 Years Leaves His Fans in Stitches

Daytona 500: 65-YO NASCAR Driver to Make Cup Series Return After a Decade

Kyle Larson embarked on a mission in 2024. He became only the fifth NASCAR driver to attempt the 1100-mile Double – a quest that only Tony Stewart has successfully won. Larson intended to run the Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and then jet to Concord, North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600. However, Donald Trump’s rumored appearance threw his plan into uncertainty. Trump wanted to become the first president to attend a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earlier, he had attended the 2020 Daytona 500 while he was in office and issued the command to drivers to fire their engines.

However, the decision to attend the 2024 Coke 600 complicated Kyle Larson’s timely schedule. The airspace around Charlotte could have been restricted while Trump was on the grounds. According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website, “No person may operate an aircraft over or in the vicinity of any area to be visited or traveled by the President, the Vice President, or other public figures contrary to the restrictions established by the FAA and published in a NOTAM.” This possibility jittered Larson’s fans, who expressed their displeasure about Trump attending the crown jewel race.

Eventually, however, Trump could not attend. But Larson’s Double plan failed anyway – because of rain marring both races. Although Donald Trump could not fulfill his promise, he may have more opportunities to do so in his second term as the POTUS.