As NASCAR works to finalize its 2026 Cup Series schedule, a last-minute wrinkle has emerged: the increasing possibility of moving the All-Star Race to Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware, sources familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak freely have told The Athletic.
Dover hosting the All-Star Race would then clear a spot for North Wilkesboro Speedway to land a Cup points race, something the venerable North Carolina short track — which has held the non-points All-Star since 2023 — has not done since 1996.
No decision is final on the location of the All-Star Race, but such a move is under serious consideration. NASCAR is targeting next week to release the full 2026 Cup schedule.
Speedway Motorsports owns Dover and North Wilkesboro, making a swap of the All-Star Race between the tracks fairly straightforward. The All-Star Race is traditionally held in May, a week before Memorial Day Weekend, and that is expected again next year, whether the race is held at Dover or North Wilkesboro. Whichever track is selected to host a points race would then be slotted somewhere in the summer, according to sources.
The Athletic previously reported North Wilkesboro was expected to host the All-Star Race again, and that was the intention up until this last-minute change in direction.
The annual non-points All-Star Race has bounced around to various tracks in recent years, shifting in 2020 from its longtime home at Charlotte Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway, then to Texas Motor Speedway for two years (2021-2022) before landing at North Wilkesboro. Charlotte, Bristol and Texas are all owned by Speedway Motorsports.
Dover is a one-mile concrete surface track that has hosted NASCAR premier series races since 1969. Speedway Motorsports purchased the facility in 2021 for $131.5 million.
The return of North Wilkesboro to the points side of the Cup schedule represents a remarkable transformation for a track that, not too long ago, was crumbling to the ground. The beloved short track, which opened in 1947, was a mainstay on the Cup calendar before losing both its points races following the 1996 season, largely due to facilities deemed insufficient at a time when NASCAR was experiencing rapid growth and seeing modern tracks added to the schedule.
As part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act passed to stimulate the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper allocated $40 million for infrastructural improvements at three racetracks in North Carolina, one of which was North Wilkesboro.
Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith then set about modernizing North Wilkesboro, with the intent of NASCAR possibly returning one day. That moment occurred in 2023, and ever since, there has been a push for the track to again host a points race.
That moment may now come as soon as 2026.
(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
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