1. The Next Step With North Wilkesboro Is Obvious
You either already have or soon will be reading plenty of columns and opinion pieces on whether North Wilkesboro Speedway should get a NASCAR Cup Series points race after hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Those kinds of articles are meant to spark debate, which is always welcome, but those debates are silly in this case because the answer is so clear.
Of course it should.
As discussed in this space two weeks ago, NASCAR is running perilously thin on goodwill from the fans with the current on-track product. That’s even more true on short tracks, which the Next Gen car appears to have broken — maybe not irreparably, since NASCAR hasn’t tried everything yet (ahem, more horsepower), but definitely to the point where the options actually on the table aren’t likely to save them.
That makes North Wilkesboro something of a unicorn at present. A short track where fans enjoy the racing right now? That’s a no-brainer.
Sure, there are logistical arguments against a Cup Series points race. The track’s seating capacity is tiny compared to other tracks, with less than 20,000 permanent seats. And another track would have to lose a date to give one to North Wilkesboro, a decision that has a number of effects that must be carefully considered.
Those seats would all be filled for a Cup Series event, however, and the race itself would probably be entertaining. That should outweigh all other considerations at the moment.
2. So, Whither the All-Star Race in 2026 and Beyond?
Of course, if North Wilkesboro gets a points race next season, NASCAR needs to find a new host venue for the All-Star Race. Though the head honchos would likely disagree, I’d call this one of the sport’s least important dilemmas. The ‘real’ races deserve more time and attention than a midseason exhibition.
Happily, there’s a ready-made solution for this, too: give Bowman Gray Stadium the All-Star Race instead of the Clash. This isn’t a new idea, as some of us called for it as soon as this year’s Clash was in the books.
Bowman Gray is tailor-made for the All-Star Race simply because at a quarter-mile in length, it’s never going to get a points race. So let the drivers have at it there in May instead of February.
Put the Clash back at Daytona International Speedway, where teams can use it to learn something, and make the second ‘s’ in Speedweeks meaningful again. Move the All-Star Race to Bowman Gray, where it would be a fun late spring distraction before the grind of the summer season. Give North Wilkesboro a points race.
This isn’t even that complicated.
3. Prime Sounds Like It’s Going to Bring Some Innovation to NASCAR Broadcasts
The only thing that seemed to be a source of more dismay than the racing over the first third of this Cup Series season was the FOX Sports broadcasts. That makes this the perfect time to remind everyone that “be careful what you wish for” is soon to be in full effect as Prime SZN begins this weekend.
Prime Video, that is, as the streaming service, will make history beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 with five consecutive races that will not be carried on linear TV. For a little more than a month, we will all be cord-cutters, like it or not.
Clearly, a lot of fans will be in the latter category, but consider this a reminder that it’s not all bad. For starters, Prime Video is offering a free 30-day trial that can be used to cover all five races if you time it correctly.
On top of that, Prime is promising no full-screen commercials during green flag racing, as well as extensive post-race coverage since it has no time windows to dictate when it signs off. There are other cool tidbits in this Sports Business Journal article, including recaps to bring you up to speed quickly if you miss the beginning of the race.
There’s no question it will be an adjustment to not simply turning on the TV to watch a race, and neither Prime nor any other streamer has solved the issue of how difficult it is to switch quickly to something else during commercials (who knew the ‘last’ button would be the most missed feature of cable?). But it does sound like Prime is making the most of this opportunity, and maybe even it can get FOX and NBC to take some notes.
4. Another Experiment Borrowed From Other Sports Leagues Isn’t Far Off
While you’re watching those races on Prime Video, it’s worth keeping in mind that they will set the table for this year’s other innovation: the NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
Inspired by what the NBA now calls the Emirates NBA Cup — and perhaps more indirectly by things like the NCAA basketball tournaments — it’s a five-race tournament intended to spice up the doldrums of the summer schedule, whittling 32 drivers down to one. A trophy and a $1 million prize go to the winner.
Cup Series drivers seemed genuinely intrigued, bordering on excited, by the In-Season Challenge when it was first announced. The idea of head-to-head matchups, not to mention an in-season competition, certainly seems like a worthwhile experiment.
If it catches on, great. If not, NASCAR can punt on this format pretty quickly.
Before we get there, the seeding for the In-Season Challenge will come together over the final three Prime Video events (Michigan International Speedway, Mexico City and Pocono Raceway). So if you’re on the fence about whether to catch the streaming races, there’s an additional storyline that might tip the scales for you.
5. NASCAR Has Done Something Right That You Might Not Even Know About
When NASCAR first announced the Driver Ambassador Program, it’s quite possible you didn’t pay much attention. Awarding points to drivers for every 15 minutes they do promotional activities outside of mandatory media appearances … who cares?
As it turns out, the drivers do. Quite a bit in some cases. Both Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson have told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic in consecutive weeks that they not only have upped their promotional game because of the Driver Ambassador Program, but it legitimately gets their competitive juices flowing.
The cynical take would be that there’s money involved: a pool of what’s said to be several million dollars will be distributed according to which drivers end up with the most points. But it doesn’t seem to be only financial considerations driving Larson to want to do better, and for a talent like him, who doesn’t feel like a natural promoter of the sport, any motivation the program provides is a win for NASCAR.
