NASCAR Debates on Fulfilling Kevin Harvick’s Desire After Facing Major Outcry From Fans

Phoenix Raceway has been a staple on the NASCAR calendar. The 1-mile tri-oval has hosted the Championship 4 race every year since 2020, with fans traveling worldwide to see a driver lift the Bill France Cup at ‘the desert oddball’. However, the sanctioning body may spice things up by rotating the championship race to different venues in the coming years. With fans calling for a switch and Kevin Harvick echoing that sentiment, the sport’s hierarchy is finally considering the possibility.

What are some of the alternatives that NASCAR can take into consideration if they do steer away from Phoenix Raceway? While the calendar is already set for 2025, any changes the sanctioning body decides to implement can only occur from 2026 and beyond.

Will Phoenix Raceway be dethroned for other venues?

With the stakes higher than ever, having a track that provides exciting, drama-fuelled racing is key when the championship is on the line. Over the years, Homestead-Miami and Phoenix Raceway have been entrusted with that responsibility, and both tracks have risen to the occasion to give fans plenty of incredible memories. Who can forget the streak-snapping 2011 Homestead finale which saw 26 lead changes and Tony Stewart stopping Jimmie Johnson from going 6 for 6. Or the iconic Penske showdown we witnessed in the 2024 Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway which saw Joey Logano win his third Championship by 0.33 seconds!

However, the time may have come when NASCAR goes for a rotational format for the final race of the year, which will allow fans from different parts of the country to witness history being made at a venue closest to their home.

It’s no secret that fans have been asking for a switch from Phoenix Raceway for years. According to NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell, Phoenix has been an “incredible host city for the championship,” but hasn’t ruled out a rotational format by saying, “I would not limit something just to Miami if we were to rotate it. I think you’d have a broader look at venues that could host a championship but short term we’re in Phoenix, we’re extremely happy there and we want to make sure that whatever we do, we continue to grow the sport when it relates to the playoffs.”

Phoenix Raceway has been an important venue for NASCAR over the years. The track has hosted the season-ending championship race for five consecutive years. It has an infrastructure capable of handling sold-out crowds after renovations amounting to $178 million were completed in 2018. Before Phoenix, the final race of the season was held at Homestead-Miami since 2002, a track that the sanctioning body owns after the France family took the International Speedway Corporation private in 2019.

A name being touted as a potential replacement for Phoenix Raceway is Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ‘The Diamond in the Desert’ won’t be facing any weather-related issues in November, and it has already received Kevin Harvick’s seal of approval. “I’d love to see Las Vegas Motor Speedway have a championship race,” said Harvick. And it’s no surprise that he is an advocate of Vegas, the 2014 Cup Series Champion finished in the top 10 in 14 out of his 29 races on that track, including wins in 2015 and 2018. Stellar stats from the 49-year-old at a track he clearly enjoyed.

Owned by Speedway Motorsports, the 1.5-mile track is strategically located to feature all the glitz and glamour that comes with the final race of the season and can host up to 80,000 fans on any given race day. However, with talks currently underway, the sanctioning body is keeping its options open and considering various factors before making a decision. Fans will hope that their voices are heard while making a decision and NASCAR’s most recent change keeps the optimism high.

NASCAR increases practice time by reverting to single-round qualifying

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It’s a criticism NASCAR has been facing for years. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the sanctioning body has reduced practice time ahead of races, to reduce the costs being incurred by teams. However, it hasn’t had the desired effect, as teams have resorted to using racing simulators to circumvent the restrictions, which have also added to their expenses. As a result, the organization has decided to adopt single-round qualifying for every race in 2025, excluding the ones being held at Superspeedways. The format change will take place across the three national series.

NASCAR Cup Series Director, Brad Moran said that these decisions were made after taking feedback from the community. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback throughout the year, and we made a couple of adjustments through the year, and we really wanted to take a whole fresh look at it,” Moran said. “A lot of this came into play back in COVID, when we tightened things up, so we’re kind of going back a little to what we used to do again. We’re going to have a little more practice, which is obviously better for the fans and the partners.”

With time being saved by adopting the single-round format, NASCAR has also decided to increase the duration of practice sessions to 25 minutes. This will give drivers the chance to acclimatize to tracks for a longer period and test race strategies and tire compounds ahead of the time trials. At superspeedways such as Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta, there will be two qualifying rounds, with only the top 10 drivers progressing to the second session. Meanwhile, at road courses, a 20-minute qualifying session will be held for two separate groups.

The season-opening 2025 Daytona 500 will have a 50-minute practice session after drivers complained about not getting enough time on the track before qualifying. As per the current schedule, drivers will be allowed to begin the practice on February 12th at 10:05 am, while new broadcasters Amazon Prime and TNT Sports make their debut in the sport. The sanctioning body’s decision to revert to single-round qualifying is a refreshing change, having last adopted that format in the mid-2000s before making a switch to boost TV ratings.