NASCAR Considering Moving Its Championship Race to Rotating Tracks
What’s Happening? NASCAR may move the Championship Race from Phoenix, but not in the traditional sense. According to a recent report,…
It is no secret that the NASCAR Championship Race weekend could move from Phoenix. However, in a new interview on NASCAR’s new podcast Hauler Talk, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell spoke highly of a system that rotates the host track.
In the interview, O’Donnell discussed the playoffs but transitioned into a conversation about the Championship host track. Since the introduction of the NASCAR Next Gen Car in 2022, the quality of Phoenix’s Championship Races has fallen flat for some fans.
“It’s not lost on me that it’s more complicated than just waving a quick checkered flag and saying, ‘Let’s move the championship,’ said O’Donnell. “But I do think a rotation is going to be really important for us.”
O’Donnell went on to say that while Phoenix has “had a good mixture” of winners and champions at Phoenix, yet he thinks “a rotation is what the fans want.” While it seems most fans want to go back to Homestead Miami Speedway, a rotating championship could be a compromise for the sport and its fanbase.
This is not the first reference NASCAR’s COO has made to a rotating championship venue. As in a Dec. 16 report from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, O’Donnell said the sport was “debating” using this format. While it could simply be his opinion on the matter, this change in tone may make it seem as if NASCAR is leaning toward this approach.
What’s Happening? NASCAR may move the Championship Race from Phoenix, but not in the traditional sense. According to a recent report,…
O’Donnell stated that “wherever we can put on a great race” would be ideal for the locations. He, however, downplayed the potential for the host track to be at a superspeedway or road course, later clarifying, “any oval where we can pull it off.”
At the State of the Sport Press conference in November, O’Donnell listed a few tracks—Charlotte, Darlington, and Las Vegas— that NASCAR has “looked at” as potential championship hosts. These were listed alongside fan-favorite track Homestead, which many feel offers some of the best racing on the circuit.
While the on-track racing product will be important, when NASCAR brass speaks on the matter, including this time, they stress that attendance and “championship atmosphere” will play a significant role in selecting future host tracks. Historically, Phoenix has consistently sold out the Championship race weekend.
NASCAR has not announced any specific dates for the 2026 calendar, meaning the option to rotate tracks could be on the table in the near future.
What’s Happening? During Friday’s State of the Sport press conference, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell was asked if NASCAR’s Championship weekend would…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X, and don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
