A long time demand from fans and drivers could soon be fulfilled. NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell admitted last week that they have been considering moving the season finale race away from Phoenix. The possibility of a regular venue rotation was teased, leading RFK Racing co-owner, Brad Keselowski to ponder which tracks could be the most ideal to host a finale.
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He pitched for the Darlington Raceway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway before asking his followers what they thought of them. The responses were largely in favor of his choices.
One fan wrote, “Anything but a plate track.” Superspeedways are highly unpredictable venues and produce unlikely winners. Luck is the last thing fans want to see play a factor in deciding the Cup Series champion.
Another fan said, “IMO Charlotte is perfect. Nascar’s home, longest race of the year, mile and a half.” Charlotte’s 1.5-mile intermediate track has held the Coca-Cola 600 for several decades now.
Having this fixture as the season finale would mean a huge boost to the infamous event. One more fan detailed why Charlotte would be a better option than Darlington.
They wrote, “Great call. As much as I’d love Darlington, Charlotte has the infrastructure to handle the Championship weekend.” The Darlington Raceway hosts the Southern 500, another crown jewel race, so one fan did not want the beauty of this race to be overshadowed by the allure of the Championship 4.
Been thinking about this one for awhile.
I really like both @TooToughToTame or @CLTMotorSpdwy as a season finale.
What do you all think?
I’d do a poll but not sure hot to anymore… https://t.co/H4rSgrZmM5
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) December 17, 2024
They said, “The issue I have with Darlington is that it would almost distract from the prestige of the Southern 500 on its own. In a normal format it would be fine, but in this manufactured 1 race showdown all the focus on the final 4 would overshadow the beauty that race has naturally.”
The Phoenix Raceway has hosted the season finale since 2020 and has become the perfect venue for NASCAR. Replicating what it does would be a hard task.
That is why O’Donnell said that the sanctioning body wouldn’t limit itself to one particular track like Homestead Miami if it moved away from Phoenix. Moreover, renovations worth over $178 million were just completed in the short track (2018).
The Cup Series schedule for 2025 has already been released and Phoenix will continue as the venue for the finale. A change is most likely to come by 2026 or later. But when it does, Keselowski’s suggestions of Charlotte and Darlington are bound to be in consideration.
