The NASCAR Cup Sequence goes to a brand new venue for a fifth consecutive season. The championship race adjustments tracks subsequent 12 months. How the sequence crowns its champion additionally could possibly be completely different in 2026.
In a sport whose rivals can journey practically 200 mph, what is occurring off observe may be dizzying to some — or seemingly sluggish to others.
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Both manner, it’s not stagnant.
“I believe it’s all the time altering and all the time evolving,” former Cup champion Chase Elliott stated of the game. “I don’t suppose that’s ever going to cease. There was a variety of it … during the last three or 4 years. I don’t suppose that can ever change, however I do suppose that they’re in quest of a greater stability proper now between all their completely different observe configurations and rightfully so, as a result of I believe it may be higher.
“No purpose why we are able to’t take all of the data that we’ve realized for the 75-plus years that it’s been round and have it the perfect at this time than it has ever been.”
AUTO: APR 26 NASCAR Cup Sequence Jack Hyperlink’s 500
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Ross Chastain gained final fall’s playoff race at Kansas Speedway and has scored 5 prime 10s within the final seven races this season.
Not all ideas show fruitful, although.
NASCAR floated the thought to groups about stress-free some guidelines for this month’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway to offer them extra creativity with automotive setups. Groups declined for numerous causes.
Sequence officers proceed to look at at what may be finished with the racing at brief tracks with this automotive, which debuted in 2022. Goodyear continues to vary tire compounds. Rivals and followers additionally wish to see adjustments with superspeedway racing. For some, change can’t come quickly sufficient.
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“The factor is about everybody’s opinion is that it’s a must to perceive the complete image of 1, how you bought there, and two, why issues aren’t so easy to vary,” three-time Cup champion Joey Logano stated.
“There’s a variety of positives that go on that we don’t discuss. There’s a variety of negatives that we discuss as a result of folks like that. With that very same perspective, complacency can also be one of many worst issues you may ever have in your life.
“So you bought to take a look at it and say, “OK, what can we make higher?’ As a result of you may all the time enhance one thing.”
AUTO: MAR 16 NASCAR Cup Sequence Pennzoil 400
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Homestead and Phoenix will likely be among the many tracks to rotate internet hosting the Cup season finale and there could possibly be just a few different tracks to take action.
Subsequent month’s race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico Metropolis continues NASCAR’s worldwide push. The race will mark the primary time since 1958 that the Cup Sequence has had a factors race outdoors the US.
“With Mexico, that will likely be a brand new expertise,” Noah Gragson stated. “It is going to be one thing that’s actually cool and one thing that’s completely different for NASCAR.”
Since 2021, new tracks on the Cup schedule embrace Circuit of the Americas (2021 debut), Nashville (2021), World Vast Expertise Raceway (2022), Chicago Avenue Race (2023), Iowa (2024) and the Mexico Metropolis occasion.
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“I believe schedule variation works, and it is confirmed that it really works,” NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps stated final November at Phoenix. “It really works from an attendance standpoint. It really works from a rankings standpoint. Not insignificantly it really works from type of a model standpoint, what it means to be daring and modern and do issues in another way and alter issues up. That drives success.
“I believe that is what we have tried to do as a sport is do these issues. And never simply schedule innovation, however different issues as effectively.”
NASCAR Cup Sequence Straight Discuss Wi-fi 400
NASCAR will start rotating websites for the championship race in 2026.
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NASCAR has a bunch taking a look at what adjustments, if any, to make with how the champion is topped. Such adjustments could possibly be instituted after this season.
“You are speaking to a man that thinks we now have an awesome system,” stated Logano, who’s among the many drivers on the group. “I might make minimal adjustments, if any.
“There’s completely different opinions, proper? All of us can have completely different ones, in all probability relying on the place you are sitting. I attempt to look the at it and ask what do I believe is most entertaining?”
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR government vp, chief venue & racing innovation officer, stated this week that the group will not be anticipated to announce any resolution for just a few months.
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NASCAR revealed this week that the championship race for Cup, Xfinity and the Craftsman Truck Sequence will transfer from Phoenix to Homestead-Miami Speedway for 2026. That may start a rotation of tracks for the title occasion. Kennedy didn’t say what different tracks could be part of the rotation aside from Phoenix and Homestead.
Josh Berry, who is ready to make the Cup playoffs for the primary time along with his Las Vegas win, has a observe in thoughts for the championship rotation.
“I believe the primary one which involves thoughts is Las Vegas, not solely due to us successful there, however it simply appears to placed on good racing and I believe it’s a very good marketplace for the championship race as effectively,” he stated. “I believe that checks these two bins there. It’s a very good racetrack, however a very good space that might carry some pleasure for the championship race.”
Cook dinner Out Conflict at Bowman Grey Stadium
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Sequence officers are nonetheless wanting on the idea of shifting the season-opening exhibition race someplace outdoors the U.S. sooner or later.
Kennedy stated that Daytona gained’t be amongst these tracks as a result of officers “unanimously agreed that (the finale) must feel and appear like what we might count on conventional NASCAR racing to feel and appear like. Brief tracks, intermediate tracks, mile tracks are all on the board. Superspeedways, I believe all of us really feel like proper now we would not take into account that as a championship venue, not that Daytona is not a championship caliber venue.”
However Daytona will stay the season opener. The Conflict, although, will probably transfer to completely different venues and Kennedy has stated a world venue could possibly be within the occasion’s future however not subsequent 12 months.
“I would not ever rule out worldwide sooner or later, although,” Kennedy stated. “We’ve ideas about a variety of it being previous to the season, within the low season, an exhibition race. It is an awesome alternative for us to carry NASCAR racing to different elements of the world.”
