The 2025 NASCAR season kicked off with an old flavor. The stock car racing series returned to one of its old, hallowed racetracks – the Bowman Gray Stadium, where the last Cup Series race was held in 1971. This was a welcome change from the L.A Coliseum for fans. That was not only because of the location or temperature, but also the grassroots racing – crazy demolition derbies accompanied by charged-up grandstands.

That is what Kevin Harvick emphasized after Chase Elliott won the Cook Out Clash. The energetic response from fans at the Winston-Salem racetrack is what NASCAR thrives for. So the sanctioning body took a hint – and is already cementing its 2026 Clash plans accordingly.

NASCAR shifts gear homeward

In 2025, NASCAR will hold its first international points-paying Cup race since 1958. We will witness our beloved Cup Series stars battle it out at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. This marks the first milestone in efforts to give wings to the sport whose officials keep discussing plans with dignitaries from South America, Europe, or even Asia. However, the success of the Bowman Gray Clash race looms largely in the background. This year’s event had a sellout crowd of over 15,000 people who charged up the ‘Madhouse.’ Notable moments included the clash between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and local ringer Burt Myers.

Kevin Harvick and other veterans hailed this grassroots racing and implored NASCAR to develop itself around it. In August 2024, executives reportedly met with representatives in Brazil about bringing the Clash to São Paolo in 2026. However, the higher-ups seem to have backtracked on that plan, according to Adam Stern. He wrote, “Now, five people familiar with the matter have called Bowman Gray the favorite to land the event again next year, even though NASCAR has been considering taking the race elsewhere in 2026.”

Continuing the trend of grassroots racing in accordance with Kevin Harvick‘s demand would help in several ways. NASCAR would be rewarding smaller communities across the US when they show up in force. Fox Sports aired a documentary on Bowman Gray’s history, “The Madhouse: NASCAR’s Return to Bowman Gray,” which was narrated by Tom Rinaldi. Besides, the move to permanently place the Clash in North Carolina, the 46th biggest media market in the US, would not be such a bad decision.

Even so, several NASCAR celebrities have vied for an international expansion. And their reasons are no less valid.

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A captivating crowd response

Daniel Suarez, the Mexican speedster competing in the Cup Series, went to Brazil last year. He raced at São Paulo, Brazil’s world-famous Interlagos racing circuit in August. What stunned him beyond the racetrack was the tens of thousands of fans eager to watch stock car racing. A long line of vendors sold NASCAR merchandise. Suarez also helped boost the profile of the two-year-old NASCAR Brasil Series. The crowd response convinced the Trackhouse Racing driver of the immense opportunities that NASCAR could have in Brazil. “I cannot remember the last time I was stuck in traffic for so long — hours — heading into the race track…It was unbelievable; unbelievable in a good way.”

Daniel Suarez wished for his Cup Series compatriots to witness the same energy. “I only wish that every driver in the Cup Series and even the media had the opportunity to experience that because the amount of racing culture that is down there in Brazil is unbelievable. I feel like there is so much opportunity. The sport of NASCAR is very big and some people, I don’t think, have really realized that and I had the opportunity to see that in Brazil. I have known that for many years in Mexico. And I’m really excited; excited that NASCAR is thinking outside the box.”

2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte had a similar verdict about another foreign destination. He raced in the 2018 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at England’s renowned Brands Hatch circuit. Labonte believed that the popularity of NASCAR’s style of racing in various markets would be a huge asset. “It’s already very popular and they want it to get bigger and bigger and are sticking to it to have it grow — and I’m sure it will. NASCAR going to Mexico will grab more potential interest internationally, too. They are building a great overall foundation and it just has to get to the next level.”

Clearly, not all NASCAR veterans are in favor of sticking to grassroots. We can only wait and find out where the executives will decide to go for the 2026 Clash race.