Motorsports
New York Auto Show turns 125 with Asian debuts, EV test tracks
New York — America’s oldest auto exhibition, the New York International Auto Show, celebrates its 125th anniversary through April 27 at Javits Convention Center with a look back at significant concepts of the past along with the debuts of modern machinery for the 21st century. While auto dealers who organize the show gauge consumer interest […]
New York — America’s oldest auto exhibition, the New York International Auto Show, celebrates its 125th anniversary through April 27 at Javits Convention Center with a look back at significant concepts of the past along with the debuts of modern machinery for the 21st century.
While auto dealers who organize the show gauge consumer interest in the latest wares, they will also be watching the effects of government-imposed electric vehicle mandates and import tariffs on the market’s future.
Like the Detroit Auto Show at Huntington Place, the Big Apple’s auto-palooza has morphed over the decades into more than just an opportunity to shop for your next ride. Once isolated on the Hudson River on Manhattan’s’ west side next to a train depot, Javits’ neighborhood has been transformed by the Hudson Yards development that has sprouted skyscrapers over top of the rail yard. With 9 million square feet of office space as well as residential quarters, Hudson Yards is among the most expensive real estate in Manhattan.
Residents and other attendees who walk across 11th Avenue to Javits will find four test tracks — two of them outdoor — where they can jump into cars from numerous brands for a ride. Inside, there will be an array of attractions from anniversary exhibits to new car debuts to brand displays and special collections of Detroit classics and racing Subarus.
“There’s been a huge change over the years. We characterize these events as auto shows, but it’s also a place for (attendees) to enjoy themselves, as they are spending three four hours at the show,” said Mark Schienberg, president of the New York Auto Show and of the Greater New York Auto Dealers Association, in an interview. He said exit surveys show consumers “want to see the new product and help them understand it. But right under that was they really loved the entertainment.”
That entertainment will include special exhibits during public days April 18-27, like tuner whiz Nakai San, who will construct a Porsche over two days, April 23-24 — and Overland Weekend, an exhibit of extreme campers and off-road vehicles. Detroit’s show in January also amped up the entertainment when it invited ticket-holders to take a ride with IndyCar stars like Josef Newgarden and Nolan Allaer on the show’s indoor track.
New York combines car-gazing and entertainment on the show’s 110,000-square-foot indoor test track. Like Detroit, the experience track is a New York centerpiece.
ZOT! Riding shotgun, attendees can accelerate up to 40 mph around the “EVTest Track.” Some 18 models will be available to ticket-holders. Cadillac leads the way with four EVs to ride in with Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Jeep, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen also represented.
“You really need to speak to the consumers that are in your area and tracks are a great way to do that,” said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of Research and Analysis for S&P Global. “There are still a lot of people who still haven’t been in an electric vehicle, so to have that experience is helpful.”
Unlike Detroit’s indoor tracks that showcased a mix of gas and electric powertrains, Javitz’s track is all-electric. That’s because the Empire State is one of 12 so-called Zero Emission Vehicles states that require all new vehicles sales to be zero-emission by 2035. That includes a mandate that 35% of 2026 model-year vehicles (which hit dealers later this year) be fully battery-powered.
The market is a long way from that today with less than 10% of New York sales (most of them Tesla, which is not at the New York Show) powered by electricity. Sales may also be impacted by the expected withdrawal of the federal $7,500 EV tax credit.
“We saw an uptick in sales in January and February as headlines warned that subsidies were going away, and there is also more availability of EV models,” said Brinley. “But I don’t think there’s going to be a 35% share for electric vehicles in New York.”
For the majority of customers who still want gas-fired cars — particularly of the off-road variety — Detroit brands Jeep and Ford offer outdoor tracks on Javits’ 11th Avenue doorstep. The rollercoaster-like tracks are traditionally among the most popular show features.
“Jeep keeps on making the mountain bigger and with a bigger pitch. So it should be interesting to see what they’ve put together this year,” Schienberg said.
The dealers who organize the show also face a mountain of tariffs coming from the Trump administration — aimed in particular at entry-level and electric vehicles made in Mexico like the Kia K4 hatchback that the Korean brand is expected to introduce here.
“It’s hard for consumers to see the effect of tariffs on vehicles,” said Brinley, who said New York show products haven’t been pulled back due to tariffs. “Vehicle inventory for 50-60 days that is on sale now is unaffected by the tariffs. And manufacturers that sell here aren’t leaving the market — they just have to figure out where to build.”
Unique for 2025 is the anniversary celebration.
“We’re really pulling out all the stops with amazing exhibits,” said Schienberg of the show that started at Madison Square Garden in 1900. “We’re showing concepts — one from each decade of the auto show. So we have 13 examples of amazing vehicles that have been introduced over the decades.”
Inside the show’s entrance, the anniversary exhibit illustrates how the industry has evolved in design and tech. Exhibits includes Detroit notables like the Ford Model T and 1909 Cadillac Model 30.
“Its interesting to harken back to the history of autos after so many years of talking about EVs and autonomous vehicles,” Brinley said. “It makes the auto show engaging on multiple levels. I like that there is an emphasis on the things that emotionally move you as well as what you might buy.”
Also celebrating its 125th year? Mack Truck, which will have a display including a 1925 Mack AB model.
New vehicles are still the heartbeat of the New York show, and 28 brands will be on display at Javits.
“When we looked at our numbers last year, 66% of (attendees) said that the show influenced their purchase, and that they were in the in the market for buying a car . . . within the next 12 months,” Schienberg said. “So you really have consumers that are in that funnel, coming in and helping them make their decision on what to do.”
If Detroit Three brands dominate the Huntington Place stage, Korean brands Kia, Hyundai and Genesis have become the headliners in New York and Los Angeles with high-profile model debuts. Subaru and VW will also showcase new models.
“Hyundai, Kia and Genesis have been great as a lot of other manufacturers have gone away. Subaru has always been a believer in shows,” Schienberg said. “They share with us their data, and it’s really impressive what coverage they get.”
Three new Kia models are expected with speculation centering on a hatchback version of the compact, gas-powered K4 sedan; the North American introduction of the K4’s electric E4 sibling; and a new, three-row Telluride SUV.
Expect Hyundai’s Telluride competitor, the Palisade, to take off the wraps in New York with a boxier look. Subaru will debut an all-new EV, the Trailseeker, but the Big Apple’s showstopper may be an all-new Subaru Outback — the brand’s halo moving away from its traditional, station-wagon proportions to a chunkier, more SUV-like look. As for VW, the midsize, gas-driven Tiguan SUV may get a close cousin, the Tayron. Toyota and Maserati have also scheduled news conferences.
In addition to its sprawling display, Hyundai has its own indoor test track for attendees.
“Seventy six percent of the (New York attendees) said that the auto show was the only automotive event that they attended,” Schienberg said. “They’re seeing car commercials, and they are on the websites getting information about product. But when they really want to experience cars, the consumer is still using auto shows as their tool to help them make decisions.”
With many of the world’s biggest media operations — TV networks, New York newspapers and more — in town, the New York show has been an irresistible showcase for the flood of startup automakers in recent years. Qiantu, INDI EV, Vinfast and others have used Gotham as a stage for new vehicles.
Not this year. Consistent with the struggles of startups like Rivian, Lucid, Fisker and Bollinger, the 2025 show will be devoid of startups.
“Startups are going through their challenges to some degree,” Scheinberg said. “I wish Vinfast was in this year. They’re not, but that’s more because they’re not selling vehicles in the New York area.”
Though Metro New York contains some of the country’s most affluent zip codes, many luxury automakers continue to sit out the the show just as they do Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. BMW, Porsche and Cadillac (which was once headquartered in New York) will not present this year. But Mercedes, Maserati, Genesis, Acura and Lincoln will bring their toys.
And then there are the exotics.
A signature of the New York show has long been its display of uber-lux models from hypercars to lush land yachts. Detroit took inspiration from New York and put on its own exotic 2025 display.
Between the Chevy and Subaru exhibits will be eye candy like the Bentley Continental GTC hybrid convertible, Rolls Royce Cullinan, 1,500-horsepower Koenigsegg Regera hybrid, Lamborghini Revuelo, Lotus Eletre SUV and Emira sports car, and 1,900-horsepower Rimac Nevera electric hypercar that can hit 60 mph in just 1.85 seconds.
Performance fans will also thrill at restomods from Tedson Motors (Porsche 911), Sacrilege (converted electric Porsche 911), and GTO Engineering (Ferrari 250).
Media attendance has dropped off in recent years during the press week leading up to New York public days as fewer manufacturers have debuted vehicles.
But the New York Show still generates media interest with its World Car of the Year awards scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 — much as the North American Car, Truck & Utility of the Year awards kicks off the Detroit Auto Show.
Javits also hosted the Automotive Forum sponsored by JD Power on Tuesday, April 15.
“It’s a who’s who of the auto industry — everybody from manufacturers to suppliers, dealers, the media,” Schienberg said. “Between issues on the economy, electrification, and now tariffs, things have been taken to a whole new level, which is why registrations have really turned up. “
Other attractions include a display dedicated to the “Golden Era,” spotlighting 1950s automobiles including the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado, 1958 Buick Limited and 1955 Packard Caribbean. Complementing Subaru’s main floor display is a collection of all-wheel-drive Subaru hellions from the James Buzzetta collection.
“These are the STI (racers), and the first Subaru that was ever brought into the United States, the Subaru 360,” Schienberg said.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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Christian Eckes trying to adjust to ‘challenging’ first year in NASCAR Xfinity Series
With 12 races in the record books leading into a two-week break, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been open for some time. But a few weeks ago, it was more or less Open Season on the series as a whole. After an unsightly spectacle at Martinsville Speedway in which overaggressive driving led to […]
With 12 races in the record books leading into a two-week break, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been open for some time. But a few weeks ago, it was more or less Open Season on the series as a whole.
After an unsightly spectacle at Martinsville Speedway in which overaggressive driving led to 14 caution flags in 250 laps and the second-place driver ramming the leader out of his way and spinning him out in the final corner proved so egregious that NASCAR issued a hefty fine and points penalty for it, the series regulars of the Xfinity level — many of them 20-somethings or younger aspiring to reach the Cup Series — were subject to a rebuke from NASCAR officials and heavy criticism from veteran drivers, with Kyle Larson in particular admitting he likes to try and “embarrass” the field when he drops down for the occasional Xfinity race as a means of showing them what a long way they still have to go to claim to be among the best of the best.
NASCAR 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks, locations
Steven Taranto
Christian Eckes, a rookie for Kaulig Racing, is one of the young drivers in the Xfinity field who has been witness to everything that came before and after Martinsville’s bumper car theatrics. Following a meeting between NASCAR officials and the Xfinity Series drivers at Darlington in which NASCAR made it clear it would begin policing the racing and potentially penalize or park drivers if their on-track conduct did not improve, Eckes said that there has been a “decent” shift in the racing product, which has remained hard nosed without stepping over the line.
“Since we had that meeting at Darlington, that was very productive for everybody,” Eckes said. “I feel like a lot of things have changed and a lot of cleaner racing has happened. I think we’ve had less cautions and less stuff happen. I think we’re heading in the right direction on that as well.”
On an individual level, Eckes and his race team would like to head in a better direction as well. While Eckes has four top-10 finishes so far, including a fifth at Circuit of the Americas, he has been enduring a rough stretch of races — including his fourth DNF of the year after an early engine failure at Texas — that has relegated him to 18th in the points standings. That’s a far cry from his 2024 season in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he had one of the most statistically successful seasons in series history with four wins, 15 top fives and 22 top 10s in 23 races.
“It’s been a challenging year to say the least. We’ve definitely not exceeded expectations by any means,” Eckes said. “We’ve had speed and have been headed in the right direction, but it’s definitely been more of a challenge than we probably anticipated. It’s definitely gonna be crucial over the next couple weeks to kind of turn it around. We’ve had good speed, we just haven’t had good finishes or really good luck in most of the races.
“A lot of missed opportunities, but still plenty of season to make up for it.”
Taking the wheel of a car that had contended for the Xfinity Series championship with A.J. Allmendinger, Eckes said that Allmendinger is the “No. 1 resource” he has, while also crediting crew chief Alex Yontz and Kaulig Racing team president Chris Rice with helping to make the jump up from Trucks to Xfinity easier on him.
“If you look at it, when it comes to the Truck Series at least, I haven’t driven anything else since 2019 except for this year,” Eckes said. “Kind of just being a little bit more adaptable is definitely something that I need to work on, and I feel like I have worked on. The last couple weeks I feel like we’ve had enough speed to run top five, top three, and unfortunately it hasn’t gone our way yet.
“But we’re heading in the right direction. We just have to keep pushing forward.”
Texas Motor Speedway marked a setback for Eckes and his race team, as problems under the hood of the No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet relegated them to a 38th-place finish, the first car out of the race. Eckes is among a number of drivers who have been brought into the fold of Celsius’ increasingly prolific sponsorship of NASCAR drivers, which now also includes Daytona 500 champion William Byron and Cup breakout candidate Ryan Preece.
“It’s an honor for sure,” Eckes said of earning Celsius as a sponsor. “I feel like it’s an elite class of drivers and people that have that partnership, and I’m honored to be a part of them. It’s been a great partnership so far and has been super cool to have everybody from Celsius out on the weekends that we’re sponsored by them.”
Motorsports
SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP FROM SALT LAKE CITY AND IMSA FROM LAGUNA SECA HEADLINE NBC SPORTS’ LIVE MOTORSPORTS COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND
Supercross Race Day Live Begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET with Pre-Race at 6:30 p.m. ET, Both Exclusively on Peacock; Race at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton Only Nine Points Apart in 450SX Class Standings; Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker, and RJ Hampshire Only Three Points Apart in […]
Supercross Race Day Live Begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET with Pre-Race at 6:30 p.m. ET, Both Exclusively on Peacock; Race at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock
Cooper Webb and Chase Sexton Only Nine Points Apart in 450SX Class Standings; Tom Vialle, Seth Hammaker, and RJ Hampshire Only Three Points Apart in 250SX East
IMSA from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 7, 2025 – NBC Sports’ action-packed motorsports weekend is headlined by the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, part of the 2025 SMX World ChampionshipTM, season finale in Salt Lake City this Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock followed by IMSA’s TireRack.com Monterey Sportscar Championship from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
SUPERCROSS FINALE
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross, part of the 2025 SMX World ChampionshipTM series, season concludes this Saturday, May 10, from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Race Day Live qualifying coverage this Saturday from Salt Lake City gets underway at 1 p.m. ET followed by a pre-race show at 6:30 p.m. ET, with both exclusively on Peacock.
Chase Sexton earned his sixth 450SX Class victory of the season in Denver last weekend to bring him within nine points of season leader Cooper Webb, who took second to maintain his first-place standing. Sexton, the 2023 Supercross 450SX champion, aims to get back atop the podium, while Webb looks for his third title in the premier class.
In the 250 East vs. West Showdown, the 250SX East Division is incredibly close, with defending champion Tom Vialle leading by a slim margin of one point over Seth Hammaker and three points over RJ Hampshire. With a race win, Hammaker or Hampshire would clinch their first East Division title. In the 250SX West Class, Haiden Deegan won in the final two laps to clinch his first 250SX Championship; even if he scores zero points this weekend and second-place Cole Davies wins the race, Deegan owns the tiebreaker over Davies due to having more runner-up finishes over the course of the season.
SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
| 450SX | 250SX East | 250SX West | |||
| 1. | Cooper Webb, 347 points | 1. | Tom Vialle, 160 points | 1. | Haiden Deegan, 196 points |
| 2. | Chase Sexton (-9) | 2. | Seth Hammaker (-1) | 2. | Cole Davies (-25) |
| 3. | Ken Roczen (-76) | 3. | RJ Hampshire (-3) | 3. | Julien Beaumer (-29) |
NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey alongside SuperMotocross analyst Ricky Carmichael, a 15-time AMA champion, and seven-time AMA champion James Stewart will call this weekend’s action in Salt Lake City. Will Christien, Jason Thomas, and Jason Weigandt will serve as reporters.
Carmichael and nine-time AMA champion Ryan Villopto recap last week’s action in Denver and preview their championship winners on the latest episode of the Title 24 podcast here.
All live SuperMotocross coverage, including races and qualifying, plus on-demand replays, will be available on Peacock this season. Click here for more details.
BROADCAST TEAM
- Play by Play: Leigh Diffey
- Analyst: Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart
- Reporters: Will Christien, Jason Thomas, Jason Weigandt
- Race Day Live: Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Brayton, Steven “Lurch” Scott, Haley Shanley
- Pre-Race: Jason Weigandt, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Brayton, Will Christien, Jason Thomas
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – USA Network
- Streaming – Peacock
- Audio – SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio – Channel 85
| Date | Coverage | Platform(s) | Time (ET) |
| Sat., May 10 | Race Day Live | Peacock | 1 p.m. |
| Pre-Race – Rice-Eccles Stadium | Peacock | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Race – Rice-Eccles Stadium | USA Network, Peacock | 7 p.m. |
IMSA: LAGUNA SECA
IMSA returns this week with the TireRack.com Monterey Sportscar Championship from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California this Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. The two-hour-and-40-minute standard length sprint race is expected to feature 36 cars across the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP),) Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes. IMSA has raced at Laguna Seca every year since 1999.
Porsche Penske Motorsport has won three consecutive GTP races with the No. 7 Porsche 963 team of Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy, which leads the sister team of No. 6 Porsche 963 Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, who have two runner-up finishes and one third-place finish this season, by 123 points. Nasr and Tandy look for their fourth consecutive win to start the season; this would be the first time since 2017 that someone has won the first four races of the season in the premier class. Additionally, AO Racing has won the last two GT races in both GT classes with five different drivers.
NBC Sports’ Brian Till will call the action alongside former IMSA GT driver and analyst Calvin Fish. Dave Burns, Chris Wilner, and Matt Yocum will serve as pit reporters.
Live coverage of WeatherTech Championship qualifying will be presented this Saturday at 6:10 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. Peacock will serve as the streaming home of the WeatherTech Championship with flag-to-flag live coverage of all races as well as exclusive coverage for portions of select endurance races, including the Six Hours of The Glen on June 22. Click here for more information on the 2025 schedule.
HOW TO WATCH
- TV – NBC
- Streaming – Peacock
| Date | Coverage | Platform(s) | Time (ET) |
| Sat., May 10 | IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge | Peacock | 11:45 a.m. |
| IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge | Peacock | 3:40 p.m. | |
| WeatherTech Championship Qualifying | Peacock | 6:10 p.m. | |
| IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo | Peacock | 7:40 p.m. | |
| Sun., May 11 | IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge | Peacock | 11:25 a.m. |
| IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo | Peacock | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Race – TireRack.com Monterey Sportscar Championship | NBC, Peacock | 3 p.m. |
–NBC SPORTS–
Motorsports
Superspeedways Will Not Be in NASCAR Championship Venue Rotation
On Tuesday, NASCAR announced the return of Homestead-Miami Speedway as the NASCAR National Series championship weekend venue for the 2026 season, in what will be part of a new yearly rotating championship venue model. RELATED: Hosting 2026 Championship Weekend ‘A Great Honor’ for Homestead-Miami While NASCAR didn’t divulge the full list of venues that would […]
On Tuesday, NASCAR announced the return of Homestead-Miami Speedway as the NASCAR National Series championship weekend venue for the 2026 season, in what will be part of a new yearly rotating championship venue model.
RELATED: Hosting 2026 Championship Weekend ‘A Great Honor’ for Homestead-Miami
While NASCAR didn’t divulge the full list of venues that would be part of the rotation, in a Zoom teleconference, Ben Kennedy, the Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer for NASCAR pulled back to curtain on venues that shouldn’t be expected to be part of the rotation at least in the near future.
Kennedy explained that NASCAR is seeking facilities that produce traditional NASCAR racing, which means Superspeedways like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway will not be in the consideration at this time.
“Never say never, but I think we’ve unanimously agreed that it needs to look and feel like what we would expect traditional NASCAR racing to look and feel like,” Kennedy explained. “Short tracks, intermediate tracks, mile tracks are all on the board. Superspeedways, I think we all feel like right now we wouldn’t consider that as a championship venue, not that Daytona isn’t a championship caliber venue.”
There are simply too many intangibles at superspeedway races, such as ‘The Big One’, for the sanctioning body to feel comfortable at this time with having a race at Daytona or Talladega decide the championship.
“There are a lot of story lines that come out of those events, and we want to make sure that, when we go to Homestead, Miami, or Phoenix or wherever it might be in the future, that there is a lot of strategy and that a lot of our championship drivers are also contending for the victory at the end of that race.””
In addition to Superspeedways not fitting the bill for what NASCAR is currently looking for in championship venues, Kennedy says road courses are also off the table when it comes to tracks the sanctioning body is currently looking at to fill its need for championship venues in the near future.
“We talked about that. We’ve talked about road courses as well. Again, never say never, but road courses are probably lower on the list as we think about championship venues,” Kennedy said. “So we’re really going to hone in on short tracks, and I would say mile-and-a-halfs for now.”
As far as which tracks NASCAR is targeting to add into the championship venue rotation, Kennedy says the sanctioning body will look at more than just NASCAR-owned properties.
“I think anything is on the table at this point, to be honest, whether it’s NASCAR property or elsewhere,” Kennedy explained. “The great part about it is we have a good relationship with Speedway Motorsports, and they have many prominent events in the playoffs, cutoff races at the Charlotte oval and Bristol, and a handful of others.”
It’ll be interesting to see which tracks are ultimately adopted into the rotating championship venue schedule in the coming seasons.
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Where can NASCAR take the title race with new rotating finale?
Various tracks have hosted the NASCAR finale in the sport’s past, but only four currently on the schedule have ever held the honor before. But none held it longer than Homestead, hosting the championship-decider every year between 2002 and 2019. The season finale has become increasingly important in the past decade due to the introduction […]
Various tracks have hosted the NASCAR finale in the sport’s past, but only four currently on the schedule have ever held the honor before. But none held it longer than Homestead, hosting the championship-decider every year between 2002 and 2019.
The season finale has become increasingly important in the past decade due to the introduction of the knockout-style playoff format. Four drivers, equal on points, enter the finale each year in a one-race battle to win it all. The same organization has won the title at Phoenix all three years of the Next Gen era and several have been critical of the track’s ability to put on a show. The track did make several impressive upgrades, the city did plenty of promotion, but the racing product has been lacking.
This week, NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy talked about what it takes to be considered for the finale as the sport embarks on this plan to rotate the 36th points-paying race of the year. Some of the keys: Must be located in a attractive market, a decent climate for November, a strong on-track product, and a lack of a wildcard factor.
Based on Kennedy’s comments, superspeedways and road courses are out of the question for the immediate future. So that leaves us with intermediates and short tracks, but the short track package has been severely lacking in recent years. Excluding Homestead and Phoenix, let’s take a look at the other tracks that are possible frontrunners to join this rotating schedule and one day become the season finale.
1. Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas is a huge market with a lot of eyeballs, which is a major plus, but LVMS is also a thrilling intermediate track with great racing. The current generation of car races best at these 1.5-mile ovals, and Vegas has shown interest in hosting the finale before. There’s also minimal danger of a rainout, so it’s hard to envision a reason not to give it a try.
2. Charlotte Motor Speedway
This city is the heartbeat of the NASCAR world and already hosts a crown jewel with the Coke 600 in May. And what better place to crown the champion of NASCAR than in NASCAR’s own backyard? While the fall race currently takes place on the Roval, a return to the oval layout needs to happen if CMS become the title-decider. And yes, as another intermediate oval, there should be no concern over the on-track product.
3. Kansas Speedway
Not the most flashy of places, but there’s no denying that Kansas is the action track of modern NASCAR. Nearly every race there in recent years has been filled to the brim with drama. It’s similar to Vegas in some ways, but also unique as the art of running right against the wall is key to be fast. It also holds the record for the closest finish in the entire history of the Cup Series, set when Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by 0.001s in 2024.
4. Nashville Superspeedway
Please ignore the official track name as it’s not a true superspeedway, but a unique intermediate track. This is a market that also loves its NASCAR. The summer race at Nashville has only graced the series’ schedule for a few years, but it has quickly become one of the more popular ones and has produced several great moments. And there’s that iconic guitar gifted to the race winner. Nashville is also different from most of the other larger ovals on the schedule as a concrete track measuring 1.330 miles in length. And it’s Nashville, which has hosted the end-of-year banquet before, so why not the finale?
5. Darlington Raceway
Like Charlotte, Darlington already hosts a crown jewel — the oldest in NASCAR with the Southern 500 dating back to 1950. Yes, Darlington is dripping with history, but it’s also one of the most difficult tracks on the entire schedule. The track never fails to put on a show and it is unforgiving when drivers make mistakes. As a true challenge for the best drivers in the sport, it’s the perfect place for putting the Championship 4 to the ultimate test. But there is a drawback: You would have to move the Southern 500 from its traditional Labor Day weekend slot, and it’s not exactly a thriving market either.
6. Texas Motor Speedway
People definitely have reasons to be hesitant about Texas, but we also can’t ignore the benefits either. It’s located in the heart of Texas near a city of one million people and despite the botched reconfiguration, the circuit has put on some dramatic shows in recent years — mostly due to how challenging the track is to navigate. It’s also in a great location when looking at November. The track is aging well and while passing is difficult, but the recent Cup races there don’t really classify as ‘boring.’ Certainly not a favorite, but one that NASCAR surely has to consider (after the five ahead of it of course).
7. Richmond Raceway
We have sort of run out of realistic intermediate tracks at this point. And as much as I’d love to throw Michigan on this list, the weather holds me back. If only there was another track similar to Michigan that has great November weather…perhaps one located in California. Unfortunately, that track is now lost to us, and when looking at short tracks, this one is leading the way. It’s easier to pass than at a Martinsville and if there were multiple tire compounds like we saw in 2024, then we could really be in for a show. It’s location is great and the weather should be fine in Virginia.
8. Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol looks like a title-decider and it feels like a title-decider. It has everything you could want when talking about atmosphere, but the track has seen some dull races with this car. If NASCAR can fix the short track package, Bristol would vault forward on this list, but at this time, eighth is the best we can do for the ‘Last Great Colosseum.’
9. Martinsville Speedway
Already close to the end of the year, Martinsville was once a place — like Bristol — where action was guaranteed. It too has suffered with the current short track package and likely shouldn’t be considered unless a fix is found. Passing is almost impossible and excluding Ross Chastain heroic wall-ride, it has been lacking in drama. Bonuses are its deep roots in the sport and weather-friendly location.
10. A track yet to join the schedule
We’ll call this the mystery spot. NASCAR is always tweaking their schedule and who knows what tracks out there could end up as part of the 36-race season in the future. Gateway and Iowa recently joined and there are plenty of other circuits out there.
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