The track in Daytona could serve as an alternate site for the Jacksonville Jaguars while they modernise their stadium. Track boss Frank Kelleher reports talks with Jags officials

NFL games at a racetrack?

What sounds like a joke at first could soon become a reality.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars have to temporarily leave their usual home venue in three years due to lengthy renovations at TIAA Bank Field, they could find a replacement home at Daytona International Speedway.

Jaguars must relocate in 2026 and 2027

The franchise itself floated the idea a month ago of switching to the legendary motorsports track that hosts the Daytona 500, the premier race in the annual Nascar series, in the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Mark Lamping, team president of the Jaguars, had called the move to Daytona Beach an “interesting solution”.

Now speedway boss Frank Kelleher is also stoking hopes for a spectacular move by NFL stars to the motorsports mecca.

Speedway boss and Jaguars leadership explore possibilities

“I personally and our team spent some time in Jacksonville meeting with the leadership there,” Kelleher told “News4Jax. “We then had a series of phone calls with architects, engineers and design firms.”

These, he said, were about how the racetrack could be converted into an NFL stadium.

Indeed, the use for American football does not seem entirely unrealistic. The Speedway has hosted football games before, including a high school game in 1959 and a college game in 1974.

In addition to the motorsports racetrack, which is just under 150 kilometres from Jacksonville, there are also sites in Orlando and Gainesville to choose from.

Upgrading TIAA Bank Field could take up to two and a half years.