NASCAR typically releases its schedule for the following season in July or August. Could the upcoming 2026 schedule see additional changes, as we’ve seen in recent seasons?
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Speculation already has NASCAR making a number of changes for 2026, including a San Diego street race, moving the Chicago Street Race weekend to Chicagoland Speedway (where NASCAR previously raced from 2001 through 2019) and taking Mexico City off the schedule after just a one-year run to open up a spot for San Diego. There’s a possibility Mexico City may be part of an every-other-year or every-three-years situation.
San Diego is crucial for NASCAR because it has not had a presence in Southern California since Auto Club Speedway closed in 2023. ACS was supposed to have been converted from a high-speed two-mile superspeedway to a Bristol-like high-banked half-mile oval, with a slated reopening in 2026. But that has not materialized so far and appears to be a dead end with each passing week and no news about its future or construction updates.
But that’s not all. If Chicagoland Speedway does indeed return to the Cup schedule next year, could another track that last hosted NASCAR in 2020 come back in, say, 2027?
We’re talking about the Speedway Motorsports Inc.-owned Kentucky Speedway. With 1.5-mile ovals back in favor among fans and drivers, thanks to the improved side-by-side racing, NASCAR would likely hit proverbial home runs by returning to both Chicagoland and Kentucky.
And here’s another possibility. Between the last race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019 and the start of the Chicago Street Race in 2023, the Cup Series held two races (2021-22) on the very challenging four-mile Road America road course in Wisconsin. If it returns, that would be fantastic, as both Cup races at Road America were completely sold out.
If Mexico City does become an alternate year situation, could it share annual alternating dates with Road America? That does make a lot of sense. After all, they’re both road courses. It’d be easy to essentially plug and play one in a year and the other in the next, or perhaps every third year if NASCAR adds yet another road course to the mix.
And that’s where NASCAR could add another road course race north of the border at either Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, an hour east of Toronto, or Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, where Formula One has raced for years.
Wait, there’s potentially more!
It’s unlikely to happen in 2026, but don’t be surprised if NASCAR adds a second street race to the schedule in 2027, with the leading contenders being any of Philadelphia, Vancouver, and potentially Toronto (if NASCAR does not race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park).
Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern said in a report on Wednesday, “NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Officer Ben Kennedy has said that NASCAR has already created a mock 2031 schedule internally, so it’s possible that it’s somewhat working backward from the aspirations it has on that secret list.”
NASCAR President Steve Phelps is quite bullish on continued growth and moderated expansion, believing that NASCAR’s international series (NASCAR Mexico, NASCAR Canada, NASCAR Euro Series and NASCAR Brazil) will lay the groundwork for further global expansion both within NASCAR Cup and/or other series in other long-range international venues such as Australia, Japan, the Middle East and more.
“I think there’s both domestic growth that we will experience over the next 20 years, and it’s incredibly fertile ground for us to grow internationally,” Phelps said in a recent interview with CNBC.
“I say that because of the style of racing we have. We are close side-by-side racing, kind of what we would call beating and banging, if you will, and trading paint. That’s a style of racing that people like. It’s loud, it’s a sensory experience, like sensory overload when you go to a race.
“For us, getting people to a race is critical, because if you go to a race, typically you’ll become a fan, or at least you have an appreciation for what it is. And so we just want people to consider us.”
What to do about decreasing existing tracks?
Lastly, one significant question has to be asked: since its schedule is likely maxed out at 36 points races and two exhibition events (the preseason Clash and the annual All-Star Race), it’s unlikely NASCAR will increase its calendar to 40 or even 38 points-paying races.
But if NASCAR does keep its slate at 36 points races, something will likely have to give, meaning current tracks may either lose dates or have to share alternating years with other tracks.
Right now, tracks that could potentially lose at least one race date include Phoenix (which currently has two races, but is losing its season-ending event after this year to Homestead-Miami) and possibly Iowa Speedway.
