For a track that has been with NASCAR since its first race in 1969, when Richard Petty led 150 of 300 laps during the Mason-Dixon 300, Dover Motor Speedway abruptly received the short end of the stick in 2026. To add North Wilkesboro to the Cup Series schedule as a points race for the first time since 1996, NASCAR handed Dover the All-Star Race, stripping it of a points-paying event for the first time in its history. And the trade-off hasn’t sat well with many.
According to NASCAR insiders Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck, who were discussing the same on their podcast, The Teardown: “Dover should have a race. It’s a good market with its great fanbase, close to some major cities. It doesn’t have a spot in the schedule.
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“It’s one of those things that just keeps moving around here and there, much like Watkins Glen. If you don’t give your customers respect and treat them on that level. How do you expect them to keep coming back?”
The irony isn’t hard for anyone to miss. The Monster Mile is historically one of the least chaotic tracks, known for its green-flag racing with minimal crashes. In fact, when a Big One does take place, it is a rather surprising affair. So it does not really feel convincing that the Dover Motor Speedway can host the freewheeling unpredictability the All-Star promises.
Even Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been an advocate for North Wilkesboro’s return, wasn’t a fan of the decision: “Everybody’s like, ‘Man, why in the freak are we going to Dover for the All-Star Race?’ I also had that same reaction.”
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Now, the decision, as NASCAR’s EVP Ben Kennedy explained, was driven by fan data.
“The biggest factor was our fans and the feedback that we heard from them after the All-Star Race this year,” he said. “70% of them asked for a points race at North Wilkesboro, and it was about four out of five 18- to 34-year-olds also asked for a points race at North Wilkesboro.”
Fans also complain that the race ends up sporting the same drivers as always and is plagued by backmarkers. This was not what NASCAR intended, but with a seeding structure that locks in the predictable field almost before the event begins, the criticism had been loud. So, NASCAR acted, but at Dover’s cost.
The biggest concern Bianchi raised was about location and loyalty. Sitting within driving distance of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., Dover catered to a mid-Atlantic and northeastern fanbase that had already seen Pocono and New Hampshire lose one race each after 2021. Now, at Dover, after swapping points for an exhibition, it entirely changes what fans will show up for.
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In comparison, the southern market of NASCAR has Martinsville, Bristol, Darlington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Daytona, and Talladega with two races each. Now that NWB has joined the roster, the entire NASCAR schedule feels more focused on the southern part.
So, almost everywhere in the fan community, the sentiment remains the same. Without a points race, there’s no reason to visit. And these are fans who have met their favorite drivers at the racetrack and have years of memories tied to the place.
The Monster Mile’s winners’ list carries Hall of Fame names, and fans who were there for those moments carry that history personally. Jimmie Johnson’s last victory in 2017, Matt Kenseth’s 2016 victory, Mark Martin’s victory in 2004, etc., are just some of those instances.
One of the most emotional days, perhaps, came in 2001 when Dover hosted the first NASCAR Cup Series race following the September 11 attacks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won that day, in front of 140,000 fans waving American flags.
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Hence, as Bianchi put it, “I don’t know exactly what ticket sales are. I have heard that it’s the same. Let’s presume that North Wilkesboro is going to continue to have a points race, because it doesn’t seem to make sense that you are going to give them a points race and then take it away. Tell me how Dover gets a points race next year.”
That said, per many, NASCAR had a cleaner solution available.
The decline of attendance or the decline of attention and respect?
The next problem arises when you look at what NASCAR had at its disposal. The organization seems to have forgotten that while fans rallied for a points-paying race at NWB, they were equally frustrated with what Bristol Motor Speedway’s Spring race has to offer. The race, which has been marred by attendance struggles, could have been the one to go instead.
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Sure, Dover has seen its share of struggles, too, with the attendance decline beginning there in the 2000s because of the recession. NASCAR tried its level best to keep the track relevant with multiple reductions to the seating capacity year on year, from a peak of 135,000 to 54,000 by 2019.
But, as Dale Jr. noted in the comments below Gluck’s and Bianchi’s post, “Asphalt Dover would still have a points race.”
dovermotorspeedway.com
In 1995, the Dover Motor Speedway underwent a major renovation, and its surface was shifted from asphalt, becoming the boring slab of concrete it is accused of being today.
The early 2000s were still fine, but once the Next Gen car arrived with its characteristic grip and reduced differentiation, the Monster Mile’s bite was further dulled. The 2009 Joey Logano airborne crash, which launched up the banking after contact with Tony Stewart, belongs to a different era.
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There is one more factor that NASCAR may not like to admit, but it is slowly eating up many tracks. Back in 2021, Speedway Motorsports Inc. took over the ownership of Dover Motor Speedway for $131.5 million. What happened next is better explained by the testimony of one of the longtime fans visiting the Speedway regularly.
“I’ve been going to Dover since 1993 and have had the same seats since 1996. Every fall race and numerous spring races. I was told today that my 17-month-old son requires a ticket. No problem, kid ticket, right? Nope. That section is full price. 95% of the track is full price for kids unless you want a c– ticket. So the conundrum.
“Ditch my seats of 26 years for c– ones or bite the bullet. Probably going to swallow some lead. Then we find out that our campsite, which we’ve had for 6 years (it used to be handicap only, then they turned it into VIP but locked us in on our price for my handicap mom), is now going from the $130 we used to pay to $500 that everyone else pays. Wouldn’t even be too terrible. But all the amenities you got with that are gone now that SMI is here. No cold passes. No golf cart ride, just a $15 food voucher.”
Camping is a major part of Dover Motor Speedway’s experience, and if this story is even remotely true, then what has happened since then till today seems someone else’s fault, not Dover’s. For clarification, this story is from four years ago, and by the end of their rant, the fan was so annoyed at SMI’s behavior that they wished Dover would lose its race. In 2026, that came true.
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This entire fiasco poses a big question to NASCAR. What do they really want from their audience, and what kind of racing are they trying to promise their audience? Is this the so-called ‘back to the roots’ strategy that they are applying to regain their lost fanbase?
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