The Next-Gen car has one major strength: intermediate race tracks. And fans are asking for more to add to the 2025 schedule. Unfortunately, the options NASCAR has are quite limited. However, something is better than nothing, so, these are the 3 intermediate tracks NASCAR could add to the 2025 schedule.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently predicted on the Dale Jr. Download that he could see Marcus Smith getting rid of the ROVAL and returning to the 1.5-mile oval for Charlotte’s fall date. Many fans want to see this happen as well, and it’s certainly the easiest add to the 2025 schedule NASCAR can make. All they need to do is just not set up the Roval on race weekend.
However, Marcus Smith has publicly spoken highly of the Roval. If he likes it, it will probably stay on the schedule for a while. Charlotte is the most likely track to gain a date since NASCAR has shifted away from giving tracks multiple dates in recent years, plus some intermediate tracks already have two dates.
With the future of the Chicago Street Race in a state of perpetual uncertainty, many point to the possibility of NASCAR returning to Chicagoland Speedway. The track hosted a Super Motorcross event in 2023, so it’s still in shape to host races. If NASCAR leaves the city streets but wants to stay in Chicago, this event could return.
However, the attendance at the track was not great in its’ waning years. It’s also on the outskirts of the Chicago Metro Area, about an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago. It’s an option, but, whether it would work from an attendance standpoint is another question entirely. Even if many fans want to see this track come back.
Kentucky Speedway fell off the schedule for many of the same reasons Chicagoland did, plus a failed reconfiguration in 2016. However, it is an intermediate race track where NASCAR could stage a race. Unfortunately, the prospects do not look as good for this venue.
The venue hasn’t hosted a major event in years, primarily because it is a car storage lot. It may also struggle to produce multi-groove racing, which is one of the things that attracts fans to intermediate tracks. This is a much riskier pick and potentially the most unlikely one.
Intermediate tracks were dropped from the schedule seemingly as soon as the racing got better. Tough timing for NASCAR, but, returning to these venues could help immensely.
