Will Nascar return to the Circuit of America in 2026? It is still not sure

The law of the return return often shows when Nascar adds a new venue. The first breed is usually accompanied by a lot of excitement and anticipation, only so that the novelty travels after a year or two.

In all measurements, the America circuit in Austin, Texas, is an exception to this rule. While Nascar takes the street course for the fifth time this weekend, the same enthusiasm that Nascar welcomed for the first time is still high.

The drivers are free of charge for the facility and the challenging race track, while the fans enjoy everything that goes with a tourist destination. Fans who are represented all 50 drivers and 14 countries The athlete. And teams routinely say that company sponsors want to be associated with the Cota race.

“It is obviously a first -class race track,” said Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports driver. “It is a great place in a cool part of the country. I am always excited to go there. “

So it is due to the view that Cota is safe for the foreseeable future. The chairman of Cota, Bobby Epstein, offered Speedway motorsport enthusiastic praise and said that it was so good to guide the Nascar racing weekend that it does not matter if it would support other COTA management events.

But this future still has to be solidified, even if all parties involved want the relationship to be continued. The rental agreement between Speedway Motorsports and Cota will take place this year, as will the Nascar sanction agreement. However, the expectation is that Nascar will be back in Cota in 2026. Austin is a key market for the league, and a NASCAR date gives Cota another Tentpole event together with the annual Formula -1 and MotoGP racing weekends.

NASCAR usually publishes its schedule for the following year until late summer or early autumn. Talks between the parties will probably take place this weekend, said Epstein The athlete.

“I think they have to ask them,” said Epstein when he was asked if he was expecting Nascar in 2026. “I think we all want to continue working together.”

A remarkable change awaits the drivers in Cota this weekend because they will now drive on a shortened route. Instead of the 3.41-mile configuration, which F1 also uses, the NASCAR-specific layout is 2.3 miles. Both layouts are 20 curves.

The shift initiated by Speedway Motorsports to the “National Course” was initiated in order to optimize the fan experience of AT-Track to optimize the race, in contrast to 68 laps. It should also improve the entire racing product, although the cars are not spread so – a frequent event in the past four years.

“It will be an interesting, challenging race and it will be chaotic,” said Epstein. “Basically, they go in an area and drive against the design of the route, basically backwards in one area. It will certainly challenge the drivers. There will definitely be a thrust.

“This curve that you try to do is inventive, creative and crazy.”

How receptive drivers for the national course are, what fans think and the quality of the race on Sunday will be back on the Nascar time plan for a sixth year in a row.

“We will take a look at the renewal of the ticket, the feedback from the fans who took part in the race and take the overall results before we talk to Nascar about the schedule of the next year,” said Mike Burch, Chief Operating Officer from Speedway Motorsports. “One of the biggest factors will be a step that we have taken on the new national course that we have taken to put more action and laps in front of the fans.”

(Photo by Ryan Preec's Auto Races on the race track in America: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images) during the last year)