NASCAR President Drops Major Update About Their International Plans in 2025

Ever since Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries about the world of F1 kickstarted a worldwide motorsport frenzy, NASCAR too has been aiming to take its presence to a global stage. While the sport has already done so on the media and entertainment front with the NASCAR: Full Speed series, the prospect of taking the Cup Series international has been the talk of the community ever since the officials first teased expansion plans.

With international racers such as Kimi Raikkonen and Shane van Gisbergen showcasing great interest in stock car racing, now is the perfect time for NASCAR to take the Cup Series beyond American borders. Whilst speculations and rumors have been consistently flooding channels, NASCAR’s president may just have confirmed the prospect of international racing in 2025.

Is NASCAR finally going international?

It’s no secret that NASCAR has been doing everything possible to boost its image globally. Whether it was the Garage 56 venture that brought a taste of stock car racing to the 24 Hour of Le Mans or the launch of the Netflix series, all initiatives to bring stock car racing to a wider audience so far have been a great success. But as for taking the Cup Series international, that prospect hadn’t seen much change ever since the late 90s.

However, now that the sport is broadening its horizons beyond the United States, fans have been eager to know just when we’re going to get an international points race. A few weeks ago, NASCAR’s vice-president, Chad Seigler, further solidified the speculation of an overseas race soon.

Seigler was quoted by Autosport, “For years we said we wanted to go outside the US and race, and you’ve seen us move from the messaging of it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. I would tell you that we’re leaning even closer now to, ‘Yes, we are going.’ I feel confident we’re going to be there sooner than later.” But whilst this would still seem to be mere speculation, what Steve Phelps shared today may have hinted at a confirmation.

Reflecting on the possibility of the Cup Series visiting countries like Mexico and Canada anytime soon, Phelps revealed to Fox, “I have nothing to announce today, but I would be surprised next year from the 2025 schedule if we didn’t go north of the border and we didn’t go south of the border.” So now that the President of NASCAR has expressed his desire to take the Cup Series either north or south of the United States in 2025, could the sport truly be close to going international?

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While there are still uncertainties surrounding that prospect, Steve Phelps also took out time to clarify the uncertainty surrounding the Busch Light Clash and NASCAR’s presence in the Los Angeles market.

‘We’re not gonna miss a year’ – Steve Phelps sheds light on the future of NASCAR in Los Angeles

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Now that the 2024 Busch Light Clash is done and dusted, the contract of the pre-season exhibition race with the L.A. Coliseum has officially come to an end. While there are many speculations on whether the sport will decide to return the exhibition race to Daytona or perhaps take it overseas, Steve Phelps believes the Los Angeles market is just too crucial to give up on.

Speaking to Fox, Phelps shared, “The southern California market is extremely important to NASCAR, in fact, it’s the second most popular market we have right next to New York. Racing in southern California, we’re not gonna miss a year. And then I think the other piece too because we are committed there, where Auto Club Speedway is out in Montana, we kept a 100-acre parcel, to build a track there.”

While the L.A. Coliseum may have run out of a contract with NASCAR for the Clash, the deconstruction and rebuilding of the Auto Club Speedway could lead to a promising exhibition race that remains in Los Angeles, ensuring NASCAR does not miss out on such a lucrative market.

Phelps not only provided fans with a sneak peek at what’s in store for the sport’s future internationally, but also put California natives at ease with the promise of continuing racing in the market.

With that being said, it’s safe to say NASCAR’s future seems brighter than ever. Speaking of which, do you think the talks for a new manufacturer are going to reveal something soon too?

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