The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is almost here, officially. But as the final buttons are being snapped on the schedule behind the scenes, some proposed final pieces of the schedule puzzle are starting to come into focus through a pair of reports published on Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday evening, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic released a report, which cited sources familiar with the discussions, that Dover Motor Speedway is under consideration to serve as the host venue of the NASCAR All-Star Race next season.
If Dover ultimately gets the nod to host the All-Star Race, that would pave the way for the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race for North Wilkesboro Speedway, which has hosted the last three editions of the NASCAR All-Star Race since the 1996 season.
To read the full report from The Athletic, click here.
The report from The Athletic has come with mixed reviews from race fans on social media, and understandably so. Dover, as an All-Star Race venue, is, at best, an interesting potential choice.
As far as the good that would come from the move, North Wilkesboro Speedway would see its revival completed as it would fully return to its former glory as a points-paying NASCAR Cup Series track.
The fans have rallied around the 0.625-mile short track since its return to the NASCAR National Series ranks in 2023, and the product on the track in the 2025 edition of the All-Star Race showed that the short track deserves to be a fixture on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
But should North Wilkesboro Speedway’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in a non-exhibition event designation come at the expense of Dover Motor Speedway’s lone NASCAR Cup Series points-paying event? That’s the holdup that many fans on social media, and I, have with this potential move.
The report on The Athletic cautions that while Dover is being discussed as a potential option for the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2026, no final decision has been made in reference to the All-Star Race venue for next season just yet.
Fast forward to Friday morning, and Kelly Crandall of Racer.com issued another report, which dropped more potential hints about what we could see in the final copy of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
According to Crandall’s report, there is uncertainty surrounding the future of the NASCAR race weekend at Iowa Speedway, which has produced sell-out crowds in 2024 and 2025. While many questioned the addition of Iowa Speedway in 2024, the fans in the region have supported the event since its return to the NASCAR National Series ranks, and it would be kind of shocking to see a race that has garnered as much spectator support as Iowa Speedway has get cut from the schedule.
To read the full Racer.com report about the 2026 schedule rumors, click here.
But the days of stale, predictable schedules are over in the NASCAR Cup Series, which means no track should ever feel safe, and no track should ever feel like it doesn’t have a chance to be included in future iterations of the schedule.
