Talk of the Talladega Superspeedway hosting a race in Round 3 of the 2025 Cup Series playoffs began circulating earlier this week. It was immediately met with backlash from fans as the track is a highly unpredictable one that has the potential to take deserving contenders out of the championship run through no fault of theirs. Veteran reporter Jeff Gluck detailed these concerns on Dale Jr. Download.
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He touched upon how fans already have problems with the existing schedule and stated, “At least Round 3 of the playoffs has been like this straightforward round. Let’s have the true contenders decide this thing as much as possible. You put Talladega in Round 3? Inserting even more chaos and more unpredictability and the chance that the champion is not going to be the true best driver of the season.”
He continued that even the idea of this notion sounds exhausting and that he already had plenty of ideas on what conversations were going to be about if things translated to reality. It is only too common to see high-speed tracks such as Talladega kill the hopes of the very best. The slightest of mistakes when drafting can result in utter chaos. Is this a needed step that late in the game?
The majority would say ‘no.’ Having drivers with the caliber and fan following of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott fall prey to fate and missing out on championships would not be a welcome sight. In fairness, the 2.6-mile Alabama venue is a fan favorite that makes for quite the viewership when positioned elsewhere on the schedule. The call lies with NASCAR now.
Other changes that are expected for the 2025 Cup Series schedule
Other crucial schedule changes are set to be executed for 2025. Watkins Glen International, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Atlanta Motor Speedway will all move to the regular season from the playoffs. Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be taking their places.
NASCAR is also in discussion with multiple international avenues to hold a Cup Series race outside the border of the United States. New Mexico, Montreal, and Sao Paulo are all potential venues that are on the table. The sanctioning body is expected to finalize deals and put the official list of fixtures out soon. The fandom will be waiting with bated breath to see where Talladega is placed.
