Barely a month has passed since NASCAR and the teams reached a settlement in their antitrust lawsuit, yet the sanctioning body has already rolled out three significant moves aimed at mending fences. While the revamped championship format remains under wraps, the early signs are encouraging, with NASCAR finally showing a willingness to listen to fans and insiders.
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Veteran Kenny Wallace believes the organization’s damage-control efforts deserve a fair chance from the fan base. The initiatives range from technical upgrades to the Next Gen car to sweeping schedule changes and new competition directives.
The Cup Series will witness a horsepower jump from 670 to a targeted 750 HP at all tracks measuring under 1.5 miles and on every road course, heeding calls from drivers and fans to boost it. The modification, along with the short-track aerodynamic package, will put a premium on driver aptitude and tire stewardship.
The schedule modification serves as another pillar of NASCAR’s renewal campaign, as the season finale returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time since 2019, while Phoenix Raceway slides into an earlier playoff slot. North Wilkesboro Speedway will stage a points-paying event for the first time since 1996, and the Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway after a hiatus dating back to 2019. Then Ram is climbing back into NASCAR through the Craftsman Truck Series.
Wallace characterized such shifts as NASCAR’s bid to clean up its own mess, an effort he believes warrants one legitimate opportunity. He declared, “NASCAR is in repair mode. Everything is going in the right direction… You got three things that NASCAR is doing to make you happy….
“Number one, the new Hell Yeah commercial… Number two, Phelps is gone. Number three, the new championship format. That’s three things… It’s January 9th.”
Wallace hammered home the pace of change, adding, “We’re 9 days into the new year, and NASCAR’s already announced three things. That’s how big of a change this year is going to be… Do you see what NASCAR is trying to do?
“They’re trying to make things right. They messed up. They messed up, and they know that. But I’m excited that they’re trying to make it right,”
Beyond these headline-grabbing transformations, NASCAR continues testing unknown waters with unexplored venues. Previous ventures to Chicago and Mexico generated considerable excitement, and now the sport is ready for San Diego. The Series will tackle a brand-new street circuit at Naval Base Coronado.
Officials have also loosened the reins on Cup drivers competing in lower divisions, expanding participation limits to 10 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races and eight Craftsman Truck Series outings per season. The adjustment figures to deliver more entertainment value for fans hungry to see top-tier talent mixing it up across multiple platforms.
But the championship format overhaul overshadows the most consequential announcement yet, carrying the power to either rehabilitate or further tarnish NASCAR’s standing in the public’s eyes.
