Texas Motor Speedway is not the most popular track on the calendar, and Sunday’s race showed a large reason why. Yes, the race was one of the better ones Texas has put out in recent years, but a single-groove, high-speed track makes passing difficult to impossible. As a result, many are calling for Texas Motor Speedway to be reconfigured, but, into what can it be reconfigured?
This may not be the most innovative solution, but there is good reason to go for this solution. Prior to the repave, Texas Motor Speedway was a pretty ho-hum race track, but it had some good moments. There was a last-lap pass for the win in the spring of 2007, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski battling for the win while fighting for the title in November of 2012, and, of course, the Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski fight in November of 2014.
That combined with the current on-track product of the Next-Gen car at its’ sister track of Charlotte Motor Speedway makes many wonder whether or not going back to the way it was is a good idea. It could be worth doing, but it is also worth noting that the asphalt would need to age significantly before we see the multiple grooves of racing at the track again. It may not have the intended result immediately.
If NASCAR wants to keep the same size and shape of the race track, they can choose to progressively bank it similar to a track like Kansas or Homestead-Miami. Kansas Speedway hosted arguably its’ best race ever back in the spring, and the progressive banking is a large reason why. Progressive banking means a track should have multiple grooves from the start or much sooner than aging asphalt would normally allow.
The issue with this would obviously be that it is relatively unoriginal. However, it does suit the track to what the Next-Gen car does well, and that is high-speed, multi-groove race tracks. This would give Texas Motor Speedway a chance to redeem itself with a less radical reconfiguration.
The option that many are loathing is turning Texas into a mini-superspeedway like Atlanta. Now, it is easy to see why NASCAR and SMI would want to do this as Atlanta has brought in more fans since the reconfiguration. Superspeedway races are also fun to watch, and they bring in many casual viewers.
However, another superspeedway-style race on the schedule would be pushing it to many NASCAR fans. There are already six races of that variety on the schedule, which make up almost 20% of the schedule. One more of these types of races would mean the would be more superspeedway races than road course races and almost as many superspeedway races as short track races. Kyle Busch indicated this past weekend that he is not on board with this move either when he was asked about potentially moving Texas’ race date.
If NASCAR and SMI want to think a bit outside of the box, they could choose to reconfigure the entire complex into a road course. All they would have to do is keep the current front stretch as is to keep the grandstands in place and play around with the infield and the land around it to build a road course or a “Roval”-type of race track. It could work, but there are a few drawbacks to this.
First off, is there the funds to completely redo the layout of the infield or the race track as it is? It would take some major reshuffling for this to happen, and the current road course product should give NASCAR pause as well. This is probably one of the more unlikely scenarios.
Auto Club Speedway is reportedly doing it, so, why not Texas Motor Speedway? NASCAR could find a way to do something truly unique with a new short track at Texas. They would have to be strategic with how they do it, however, unless they want to reconfigure the entire grandstands.
However, the short track product would be the biggest detractor to this scenario. Is NASCAR willing to build another short track where it knows the Next-Gen car will struggle to race well? That combined with the absolute upheaval of the current layout this would require should give NASCAR some pause.
Texas Motor Speedway could be changed at some point in the future, but into what? These are a few options, but maybe there is another truly radical option that could be given as well.
Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
