NASCAR has raced at plenty of incredible tracks throughout the years, and now the schedule is about as diverse as it ever has been. However, some race tracks that were beloved by fans are never going to see NASCAR come back again. What are the best race tracks that NASCAR will never race at again?
NASCAR’s first attempt at racing in the state of Texas was at Texas World Speedway in College Station. The 2.0-mile D-shaped track hosted eight Cup Series races between 1969 and 1981 with drivers like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip winning there. However, the track fell into disrepair, and it is currently being demolished. With the current Next-Gen intermediate track product, who knows what type of races we could see at this track could it have survived into 2023?
Atlanta Motor Speedway still exists, but it is not the same race track it once was. Now, it is a superspeedway, drafting-style track, but, from its inception until 2021, it was a traditional intermediate. It was a track that the drivers loved because of its’ multiple grooves and high tire wear, and the fans loved it because of the fantastic finishes the track created. While modern Atlanta is gaining some traction amongst the fanbase, fans still wonder what Atlanta would be like with the Next-Gen car and the current intermediate track product.
Riverside International Raceway was the lone road course on the Cup Series schedule for many years. The historic, Southern California track hosted series like Formula One and IndyCar aside from NASCAR. Nowadays, the track does not exist as it was bulldozed for real estate development, and now, Sonoma Raceway exists as the sort of spiritual successor to Riverside. However, it is a track that is sorely missed by many, and it would have come in handy in 2024 with Auto Club Speedway out of commission.
Between 1988 and 2004, but the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series visited the Nazareth Speedway. With the city of Nazareth hosting the residence of the Andretti family, it was only natural that. a race track be built there. It was a unique, tri-oval-shaped race track with something as simple as how many turns were at the track being highly debated. However, following the 2004 racing season, the track closed, and it is now abandoned with little to no hope of being revitalized.
In 1997, Auto Club Speedway filled the Southern California race track void left by tracks like Ontario and Riverside. From 1997 until 2023, the track became famous for its’ five-wide restarts, and its high speeds. However, the track is now in the process of being demolished with the timeline original plan of building a short track on the property still not certain. With the Next-Gen short track product, many fans are not excited about this change, but, Auto Club Speedway as we know it is about to be gone forever.
Which tracks do you wish could come back that NASCAR cannot go back to? There are plenty of race tracks like this out there, and sadly will be more as time goes on.
