Five consecutive years. That’s how long NASCAR has held its season finale at Phoenix Raceway. ‘The Desert Oddball’ has served the racing series well so far, with the blazing Arizona sun providing some much-needed warmth ahead of the wintery months. However, fans have been asking for a change in scenery for years now, and many prominent figures within the stock car racing community have echoed similar sentiments.
It seems like their voices are being heard. A possible shake-up was confirmed by none other than NASCAR’s chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell, who highlighted a rotation of the Championship 4 venue as a realistic possibility.
Could NASCAR find a new season-finale home for 2026 and beyond?
Underwhelming. That’s how many fans have described Phoenix Raceway’s high-stakes Championship 4 races. Even though the 1-mile oval has the infrastructure after undergoing significant renovations in 2018, many argue that ‘the hot mile’ lacks the thrill and excitement that should accompany a race for the title. Earlier, the high-stakes race was held at Homestead-Miami from 2002 to 2019, but NASCAR decided to make the switch to expand its market in the southwestern United States while improving fan experience.
However, the time may have come for the final race of the season to find a different home. Sharing his thoughts on the matter, NASCAR’s COO Steve O’Donnell said, “It’s more complicated than just waving a checkered flag and say, ‘Let’s move the championship,’ but I do think a rotation is going to be really important for us. If (a driver has) won 45 Phoenix races in a row and the championship is there, it’s probably not a good look for the sport, right? And we’ve had a good mixture (of champions at Phoenix). But I think a rotation is what the fans would like.”
While NASCAR has a variety of tracks to choose from, some might be more viable options than others. O’Donnell effectively ruled out Superspeedway tracks, while going on to say that Championship 4 races at road and street courses “might be a little tough.” This means that intermediate tracks might be the most realistic possibility for a potential switch, which could happen by 2026 at the earliest since the upcoming season’s calendar is already set in stone.
NASCAR expects to rotate Championship race in the future – @Jayski https://t.co/BOeFAxPdaf
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 12, 2025
Las Vegas Motor Speedway seems to tick all the boxes since it has the glitz, glamour, and facilities to host the high-stakes event. The 1.5-mile oval can seat 80,000 fans in the entertainment capital of the world, and Nevada’s weather in November would be ideal for such an event. It’s a destination Kevin Harvick endorsed wholeheartedly, as the racer went on to say, “I’d love to see Las Vegas Motor Speedway have a championship race.” Atlanta Motor Speedway is also an option NASCAR may choose to explore, as the track was recently reconfigured and races like a superspeedway could add a pinch of drama.
O’Donnell shares his view on the future of the Clash
It’s fair to say that the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray was a resounding success. ‘The Madhouse’ truly lived up to its name, especially during the heat races and Last Chance Qualifying (LCQ), with plenty of on-track incidents entertaining fans who came to witness all the action, drama, and controversy unfolding in the pre-season exhibition race. The short track was NASCAR’s third venue for ‘The Clash’ in five years, switching from the Los Angeles Coliseum after the venue hosted the event thrice following a switch from Daytona.
With NASCAR returning to its roots this year, what might the future hold for ‘The Clash’ going forward? Sharing the possibilities, Steve O’Donnell said, “You could go international or you could use that same model of going to a short track in the U.S. Where NASCAR comes in, rewards that track and their competitors for what they’re doing and makes some upgrades to the facility that we leave for the next generation of racers. And then we stay for a little bit and move on to the next one. So I think a combination of both of those would be really cool. I really like the idea of NASCAR coming in and investing in the short tracks.”
Since the Clash is not a points-paying event, the sanctioning body could look to explore international venues for the pre-season event. Not only will NASCAR be able to expand its markets, but the initiative could also pave the way for future Cup Series races to take place in other countries. Just like IndyCar and Formula 1, the stock car racing series could look to explore markets in the Middle East, Asia, and Australia to garner a more global appeal for the sport that has historically been confined to the United States. With NASCAR already having a race in Mexico City scheduled for the 2025 season, could we see the Clash move to a new country in 2026?
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