NASCAR isn’t the same today as it was two decades ago. The racing promotion has realized that it needs to adapt to changing times or become extinct. This realization has brought new tracks to the schedule and breathed life into the historic ones in recent years. Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano is someone who is all for this new trend.
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Talking to the press in Chicago, he noted how the schedule seldom changed back in the day when he was a young driver in the sport. Just moving a fixture by a few days was considered a massive upheaval. He compared that with the current way of the world and couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
He said, “Now we’re going to new venues. You think of Road America, we’re not too far from there, and that was a huge success. The L.A. Coliseum, in the first couple of years, was a huge success. I think if you do it too long, it gets stale.” He admitted that there are certain tracks that the field has to go to every year, mandatorily. But others can be put on a three-year term, according to him.
He continued to explain, “Look at what happened at Bowman Gray this year – a huge success, a new track. People love going to see something new. The unknown. The uncertainty of all the teams not knowing what to do. It’s fun to watch.” The newness is something that he greatly appreciates and wants to keep on the schedule.
NASCAR’s plan to include multiple new venues in future schedules
The 2025 Grant Park 165 is the last of the three-race deal that NASCAR signed with the city of Chicago in 2023. The circuit’s first two races were a massive success in both sporting and financial terms. Shane van Gisbergen won the first, and Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman captured the victory flag in the second.
Despite this, the future of the fixture remains in question. Southern California has been pitched as a potential destination, considering how the Auto Club Speedway and the L.A. Coliseum are now off the schedule. NASCAR has a huge fan base in that region. Also in talks to host a street race are cities including San Diego, Toronto, and Philadelphia.
The Chicagoland Speedway is also involved in talks about where the field could go next. Further clarity can be expected in the coming days. But NASCAR appears to have gained a good understanding that it does not want experiences to go stale.
