The 2024 NASCAR schedule has some questions answered, but the vast majority remain unanswered. What are some of these unanswered questions surrounding the 2024 NASCAR schedule?
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1. What Replaces Auto Club Speedway?
The replacement for Auto Club Speedway has yet to be announced, but it is a pretty safe bet that the LA Coliseum will not be that replacement. As for what it will be that will replace Auto Club Speedway, that is still uncertain, but the most popular pick might be moving Sonoma up to the West Coast Swing in the spring to race when it is green in Northern California. However, rumor is that Auto Club Speedway has yet to begin demolition, so, is it possible that they return to the track in 2024?
2. Will the Chicago Street Race Return?
The Chicago Street Race was a big win in terms of the racing product for the Cup Series that day, but weather derailed a large part of the weekend. Add to that local support of the event is mixed at best, which calls the future of the event into question. Honestly, it is possible to see this going either way. There is an avenue where NASCAR convinces the city that the weather derailed the first event, so why not try it again? There is also another avenue where the city looks at the public response and feels it is too big of a risk to try this type of event again.
3. Is North Wilkesboro Going to be A Points Race?
The All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway this year was given overwhelmingly positive reviews as an event, but the race itself was not as great. Many people wondered if Bristol Dirt’s date could be pawned off to North Wilkesboro for a points race, but that scenario seems unlikely now. Still, it’s not totally out of the question for North Wilkesboro to become a points race. However, it seems based on the Bristol announcement that the most likely path forward is another All-Star Race at the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway.
4. Will NASCAR Go International?
NASCAR going international was all the rage early in the summer in the wake of Garage 56, but those rumors have quieted down in recent months. NASCAR going to another continent in 2024 may be a bit of a stretch anyway, so 2025 seems like the most likely year for that scenario to play out. However, Canada is a place that NASCAR has been rumored to go to in 2024, but, again, nothing official has come out on that front yet. NASCAR going international may not happen in 2024, but in 2025, it seems like a real possibility.
5. How Will NASCAR Handle the Olympics?
NASCAR and NBC have a unique wrench in the 2024 schedule, and that is the Summer Olympics between July 26 and August 11. In 2016, NBC simply moved NASCAR to another cable channel during the Olympics, but, in 2021, NASCAR took a two-week break in the summer during the Olympics. It seems NASCAR could do that again as is evidenced by Road America leaving the Xfinity schedule, but how do they handle that two-week break? One way is by a doubleheader weekend with two Cup races at the same track on the same weekend.
The 2024 schedule continues to be a major mystery, and its’ release continues to be uncertain among everyone paying attention to it. All of the answers to these questions may slowly drop until the schedule is fully released, or it may have to wait until the schedule is fully released.