NASCAR’s Tentative 2025 Playoffs Schedule Triggers Backlash Over Talladega’s Round of 8 Appearance

The Talladega Superspeedway is one of the most challenging and fan-favorite tracks on the Cup Series schedule. But there are a few bumps that come with superspeedways that don’t make them ideal venues to hold title-deciding races. The biggest of them is their unpredictable nature. The Athletic recently reported that the 2.6-mile track in Alabama will be repositioned inside the Round of 8 in 2025.

Talladega is in the second round of the playoffs. It has been so since the introduction of the current format in 2014. But moving it up to a more crucial stage is not something that drivers nor fans would welcome with open hands. This is also because driver skill matters less on such tracks. Drivers have little control over their fates with big collisions being a regular occurrence.

This update comes amidst a horde of other speculated changes to the current schedule. Watkins Glen, Homestead-Miami, and Atlanta will all move to the regular season. Darlington, Gateway, and New Hampshire will be taking their place in the playoffs. Even in its current positioning, Talladega bears some flak for its volatility. The proposed move will only make that voice louder.

Fans don’t love the idea of Talladega being a Round of 8 fixture

Several reactions on X (formerly Twitter) were against the notion of the high-speed track being in the Round of 8. One fan wrote, rather sarcastically, “Round of 8 should just be 3 races at Talladega.” Another had the right idea going as they voiced the thoughts of many and quipped, “That’s a terrible idea. Driver skill tracks is what should make up the round of eight. Any sort of luck can be passed your way on a superspeedway.”

One more comment came, “Talladega needs to be the finale. This format is already bullshit that an extra 5 to 10% of bullshit won’t hurt.” Clearly, not a fan of the current way of things. Yet another fan fired a shot at Michael McDowell, “Welcome to the final 4 Michael McDowell.” Any driver could end up in the Championship Four if luck had their back at Talladega.

NASCAR is hoping to release the schedule as early as possible. Officials are currently in talks with race promoters from New Mexico and Montreal to discuss the feasibility of holding a points-paying race outside of the United States. Should the Talladega event, currently one of the most viewed, be positioned inside the Round of 8 as speculated, it could end up being more detrimental to the bigger cause.