Bowman Gray Stadium delivered a thrilling night of racing, earning widespread praise from fans and competitors alike. The tight short track, electrifying atmosphere, and intense competition made for a spectacle that many in the NASCAR community hailed as one of the most exciting events in recent history. The overwhelmingly positive response left fans wanting more grassroots short-track action, cementing Bowman Gray’s place as a fan-favorite venue.

However, NASCAR legend and analyst Kevin Harvick sees a different path forward. Rather than focusing solely on making Bowman Gray a staple of the schedule, Harvick suggests a radical shift by eliminating two of NASCAR’s most historic exhibition races.

Kevin Harvick calls For NASCAR to ditch the Clash and All-Star Race

During his Happy Hour show, Harvick didn’t hold back when discussing the future of exhibition racing in NASCAR. While many celebrated the success of Bowman Gray, Harvick argued that it highlights a bigger opportunity for NASCAR, which is ditching the Clash and the All-Star Race, and replacing them with a revolutionary short-track series with a $1,000,000 grand prize.

“I think we should get rid of the All-Star Race and the Clash,” Harvick stated bluntly. “I loved what we did last night (Clash)… last night was spectacular. And, you know, maybe it stays an exhibition race, but imagine if that was a points race.” He wondered. Because Bowman Gray is an incredibly short track, racing was tight and chaotic. There were several instances of cars drafting each other causing drivers in front to spin out. These weren’t intentional, but they made for a lot of chaotic moves that left drivers with nothing to show in terms of progress. Take William Byron for instance. He was squeezed into the wall thanks to the small size of the track, turning his 11th-place start into an 18th-place finish.

But the racing is just one part of Harvick’s argument. Kevin Harvick believes NASCAR should invest in short-track racing at historic grassroots venues rather than maintaining traditional exhibition events that have lost their prestige.

“When you look at Hickory, it’s rundown, and it’s one of our most historic race tracks,” Harvick explained. “If you took that event to Hickory Motor Speedway and upgraded the facility—fix the grandstands, fix the press box, the bathrooms, the surface, pit road, infield—you’re fixing the infrastructure of your whole system.” 

Harvick’s argument does have some merit. Since announcing the return to Bowman Gray, NASCAR bought the stadium and spent $10 million on upgrading it, bringing the appropriate safety measures suitable for high-speed racing, some of which include SAFER barriers and new Musco lighting. Considering that Bowman Gray wouldn’t just be holding the Clash but also weekly shows that draw massive crowds, the upgrades were very useful. But why not extend this to other tracks as well? Tracks like the Hickory Speedway or the track at Spartanburg could be perfect venues to replicate the Bowman Gray model.

That’s not all. Harvick didn’t stop at just advocating for the removal of the Clash and All-Star Race—he outlined an entirely new racing format that could revolutionize NASCAR’s schedule.

Harvick’s radical short track series and some more interesting ideas

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Instead of the current exhibition format, he proposed a dedicated short track series featuring three or four races at legendary grassroots venues which will be part of the cup series itself.

“I almost think that you could try to make all these events some style of points race,” Harvick suggested. “You almost create a short track series within the schedule—Bowman Gray, Hickory, and pick another short track across the country.” His idea revolves around structuring NASCAR into multiple mini-championships within the full season, and if we think more of it we can actually include :

• A Short Track Series – Featuring venues like Bowman Gray, Hickory, and other historic short tracks, with a champion crowned at the end.
• A Super-speedway Series – Highlighting the biggest and fastest tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta.
• A Circuit and road course series – Highlighting the complicated circuits like Chicago, COTA and Charlotte Roval .

• A Regular Season Champion – Recognizing the best performer over the entire schedule before the playoffs.

Harvick proposed attaching a massive $1,000,000 bonus for winning the short track series. A good chunk of price reward can also be used as an incentive for drivers to win the regular season making the winners more competitive during the regular season. Thus making all of that a meaningful championship within the overall NASCAR season.

Harvick’s proposal brings an interesting debate to the table. While the Clash and All-Star Race have been long-standing traditions in NASCAR, their significance has faded in recent years. The idea of reinvesting in grassroots racing and creating unique mini-championships could inject fresh excitement into the sport and strengthen NASCAR’s connection to its short-track roots. So what do you think, should NASCAR create mini-series’ and a regular points champion ? Let us know in the comments.