NASCAR prepares a major reshuffle for 2027: San Diego set for a return, Chase changes three tracks
NASCAR is in the final stages of assembling the Cup Series calendar for 2027, but the official version of the schedule has not yet been released and some details remain subject to negotiation. According to information published by The Athletic on July 30 and reported by the specialized portal Jayski, organizers are considering one of the most significant rearrangements of the closing portion of the season in recent years. The night race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway, also known as Gateway, are expected to drop out of the ten-race concluding Chase. According to the same report, their places would be taken by Richmond Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International. Of all the changes mentioned, only Watkins Glen's September date in the early part of the 2027 Chase has been officially confirmed so far, while the remaining items should be viewed as a highly likely but still unconfirmed draft calendar.
The proposed changes show that NASCAR is not merely altering the order of races, but is attempting to balance more precisely the types of tracks, markets and sporting challenges in the part of the season that decides the champion. In the 2026 schedule, Richmond and New Hampshire are positioned near the end of the regular season, while Darlington, Gateway and Bristol open the Chase. If the plan for 2027 is implemented, three traditionally important races will not disappear from the calendar but will be moved into the regular portion of the championship. Such a reorganization could change how teams allocate car development, testing and points-scoring strategy, especially because drivers are no longer eliminated after individual rounds in the new Chase. Each of the ten concluding races is equally important to the final points total, so the composition of the tracks directly affects the profile of drivers and teams that can gain an advantage in the title fight.
Bristol's night race returns to the regular season
The most prominent change concerns Bristol Motor Speedway and its traditional night race, one of the most recognizable events in American motorsport. According to the report on the 2027 schedule, the race would move from the Chase back to August, the regular-season period in which it was held from 1976 to 2019. Bristol is a short oval with steeply banked turns and limited space, which is why its races often produce dense traffic, physical battles and a high likelihood of incidents. That is precisely why its place in the championship's closing stages created enormous pressure for years on drivers competing for the title. A return to August would not reduce the event's importance, but it would change its role from one of the first obstacles in the Chase into a potentially crucial race for securing a place among the 16 drivers who enter the final portion of the season.
Darlington and Gateway are also expected to leave the Chase, according to the available information. Darlington's race is traditionally associated with the U.S. Labor Day weekend and in recent seasons has held a prominent position at the transition from the regular season to the title fight. Gateway, an oval in Madison, Illinois, close to St. Louis, is listed as the second Chase race in the 2026 schedule. Their relocation shows that NASCAR wants to change the composition of the closing stages even when individual events are commercially stable and recognizable from a sporting standpoint. This is consistent with the policy of rotating important dates that the organization has applied in recent years to the season finale, the All-Star Race and certain street and international projects.
Richmond, New Hampshire and Watkins Glen enter the final ten
Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway are expected to move from the closing stretch of the regular season into the Chase. Both tracks are shorter than the standard 1.5-mile ovals, but they require different approaches. Richmond combines the characteristics of a short track and a larger oval and places a strong emphasis on tire management, pace over long runs and precision when exiting the turns. New Hampshire, known for its flatter corners and demanding braking zones, often punishes cars that cannot maintain stability and mechanical grip. Adding those two tracks to the Chase would increase the importance of technical versatility in the closing stages, instead of leaving the schedule predominantly reliant on fast ovals and superspeedway races.
Watkins Glen is the only part of the new schedule structure that NASCAR has already publicly confirmed. Track management announced on May 7, 2026, that its 2027 NASCAR weekend would be held in September, during one of the earlier dates in the ten-race Chase. This returns a road-course race to the closing portion of the championship after it was moved to an unusually early May date for the 2026 season. NASCAR stated that the move would reintroduce a road course into the closing stages, which is especially important after the decision to run the 2026 fall race at Charlotte on the traditional oval rather than on the combination of the oval and the infield road-course configuration known as the Roval. Watkins Glen thus becomes a central element of a more varied Chase, and teams will have to account for at least one race in which braking, changes of direction and pit-entry strategy are substantially different from those on ovals.
The changes carry additional weight because of the new championship-deciding system introduced by NASCAR in 2026. The organization returned to the Chase name and abolished the elimination model and the single-race finale in which the title was effectively decided by the final event. In the Cup Series, after 26 regular-season races, the 16 highest-ranked drivers by points qualify, without a rule under which a victory automatically secures advancement. Their points are then reset once, and the driver with the highest total after all ten concluding races becomes champion. A victory is now worth 55 points, 15 more than under the previous system, so NASCAR is simultaneously trying to reward aggressive driving and preserve the importance of consistency throughout the entire season.
San Diego moves closer to a second race at the military base
One of the most important unknowns in the 2027 calendar concerns San Diego. According to the report carried by Jayski, a return to Naval Base Coronado has become highly likely, with August mentioned as the most probable date. A final agreement has not yet been announced because organizers must coordinate the sporting calendar with the operational requirements of the U.S. Navy, security regulations and local transportation infrastructure. Nevertheless, sources close to the process believe that San Diego's absence at this point would be a surprise. This would allow an event originally presented as a major experiment on an active military installation to develop into at least a two-year project.
The first NASCAR weekend at Naval Base Coronado was held from June 19 to 21, 2026, and included races from all three national series. The main Cup race, the Anduril 250, was contested on a temporary 3.4-mile, 16-turn circuit constructed within Naval Air Station North Island. After the race, NASCAR confirmed that Corey Heim had earned the first Cup Series victory of his career, defeating teammate Tyler Reddick in the closing laps. The U.S. Navy described the event as a historic collaboration and announced that more than 100,000 people visited the base over the three days, with that figure including spectators, service members, military families and partner organizations. The spectacle featured aircraft, warships and a ceremonial program, making it visually substantially different from a standard NASCAR race.
Local attendance estimates were nevertheless more cautious. The Coronado Times, citing city officials, reported that organizers had expected approximately 20,000 visitors on Friday, 45,000 on Saturday and 50,000 on Sunday, while estimates of the actual number of spectators were around 10,000, 35,000 and 38,000. Those figures do not necessarily directly contradict the Navy's data because they refer to different categories of participants, but they indicate that the commercial result did not fully meet initial expectations. City authorities also reported that police and fire services maintained their regular level of protection, although Saturday and Sunday brought substantial traffic congestion, noise and reduced business for some local merchants. Residents' reactions were divided, ranging from highly positive experiences to opposition to repeating the event.
Also important for 2027 is the information that the race will not be held during the U.S. Independence Day weekend. Coronado Mayor John Duncan said that he had received confirmation from NASCAR and the Navy that July 4 was not among the possible dates, while the city administration considered such a combination unacceptable from a security and traffic standpoint. This aligns with the more recent report indicating that August is being considered as a more realistic option. That date would allow NASCAR to place San Diego closer to the conclusion of the regular season, but it would once again require the complex construction of a temporary circuit, controlled access to the military base and transportation coordination throughout the Coronado area. A return would therefore also test whether the appeal of the inaugural edition can be transformed into a sustainable event with improved logistics and more stable ticket sales.
Chicago chooses between downtown streets and the oval in Joliet
The other major open issue is the Chicago area. According to information about the draft schedule, NASCAR will almost certainly hold a race in that market in 2027, but it has not yet been decided whether it will take place on the temporary street circuit in downtown Chicago, at the Chicagoland Speedway oval in Joliet or, less likely, at both locations. Each option represents a different strategic direction. The city race gives NASCAR a presence in the center of one of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas and access to an audience that may not attend traditional ovals. Chicagoland, on the other hand, offers permanent infrastructure, more camping space and a racing format closer to the historical core of the Cup Series.
NASCAR raced in downtown Chicago from 2023 to 2025, and the first race was the first points-paying street event in the modern history of the Cup Series. In July 2025, the organization announced a one-year pause for 2026, but at the same time stated that it was working with the city on a possible return in 2027 and on finding a better date and a more efficient operational model. For the 2026 season, the race in the broader Chicago market was transferred to Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval that returned to the Cup Series on July 5 for the first time since 2019. The 2027 decision will therefore not merely be a choice of track, but also an answer to whether NASCAR wants to retain the urban experiment, consolidate the return of the traditional oval or attempt to maintain both concepts in the same market.
The possibility of two races in the Chicago area is currently considered less likely. The reasons have not been officially stated, but the Cup Series schedule has a limited number of dates, and each additional event in the same market affects ticket sales, sponsor interest, television packages and the geographical balance of the season. In recent years, NASCAR has sought to combine traditional tracks with events that open new markets, so the final decision on Chicago will be one of the clearest indicators of its direction for 2027. A return to the street circuit would confirm that the organization still sees long-term value in races held in urban centers, while remaining only in Joliet would indicate a stronger emphasis on permanent facilities and the traditional audience.
North Wilkesboro again a candidate for the All-Star Race
According to the same report, North Wilkesboro Speedway is the leading candidate for the 2027 All-Star Race. The historic short oval in North Carolina hosted the exhibition race from 2023 to 2025, after a long period in which it was absent from the main NASCAR calendar. For 2026, it received a points-paying Cup Series race, its first since 1996, while the All-Star Race was moved to Dover Motor Speedway. NASCAR explained at the time that the change was a response to strong fan support for a points race at North Wilkesboro and an attempt to rotate the prestigious exhibition event among different tracks.
If North Wilkesboro does indeed receive the All-Star Race again, its return to the calendar will continue through a model in which the track alternates between points-paying and exhibition events. The All-Star Race does not award championship points, but it carries major promotional value, has a special format and traditionally offers a large cash prize to the winner. For NASCAR, the race is a suitable venue for testing different rules, qualifying formats and technical solutions without a direct effect on the championship. At the same time, selecting North Wilkesboro carries strong symbolism because it is one of the tracks associated with the earliest period of the series and its regional roots.
The final schedule may still undergo revisions
The most important distinction in the current information is the one between officially confirmed decisions and reports from industry sources. Watkins Glen has a confirmed September date in the 2027 Chase, while NASCAR has not yet publicly confirmed the removal of Bristol, Darlington and Gateway from the final ten, the addition of Richmond and New Hampshire, the return of San Diego, the final Chicago configuration or the host of the All-Star Race. Creating the schedule involves contracts with tracks, television partners, local authorities, sponsors and, in the case of Coronado, the U.S. Navy. Moving one race can open or close a date for several other events, which is why the draft may change until the official announcement.
Nevertheless, the information available so far points to a clear pattern. For 2027, NASCAR wants to refresh the Chase by relocating three races, return a road course to the title fight, retain a presence in Southern California and resolve the future of two different concepts in the Chicago area. After its inaugural edition, San Diego gained both a strong visual identity and specific logistical issues that will have to be resolved before a return. Richmond, New Hampshire and Watkins Glen would give the closing stages a more varied technical profile, while moving Bristol's night race back to August would reconnect that event with its traditional place on the calendar. Until NASCAR releases the full schedule, these changes remain the expected framework for the season, but the available information indicates that the final version is already very close.
Sources:
- Jayski / The Athletic β report on expected changes to the 2027 Cup Series schedule, San Diego, Chicago and the All-Star Race (link)
- NASCAR β official confirmation that Watkins Glen will move to a September date in the early portion of the 2027 Chase (link)
- NASCAR β explanation of the return of the Chase format and the new scoring system from 2026 (link)
- NASCAR β report from the first Cup race at Naval Base Coronado and confirmation of Corey Heim's victory (link)
- U.S. Navy β information on the San Diego event, cooperation with NASCAR and total attendance (link)
- Coronado Times β local attendance estimates, traffic effects and the authorities' position on a possible return in 2027 (link)
- NASCAR β official announcement of the 2026 pause for the Chicago street race and the goal of returning in 2027 (link)
- NASCAR β confirmation of Chicagoland Speedway's return to the calendar for 2026 (link)
- NASCAR β official information on the All-Star Race at Dover and the points race at North Wilkesboro in 2026 (link)