2026 NASCAR Schedule

NASCAR, here is my proposal for the future of the All-Star race:

Hold the race at various local short tracks, changing the venue each year. The only requirements would be they must have lighting and can hold a minimum of 8,000 fans in the stands. Make it a Saturday night event. Maybe have a special Friday night race for the Open competition to determine who wins their way into the feature. Have a special late model race that afternoon prior to the Open.

This is largely a TV event so no biggie relative to packing fans in the stands is necessary. What better way to remember the roots of racing, pumping up local short tracks and treating small town America’s race fans? I’d have the Cup drivers come to the area and be available to do fan meet and greets that weekend.

They will never do it, because the focus is on big glitzy cities and media centers. But I think it would help keep stock car racing alive and well. It would be really expensive, as they’d insist on installing safer barriers and who knows what else. But come on…these cars are far safer alone than the local divisions that run there weekly. How much fun would it be watching these guys at Hickory, Florence, you name it! Yeah, they’ve crowned Bowman Gray as their “historic” sentimental track for years to come, but there are many more available that IMO are far better.
 
The Daytona roval on July 4th weekend with all three divisions on the track at the same time would be perfect for the ASR.
 
hmmm298 said:
A figure 8 would be an interesting all star race though. Maybe Tony would even come back for a one off. Does that count as a road course since they turn right? :XXROFL: ;)
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For the purposes of track chasing figure 8s are considered their own track type.
 
All Star Race at Dover is fine if they remove the diffuser and throw 850 HP in the engines. Don’t give us what we already saw there. Experiment.
 
DaleJrFan2003 said:
But second of all, they can **** all the way off with Dover losing its only points race, especially to throw in ANOTHER track in the southeast (to clarify, I'm for NW getting a points race, but not at the expense of one of our longest running, most unique tracks). Just take away a ****** Bristol or Vegas date, it's not that ****** hard. Or just scrap the ****** All-Star race anyway.
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The spring Bristol date has seemed like the most reasonable choice for SMI to swap with North Wilkesboro for a points race but I guess they view that as a last resort, in spite of that date struggling with attendance for many years now.

The ASR requires a certain type of track with a certain aura and Dover just doesn’t fit that at all. Would feel very strange to have it there.
 
HoneyBadger said:
NASCAR is not going back to Daytona on 4th of July.

Not happening.

I want Road America that weekend.
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Road America won't happen for political reasons. I mean the place puts on a good race and packs out, but its not the "market" they want.
 
wi_racefan said:
Road America won't happen for political reasons. I mean the place puts on a good race and packs out, but its not the "market" they want.
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Lol. They race north, south, east, and west and out of country. If you are anybody else can figure out where they are going or aren't these days, they need to go bet at the horse races.
 
Bianchi said on the Teardown last night his understanding is that a Dover ASR would be a day race. The track’s proximity to the AFB is a part of that consideration.

He also promised Iowa will be retained on the Cup calendar as well.
 
wi_racefan said:
Political as in markets and demographics they want. Nothing to do with the on track product and attendance
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I was thinking that is is a pretty long way away, can't be worked in easily for scheduling with other events at the track, or could be the revenue isn't there, or the TV people might be a problem, who knows. Whatever it is I miss it. It is a bit bumper car like so the owners might be nixing it too.
 
A Charlotte All-Star race could do one lap on the oval for the odd-numbered laps, then a lap on the roval on the even-numbered laps. The roval section would have a painted line for the transition into R1 rather than a wall; drivers would just need to be disciplined not to miss their marks.

If a driver forgets anything and runs two consecutive laps on either the roval or oval, the second lap wouldn't count or be scored.

This alternative would be a combination of a road course and an oval with the dog-legged goodness, and a transition or semi-figure-8 intersection between each lap.

Bonus: Have the gerbils calling the oval part, and MW and Kenny Wallace doing hicky Euro accents while calling the road course sectors.
 
Greg said:
The roval section would have a painted line for the transition into R1 rather than a wall; drivers would just need to be disciplined not to miss their marks.
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That would be interesting, considering the transition from turn 7 back onto the oval would have nothing between it and the infield entrance.

"Interesting" being another way to say 'Yellow flag every other lap".
 
Isn’t it rumored for the schedule to drop today? Usually the nascar beat reporters start leaking it the night before….right now silence
 
Charlie Spencer said:
That would be interesting, considering the transition from turn 7 back onto the oval would have nothing between it and the infield entrance.

"Interesting" being another way to say 'Yellow flag every other lap".
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It would fit in with the master plan. Because the next part was to change the stages to quarters (works for the NFL and NBA) to get us an extra set of caution commercials.
 
Greg said:
It would fit in with the master plan. Because the next part was to change the stages to quarters (works for the NFL and NBA) to get us an extra set of caution commercials.
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I heard they are also bringing back halftime like they used to have in the trucks but with a concert and for all 3 series.
 
Bianchi released the schedule

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So they are starting to give Watkins Glen the Dover treatment and moving the date every year?
 
I like it, they worked the races around to mostly group them in the same regions instead of thousands of miles away for the next race.
 
I'm beyond elated my home track is back and North Wilkesboro has an actual points race. But absolutely gutted for Dover.... their time might be short on the schedule. No fault of their own. We have to stop blaming tracks and starting asking questions on WHY this car drivers better at certain places than others.
 
The good:

-Chicagoland lives (I shall try to attend)

-Iowa continues to live (apparently it was never in doubt lol, stupid rumors)

-Homestead finale again

-San Diego will be fun

-NW points race...both good and bad

The bad:

-Dover losing its only points race to throw in ANOTHER race in the SE...awful in so many ways

-The Roval needs to die

-Talladega still in the round of 8

-Dover, as much as I like it, will not be fun as a short All Star sprint race

It's like for every good decision SMI/NASCAR makes, they make another decision that's baffling.
 
Jorge De Guzman said:
I'm beyond elated my home track is back and North Wilkesboro has an actual points race. But absolutely gutted for Dover.... their time might be short on the schedule. No fault of their own. We have to stop blaming tracks and starting asking questions on WHY this car drivers better at certain places than others.
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I think the new will wear off at N.Wilkesboro in about 3 years myself. Maybe a fan diversion about how crappy the car is will suffice for some, but I don't think that small of a track is that entertaining unless they bubba into each other and cause cautions.
 
StandOnIt said:
I think the new will wear off at N.Wilkesboro in about 3 years myself. Maybe a fan diversion about how crappy the car is will suffice for some, but I don't think that small of a track is that entertaining unless they bubba into each other and cause cautions.
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Thats why I am going to try to go to next years Cup race myself before the inevitable fan turn.
 
Personally I am fine with the Roval but that seemed like low hanging fruit to appease a majority of fans.

Watkins Glen early May is weird. Could be 45 degrees and raining or 75 and sunny.
 
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