This weekend finds the good ol’ U.S. of A. celebrating Independence Day on July 4, meaning that some race fans can get a big dose of Hell Yeah if they look in the right places. Rather than talk about current-event type things, let’s just take a look at what kind of kick-ass American (and American-style) racing is happening around the world and I guess we’ll even look at some of those fancy-pants series in other countries. Follow the jump to see what’s up and, if you’ve got the time, watch the U.S. vs. Japan in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. Alright, enough sportsing. Let’s talk about racin’.
[Want more information on a series mentioned below? Click here for Hooniverse’s Massively Oversized Guide to Motorsports 2015, which will tell you all you need to know (and then some).]

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Coke Zero 400 (Daytona International Speedway)

What could possible be more Independence Day—alien attacks on the White House aside—than a NASCAR race on the 2.5-mile at the World’s Home for Speed (or whatever they call it). This is a restrictor-plate race, meaning that the engines will have air restrictors on their intakes to reduce top speeds. The effect of that means that cars can’t really drive away from the larger pack of cars, meaning lots of close-quarters racing with cars three wide and 10 deep on Daytona’s high banks. Because the cars are more or less going to be on equal footing, that means drivers will generally drive conservatively, trying to avoid the big wreck that tends to be inevitable in restictor-plate racing.
That said, some drivers will inevitably be a little better at pack racing than others and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is one of the best pack racers at Daytona. Nobody has won more races at DIS than Jeff Gordon, who in his final year is still searching for a win to put him in The Chase, the season-ending playoff system to crown a championship.
Links: Sprint Cup site. Daytona site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Subway Firecracker 250 (Xfinity Series)
Coverage: Sunday @ 7 p.m. ET on NBC. Xfinity Series – Saturday @ 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
 

NHRA: Summit Nationals (Summit Motorsports Park | Norwalk, OH)

Similarly to Sprint Cup’s Chase, the NHRA Mello Yello Series’ long season culminates in the Countdown to the Championship, where the Top 10 points scorers will compete for the season title in each of the four clasess. The Top Fuel season has gotten interesting between Antron Brown and Tony Schumacher, the former of which has seen his lead shrink from 100 points down to just two headed into the weekend. Defending champion Erica Enders has her hands full with Greg Anderson chasing her in the points, as well. And the Funny Car points race is, as ever, intriguing and unpredictable. Living legend John Force has bounced back from a slow start to sit third in the points. He’s a long way behind Ron Capps who in turn trails Matt Hagan, but those three are always in the mix in a given weekend.
Also along with NASCAR, you can’t get much more patriotic than watching massively supercharged V8s rip down a drag strip at earth-shattering volume. If you’re in north-central Ohio, wear your best Stars and Stripes to Norwalk this weekend.
Links: NHRA site. Norwalk site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Sunday @ 11 a.m. ET on ESPN3.com and @ 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
 

Formula 1: British GP

Perhaps it’s unpatriotic to lump a race in limy England amongst the great patriotic racing of the weekend, but we can make an exception this one time since F1 remains the biggest motorsport in the world. I guess. The Lewis-and-Nico show continues to be the story, but expect Lewis Hamilton to defend his win at Silverstone from last year, which would be his third career British Grand Prix title, putting him one behind British legends Nigel Mansell and two behind Jim Clark. Rosberg barely completed half the race last at Silverstone with a gearbox failure, so expect him to want to give his teammate something to think about.
With most teams based near Silverstone, this is a home race for the likes of Williams, Lotus, Red Bull/Toro Rosso, and McLaren, for whom Jenson Button has only scored one finish in the points. While Monaco is the prestige race in the F1 calendar, make no bones about it: Teams want to win the British Grand Prix. Call me crazy, but I think Valteri Bottas might have a shot for Williams this weekend.
Links: F1 site. Silverstone site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: GP2. GP3. Porsche Supercup.
Coverage: Sunday @ 7:30 a.m. ET on CNBC and Sunday @ noon ET on NBC Sports Network (Slight delay)
 

ChampTruck World Series: Charlotte Motor Speedway

The American big-rig racing series rolls on in its inaugural season to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s roval course. To date, there have been about eight or nine entries per race and it’s proven to be popular with those who have seen it. The five-ton race trucks provide quite a scene and in a country where tractor-trailers are integral to the economy, what could be more American than racing them around one of America’s most famous racetracks?
Links: CTWS site. CMS site. Event page/schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: ChumpCar World Series.
Coverage: Live timing on Race Monitor app for smartphones and devices.
 

Trans Am: Brainerd International Raceway

Is there anything quite as American as tube-frame V8 beasts ripping around the same Minnesotan track they visited during the classis Trans Am days? Yep, if you’re anywhere near Brainerd, the V8 rockets should provide ample racing fireworks for you. Of note: TA points leader Amy Ruman has won four of the season’s first five races and in the one race she didn’t win, the charged from the back after an early spin to finish on the podium. Ruman is driven to become the first female Trans Am title and with this race capping the season’s first half, she should be well on her way.
Links: Trans Am site. BIR site. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Live timing on Race Monitor app. Delayed broadcast on CBS Sports Network on July 25 @ noon ET.
 

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: Columbus Motor Speedway

If you’re not in north-central Ohio but you’re still in Ohio, what could be more American than spending one night of your Independence Day weekend at a NASCAR development series race? The short-track racing really provides a pretty solid proving ground for tomorrow’s NASCAR stars, several of whom are still teenagers.
Links: K&N East site. Columbus site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Delayed coverage on NBS Sports Network on July 10 @ 2:30 p.m. ET.
 

European Drag Racing Championship: Alastero

If you’re in Finland and you’re a fan of American culture like Hooniverse’s own Antti Kautonen, then what could possibly be more American than nitro-fueled drag racing. Yes, Finland and Sweden have big American automotive subcultures so it’s no surprise that Finland, where motorsports is apparently as much in the blood as anything, hosts a round of the FIA’s drag racing series.
Links: EDRC site. Alastero site. Season points.
Coverage: Delayed coverage on MAVTV. See schedule.
 

Atlantic Championship Series: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

OK, back in America, if you’re in Ohio and not going to see anything with a V8, you can’t get much more American than grassroots open-wheel racing. The SCCA Pro Series races at Mid-Ohio this weekend with NARRA, so you’ll also see some quality sports-car racing.
Links: Atlantics site. Mid-Ohio site. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: F2000 Championship. F1600 Series. North American Road Racing Association (NARRA).
Coverage: Live timing on Race Monitor.
 

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: ICAR

And if you’re north of the border and looking for something North American to do, then NASCAR’s Canadian series will race at ICAR, which is a French acronym that does not bear repeating. Let’s call it Freedom Racetrack this weekend, where 2011 Indy 500 polesitter Alex Tagliani will compete with other CTS stars like L.P. Dumoulin, J.F. Dumoulin, and some other guys whose last names aren’t Dumoulin.
Links: CTS site. ICAR site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Canadian Touring Car Championship.
Coverage: Live timing on Race Monitor.
 

Australian F3: Sydney Motorsports Park

Australians are basically honorary Americans or they would be if they weren’t similarly independent and could give f***-all about what happens 6,000 miles across the Pacific from them. And for that reason, we love the Aussies, so what more could an American want than free access to the Shannons Nationals broadcast from Sydney? Formula 3 gets top billing, but the bill has all kinds of great stuff on it from V8 SuperCars (not the big championship, though) to bike-powered sports racers.
Links: Aussie F3 site. Sydney site. Event page with schedules entry lists. Season points.
Support races: Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals.
Coverage: Streaming on Shannons site.
 

British Superbike Championship: Knockhill

Again, it’s not super American to follow what’s happening in the land of King George the Tyrant, but there will be some two-wheeled racing going on there. Naturally, you can’t watch it in the U.S., so the tyranny scarcely matters.
Links: BSBK site. Knockhill site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Supersports, Superstock 1000, Superstock 600, KTM British Junior Cup, Sidecars.
Coverage: None in the U.S.
 

FIA European Hill Climb Championship: Trento-Bondone

Italy’s date on the FIA’s hill climb calendar is a doozie: 10+ miles of insane switchbacks where open-wheel cars like Davis Hauser’s Dallara chassis are using more full lock in one run than they do in an entire season of GP2 racing. It’s supposedly the most picturesque hill climb in a series full of them, so be sure to look for video from it in the coming weeks. Hill climb superstar Simone Faggioli has won the last five races up Trento-Bondone and holds the record, reaching the top in just a shade over 9:20.

Links: EHCC site. Trento-Bondone site. Event page. Schedule. Season points.
Coverage: None in the U.S. Check YouTube for video recaps within a week or so.
 

Blancpain Sprint Series: Moscow Raceway

Yes, a GT3 race in Russia is not necessarily the most patriotic race of the weekend, but the sole American in the field is Nick Hamman, the most recent Nissan GT Academy winner. Hamman, a Wisconsinite who has raced in ChumpCar quite a bit, will drive a Nissan GT-R, racing the world’s finest in his international GT3 debut on July 4. Make your country proud, sir. Like all Blancpain Sprint weekends, the main race’s grid is set with a qualifying race; both races are one hour long.
Links: BSS site. Moscow site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Live on BSS site, possibly, though it’s been geoblocked in the recent past. Possibly streaming on Nismo.tv otherwise.
 

FFSA GT: Circuit Val de Vienne (Le Vigeant)

The French national GT series’ puts a damper on American National Pride this weekend with a race in the Western French countryside, a a 13-turn, 3.7-kilogram racetrack that Americans liberated in 1961 during World War Spain from the Nazis, who had stashed secret weapons there, according to the History Channel and George Lucas. Anyway, the usual super-famous sports car racers—like Loic Duval and Stephane Sarrazin—are absent from the entry list this round, but you can apparently watch it while shouting insults to Jacques Zissou and his silly accent.
Links: FFSA GT site. Le Vigeant site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Support races: Porsche Carrera Cup France, Renaul Clio Cup France, Peugeot RCZ Cup, Mitjet 2 Liter, Legends Cup, French SuperTouring.
Coverage: Streaming live on FFSA GT Tour site.
 

International GT Open: Red Bull Ring

The GT Open season has been an interesting one, despite the grid seemingly dwindling from last season’s huge car counts. Nevertheless, a number of excellent-but-obscure GT drivers practice their craft in the Spain-based series. If you get a chance to watch it, keep an eye on the trio of Ferraris with Raffaele Giammaria, Alessandro Balzan, and Michele Rugolo in them. Each is the super-fast driver in his respective pairing and they’re all separated by a single point in the championship while Alvaro Parente and Miguel Ramos lead the championship in the series’ lone McLaren.
Links: GT Open site. RBR site. Event page. Schedule. Season points.
Support races: Euroformula Open, Euro Series, SEAT Leon Eurocup, Radical European Masters.
Coverage: Live streaming on GT Open TV (YouTube). Euroformula Open – Streaming on EFO TV (YouTube).
 

World RallyCross: Sweden (Holjes Motorstadion)

If there’s a sport for which the Swedes can show their own Swedish nationalism, surely it’s rallycross, a sport begun in England and taken over entirely by Nordic drivers. Flamboyant Norwegian Petter Solberg leads in the points big-time, but half of the Top 10 are all Swedes. Combined with the fact that Holjes has held races for decades, this should be a must-watch race for rallycross fans.
Links: WRX site. Event page. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Livestream on WRX site.
 

World Rally Championship: Poland

Meanwhile, the stage rally nutters head to Poland for runs around lake-filled eastern Poland. The roads for this rally are almost entirely gravel and lined with high grass, making much of the runs completely blind with shortcuts filled with big rocks and other hazards. Defending champion Sebastien Ogier won easily in Italy in the last round and holds a big lead in the championship, but look for Robert Kubica to drive flat-out in his home rally. That typically doesn’t end well for Kubica, who has unfortunately developed a Pastor Maldonado-like reputation.
Links: WRC site. Poland site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list. Season points. Very-excellent rally fan guide.
Support races: WRC2, WRC3/WRC Junior.
Coverage: Live on MAVTV on Thursday @ 2 p.m. ET, Saturday @ 6 a.m. ET, and Sunday @ 6 a.m. ET. Full live coverage on WRC Live (radio, stage/split timing).
 

Red Bull Air Race: Budapest

Just a bit south from the WRC event, the Red Bull Air Race zooms over the Danube River in one of the tighter courses visited by the series all year. This is the series’ fourth round of eight this year and the championship battle is tight with Paul Bonhomme and Nigel Hall tied with 25 points a piece.
Links: Air Race site. Event page with schedule. Entry list. Season points.
Coverage: Delayed coverage on FOX Sports 1.
 

SCCA Majors: High Plains Raceway

For those club racers inclined to spend their long holiday racing, there are three SCCA Majors race weekends in the coming days. The Colorado round is lightly subscribed, but the half-dozen Spec Racer Fords should keep it interesting in that run group.
Links: Majors site. HPR site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: Live timing on SCCA Live site and on Race Monitor app.
 

SCCA Majors: Portland International Raceway

Similarly, the PIR weekend sees a huge SRF field (20 cars of a total 101 entries for the races) and, curiously, just one Spec Miata. One.
Links: Majors site. PIR site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: Live timing on SCCA Live site and on Race Monitor app.
 

SCCA Majors: Watkins Glen

Nevermind that oddity because the Glen will be chock full of Spec Miatas and SRFs, the two classes doing better than any other. With the Trans Am Series running this weekend, the GT1 and GT2 classes are a bit lighter than usual at a big Majors weekend, but there are still more than 250 cars entered this weekend.
Links: Majors site. WGI site. Event page. Schedule. Entry list.
Coverage: Live timing on SCCA Live site and on Race Monitor app.
 

ChumpCar World Series: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

For the low-buck racer, what could be more American than ripping around one of the country’s most iconic tracks for 20 hours of racing on three consecutive days? With a six-hour race Friday and two seven-hour races Saturday and Sunday, this should be a fun group to keep tabs on via live timing.
Links: CCWS site. Laguna Seca site. Event supplemental rules with schedule.
Coverage: Live timing on CCWS site and on Race Monitor.
 
Did we miss something? Are you going to watch racing live or perhaps even to participate? Let us know in the comments so we can talk about racing.
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[Lead photo copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Eric Rood | Other Images/Videos from YouTube: NASCAR, NHRA, Formula1, Gary Hauser]