NASCAR will move its championship weekend away from Phoenix Raceway, where it’s lived since 2020, and rotate it around a group of host sites beginning in 2026. But that rotation won’t include the sport’s most famous track.
Daytona International Speedway is not currently being considered to host the championship races. Neither is its sister venue, Talladega Superspeedway.
NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy explained the decision on a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday.
“We’ve unanimously agreed it needs to look and feel like what we’d expect traditional NASCAR racing to look and feel like,” Kennedy said, ruling out drafting tracks.
So there you have it. NASCAR wants to focus on short ovals and 1½-mile intermediate tracks. There’s less parity there, allowing the best drivers in the best equipment to separate themselves.
Kennedy added that road courses are low on the list, but to “never say never.”
The season will continue to start with the Daytona 500, though. And Florida will be seeing the final race of the season soon.
Homestead-Miami Speedway, which previously hosted the season finale from 2002-2019, will be first up in the new rotation. The Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series title races will occur there Nov. 6-8, 2026.
“As we celebrate our 30th season, it is fitting we will start our next decade returning to our championship roots at Homestead-Miami Speedway,” Homestead-Miami president Guillermo Santa Cruz said in a press release.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Why Daytona International Speedway won’t host NASCAR championship race soon
Reporting by Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
