NASCAR’s 2026 schedule is a wild mix of old-school vibes and new-school risks, and it’s got fans buzzing, some with excitement, others with pitchforks. The big headlines? Chicagoland Speedway’s back on July 5 after sitting quiet since 2019, replacing the Chicago Street Race. North Wilkesboro Speedway scores a points-paying Cup race on July 19, its first since 1996.

A shiny new street race at San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado pops up on June 21, and Homestead-Miami Speedway snags the season finale on November 8, kicking Phoenix out of the spotlight. Oh, and Watkins Glen’s jumping from August to Mother’s Day weekend. It’s a bold shake-up, but not everyone’s cheering. The decision to move the All-Star Race from North Wilkesboro to Dover’s Monster Mile on May 17 has sparked the loudest grumbles.

Fans loved North Wilkesboro’s gritty comeback story, and swapping it for Dover, a track that lost its points race to make room, feels like a gut punch to some. The Chicago Street Race’s exit, despite pumping $128 million into the local economy, also raised eyebrows, with locals citing noise and traffic chaos.

NASCAR’s EVP Ben Kennedy stepped up on the Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie podcast to explain the thinking behind the Dover switch, while Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hyped about another move that’s got his heart racing. The schedule’s a tightrope walk between nostalgia and innovation, and it’s clear not everyone’s on board.

Ben Kennedy addresses the Dover drama

Ben Kennedy didn’t dodge the heat on the Stacking Pennies podcast, tackling the controversial All-Star Race move head-on, “Yeah I would say you know the catalyst if you think about the first domino to fall was how do we find a way to turn North Wilkesboro into a points race. So we gathered a lot of feedback from our fans. 70% of them said we would love to see a points race at North Wilkesboro. We heard from our industry. You know Dale Jr. being in the booth for TNT’s portion of the season.”

He then added that once North Wilkesboro was locked in, the next challenge was finding a new home for the All-Star Race. After exploring several options and working closely with Fox and Speedway Motorsports, they ultimately chose Dover, marking its first time hosting the All-Star event.

“It was just a natural home for North Wilkesboro to fall into July, so that’s the first domino. The next domino is okay. Well, where are we going to have the All-Star Race so we looked at a number of different options. Obviously collaborated with Fox on this with Speedway Motorsports and you ended up landing in Dover”, Kennedy said.

That first domino, North Wilkesboro’s upgrade to a points race, was a fan-driven win. The track was a ghost town for 25 years after its last Cup race in 1996, but state funding and Speedway Motorsports’ cash brought it back for All-Star races starting in 2023.

A NASCAR survey showed 70% of fans wanted it to host a full-on points event, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s been beating that drum since 2019, even using iRacing to hype its revival. Slotting it into July fits TNT’s new broadcast window and keeps the summer hot with short-track action. But moving the All-Star Race to make it happen meant Dover got the nod, and that’s where the backlash kicked in. Kennedy kept it real about why Dover works.

“And you know I think as you think about Dover as an All-Star location, you know. First of all, it’s the first time we’ll ever have the All-Star race at Dover, first time on a one-mile track, and then the first time in the Northeast as well. And if you look at our fan bases and the strength of it, frankly, in the Northeast, whether it’s Pocono, New Hampshire, it’s going to look really good in about a month when we go up there. And then Dover has been really strong, and it’s been really strong in May, in July. It was hot this year, I’m hot, and then you have the afternoon storms that came in”, he said.

Dover’s a big deal for the Northeast, a region that’s been starved for marquee NASCAR events. The Monster Mile’s been a Cup staple since 1969, but it’s never hosted the All-Star Race. Pocono pulls 70,000-plus fans, and New Hampshire was a sellout king when it had two dates. May’s a sweet spot for Dover, better weather than July’s heat and storms, which turned this year’s race into a sweaty mess. Kennedy’s betting the Northeast’s loyal fanbase will pack the stands for a historic All-Star debut, giving the region a rare spotlight.

He wrapped it up with a nod to NASCAR’s bigger plan, “So from a timing perspective we felt like weather will be a little bit better in May. And then you know just the ability for us to shake things up a little bit, move it to a new location. We had the All-Star Race at Charlotte for decades, it went to Texas and went to Bristol, it’s been at North Wilkesboro for a few years. Felt like 2026 was a good opportunity for us to bring it somewhere new, bring it to Dover where the weather is great in that time of year, and then deliver something a little bit different for our fans up in the Northeast.”

NASCAR’s been shaking things up lately, Clash at the LA Coliseum, Chicago Street Race, North Wilkesboro’s revival, and Dover’s just the latest experiment. Moving the All-Star Race from Charlotte’s decades-long grip to Texas, Bristol, and now Dover shows they’re not afraid to roll the dice. May’s timing and FOX’s broadcast slot make it a high-energy capper before the season flips to Amazon and TNT.

Dale Jr.’s North Wilkesboro hype

The 2026 schedule’s got Dale Earnhardt Jr. practically bouncing off the walls, and it’s all about North Wilkesboro Speedway. He took to X, gushing: “The big news for me on the 2026 @NASCAR schedule is @NWBSpeedway getting a points race! I can’t wait to call 400 laps of night racing there on July 19. It’s massive for the surrounding community, and every fan of NASCAR is going to feel like a winner next July.”

That’s no small thing, Jr.’s been the track’s biggest cheerleader, pushing for its comeback since it was just a crumbling relic. After three years of All-Star races, North Wilkesboro’s finally getting a points-paying Cup race on July 19, its first since 1996.

The move’s a love letter to fans who’ve been clamoring for more short-track action. North Wilkesboro’s revival started with grassroots efforts and big investments, turning a forgotten track into a fan favorite. Jr.’s excitement isn’t just personal, it’s about the community boost and the pure racing joy of a 0.625-mile oval under the lights.

The schedule’s other moves, like San Diego’s street race on June 21, Chicagoland’s return on July 5, and Homestead-Miami’s finale on November 8, are cool, but North Wilkesboro’s got Jr.’s heart. Fans are split on some changes, Dover’s All-Star swap and Chicago’s street race exit have sparked grumbles, but Jr.’s hype for North Wilkesboro shows the sport’s still got its soul.