The NASCAR Cup Collection goes to a brand new venue for a fifth consecutive season. The championship race modifications tracks subsequent 12 months. How the collection crowns its champion additionally could possibly be completely different in 2026.
In a sport whose opponents can journey practically 200 mph, what is occurring off monitor might be dizzying to some — or seemingly sluggish to others.
Both approach, it’s not stagnant.
“I believe it’s at all times altering and at all times evolving,” former Cup champion Chase Elliott mentioned of the game. “I don’t suppose that’s ever going to cease. There was numerous it … during the last three or 4 years. I don’t suppose that may ever change, however I do suppose that they’re in the hunt for a greater stability proper now between all their completely different monitor configurations and rightfully so, as a result of I believe it may be higher.
“No cause why we are able to’t take all of the data that we’ve discovered for the 75-plus years that it’s been round and have it the most effective immediately than it has ever been.”
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 concept to groups about stress-free some guidelines for this month’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway to present them extra creativity with automotive setups. Groups declined for varied causes.
Collection officers proceed to look at at what might be performed with the racing at quick tracks with this automotive, which debuted in 2022. Goodyear continues to alter tire compounds. Opponents and followers additionally need to see modifications with superspeedway racing. For some, change can’t come quickly sufficient.
“The factor is about everybody’s opinion is that it’s important to perceive the complete image of 1, how you bought there, and two, why issues aren’t so easy to alter,” three-time Cup champion Joey Logano mentioned.
“There’s numerous positives that go on that we don’t speak about. There’s numerous negatives that we speak about as a result of individuals like that. With that very same perspective, complacency can be one of many worst issues you possibly can ever have in your life.
“So you bought to have a look at it and say, “OK, what can we make higher?’ As a result of you possibly can at all times enhance one thing.”
Homestead and Phoenix will probably be among the many tracks to rotate internet hosting the Cup season finale and there could possibly be a couple of 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 Collection has had a factors race outdoors america.
“With Mexico, that will probably be a brand new expertise,” Noah Gragson mentioned. “It will likely be one thing that’s actually cool and one thing that’s completely different for NASCAR.”
Since 2021, new tracks on the Cup schedule embody Circuit of the Americas (2021 debut), Nashville (2021), World Huge Expertise Raceway (2022), Chicago Road Race (2023), Iowa (2024) and the Mexico Metropolis occasion.
“I believe schedule variation works, and it’s confirmed that it really works,” NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps mentioned 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 revolutionary and do issues in another way and alter issues up. That drives success.
“I believe that’s what we’ve tried to do as a sport is do these issues. And never simply schedule innovation, however different issues as effectively.”
NASCAR will start rotating websites for the championship race in 2026.
NASCAR has a gaggle taking a look at what modifications, if any, to make with how the champion is topped. Such modifications could possibly be instituted after this season.
“You’re speaking to a man that thinks we’ve got an awesome system,” mentioned Logano, who’s among the many drivers on the group. “I might make minimal modifications, if any.
“There’s completely different opinions, proper? All of us may have completely different ones, most likely relying on the place you’re 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, mentioned this week that the group isn’t anticipated to announce any determination for a couple of months.
NASCAR revealed this week that the championship race for Cup, Xfinity and the Craftsman Truck Collection 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 can be part of the rotation aside from Phoenix and Homestead.
Josh Berry, who is about to make the Cup playoffs for the primary time along with his Las Vegas win, has a monitor in thoughts for the championship rotation.
“I believe the primary one which involves thoughts is Las Vegas, not solely due to us profitable there, nevertheless it simply appears to placed on good racing and I believe it’s a very good marketplace for the championship race as effectively,” he mentioned. “I believe that checks these two bins there. It’s a very good racetrack, however a very good space that might deliver some pleasure for the championship race.”
Collection officers are nonetheless wanting on the idea of shifting the season-opening exhibition race someplace outdoors the U.S. sooner or later.
Kennedy mentioned that Daytona gained’t be amongst these tracks as a result of officers “unanimously agreed that (the finale) must feel and look like what we might count on conventional NASCAR racing to feel and look like. Quick tracks, intermediate tracks, mile tracks are all on the board. Superspeedways, I believe all of us really feel like proper now we wouldn’t take into account that as a championship venue, not that Daytona isn’t a championship caliber venue.”
However Daytona will stay the season opener. The Conflict, although, will doubtless transfer to completely different venues and Kennedy has mentioned a global venue could possibly be within the occasion’s future however not subsequent 12 months.
“I wouldn’t ever rule out worldwide sooner or later, although,” Kennedy mentioned. “We have now ideas about numerous it being previous to the season, within the low season, an exhibition race. It’s an awesome alternative for us to deliver NASCAR racing to different components of the world.”
