COTA In Final Year of NASCAR Contract, Expected to Return in 2026
What’s Happening? Though NASCAR heads to Circuit of the Americas this weekend, the track’s 2026 race date is still in doubt….
This past weekend, one question stirred the pot for NASCAR fans: “Should the Rock get a NASCAR Cup Series race date?” While this is a debate in its own right, adding the Rock to the calendar would cause another issue, as another track would have to lose a date. Given this scenario, what tracks could be candidates to give up a weekend at the Rock?
Long before the green flag dropped for this past weekend at Rockingham Speedway, NASCAR fans complained about the lack of a Cup Series race at the track. Rockingham was a major staple of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule prior to losing its date after the 2004 season.
Since its recent revival, fans have continued to plead for a Cup Series race on the short tracks’ high banks. After great racing for both the Truck and Xfinity Series this past weekend, support for the Rock has only spread amongst NASCAR fans.
While some are strong proponents of a Cup Series date, others suggest that the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen car may not be ready for a track like Rockingham. Nonetheless, the track already has the eyes of NASCAR officials.
This presents two problems: if the Cup series wants to go to Rockingham, they first have to find a race to replace, and second, they need to be careful of overcrowding the already packed Carolinas with races.
Prior to this past weekend, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Chief Venue and Racing Innovations Officer, told Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer, “I would say for Rockingham in particular, like all other tracks and promoters out there, it’s on the radar for sure (for a Cup date). I think it’s something you want to see how it does the first few years, and then if it’s successful, it’s something that we’ll put in our consideration set.”
So, if the Cup Series goes to the Rock in 2026, what tracks could hypothetically lose a race date?
When talking about replacing any track, it’s important to remember that almost half the tracks NASCAR races at are owned by Speedway Motorsports. While neither NASCAR nor SMI owns Rockingham, it would be strange, and even unlikely, that SMI would drop a track date to the Rock.
But if SMI wants to do this, they could lease the facility and swap out a date with another track, similar to what they did with Texas Motor Speedway and Circuit of the Americas. However, it would be odd to think of a track like Las Vegas, Bristol, or even Atlanta losing a date to a track not owned by SMI.
But this move cannot be ruled out entirely. Texas, for example, lost its second points race date due to struggling attendance and inadequate racing, eventually losing its replacement, the All-Star Race, to North Wilkesboro as well. Some fans have even fantasized about sending the All-Star Race to the Rock, though it seems like North Wilkesboro will be the host for the long haul.
What’s Happening? Though NASCAR heads to Circuit of the Americas this weekend, the track’s 2026 race date is still in doubt….
There are several rumors that the Chicago Street Circuit, in the final year of its contract, may not return next year. According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, in his latest MailBag, “It’s not clear whether NASCAR will return next year, but there is a growing sense in the garage that it may be time to conclude the partnership.”
This presents a problem, as other rumors suggest that a San Diego Street Circuit, which could replace Chicago, may not be ready for racing until 2027. That means if NASCAR abandons the Chicago Street Circuit after the final race of their three-race deal, there could be a need for a stop-gap track next season.
While almost everyone would point to Chicagoland as a wonderful venue for that role, sentiment may have changed after Rockingham’s great showing this weekend. If NASCAR needs a race-ready facility to fill the spot, the Rock could be the next man up.
What’s Happening? Though NASCAR is in the final year of its contract with the city, fans have yet to write off…
When you talk about stop-gap tracks, you can’t help but think of Iowa Speedway. Iowa technically is still a stop-gap track, as NASCAR added the track in 2024 to fill the void in what was previously Auto Club Speedway’s spot on the schedule.
The track, which has had on-again-off-again action, showed out last year with a decent race and lots of excitement from the crowd. Iowa even earned a more prominent spot on the calendar this year in late summer. That being said, NASCAR’s move to Iowa has yet to feel like a long-term option. If fears of diminishing returns rise, the Rock, a similar track in length, could be a solution to mix things up once again.
While hypothetical, this move would pose two major problems. First, NASCAR would lose its last foothold in the Midwest, especially if it leaves Chicago. Second, by putting the Rock in this position, the track would find itself stuck in the middle of an overpopulated market in the Carolinas and Virginia.
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia currently feature Cup Series racing from:
If flagrantly added to the schedule, the Rock would be in a tough spot. So, if NASCAR wanted to fix this crowded market, it could take a race from Darlington Raceway. The track earned its second race after the 2020 season. And this race, which takes place in the spring, is now the host of NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend.
However, whenever rumors of adding a new track to the schedule come around, fans always point to this race as an easy one to take off the calendar. This sentiment is in spite of the quality of racing and attendance for both Darlington races. It should be noted, though, that the racing quality did drop this year as William Byron almost led every lap and won the spring race.
If NASCAR wanted the best of both worlds, they could move this race out of Darlington, move it to Rockingham, and move Throwback Weekend to North Wilkesboro’s All-Star Race.
But, once again, having the Cup Series may not be the best thing for Rockingham. The Next-Gen car still has a long way to go if it wants to compete with the Xfinity Series on short tracks.
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