Who Hosts NASCAR’s All-Star Race in 2027?
What’s Happening? With the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race in the books, fans are already asking what track should host the race…
NASCAR Cup Series team owner Justin Marks said he thinks it’s time to not only change the NASCAR All-Star Race but All-Star Weekend as a whole during a recent interview.
One of the many talking points that stemmed from this past weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race was not about where or how NASCAR should run the race, but what (if any) real future the event had.
Aside from the off vibes of the event feeling more like a regular May race at Dover Motor Speedway, the format and the many wrecks that ended the day for some of the All-Stars in that odd format left many fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
What’s Happening? With the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race in the books, fans are already asking what track should host the race…
The fans weren’t the only ones feeling this way, as during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Trackhouse Racing Owner Justin Marks joined the discussion, sharing his frustrations about the event in its modern state.
Marks said that hosting the event no longer makes financial sense for race teams, citing inflation and the cost of racing as reasons the race’s $1 million payout is no longer economically viable.
“It’s paid a million bucks for a couple of decades now, and. . . they’ve never factored inflation into it. It never factored the increased cost of going to the racetrack into it. So, a million bucks is awesome, but you know, it’s like 16 days of payroll or like 18 days of payroll for these big teams. So if it was three or four million bucks and paid better through the field, that would make more economic sense if we’re just looking at the economics.” — Justin Marks
This point has been made time and time again by both drivers and team owners, as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since the first $1 million payout in 2003, that $1million has the same buying power as $1,814,822.89 in April 2026.
Still, Marks noted that the race is important and that it’s not just about the money. All-Star Weekend is about showing an exciting moment to fans of all types, both new and seasoned, and that going and “tearing up the cars like we did this weekend, that ain’t it.”
Instead, Marks lightly suggested an idea that would technically be an entire overhaul of the weekend, something he called a “Speed Festival,” showcasing the sport to a new market through different competitions, and perhaps scrapping the All-Star Race itself.
“I’ve suggested having like a Speed Festival, like maybe it’s not even a competitive event on a racetrack, but we go to the strip in Vegas and do a drag race and the pit stop competition and a burnout competition, and we engage the fans and turn it into a TV show. And we do this kind of like Coachella of speed type thing.” — Justin Marks
These ideas, of course, lend themselves to other sports’ All-Star events like the NBA and MLB, which complement their All-Star event Weekends with events like the Dunk or Skills Competition and the Home Run Derby.
In the past, NASCAR has held similar events, like the pit crew contest (more of a head-to-head than what has occurred since 2023) and even a mostly forgotten burnout contest.
Still, the idea of scrapping the race would be hard for the fans, as it would feel like another tradition gone by the wayside. Mark, for one, feels like that is a fair trade, as such an event could help get the sport into the consciousness of sports fans across the country.
“I think that if you really start to expand your vision, there’s a solution there that could be really elegant and really exciting for the fans and can get this event into the consciousness of the bigger sports fan in America,” Marks said.
What’s Happening? NASCAR fans weren’t the only ones wishing for more after the 2026 All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway, as…
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