NASCAR finds itself on the verge of something fans have been dreaming about for nearly three decades. The legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway could finally return to Cup Series points racing in 2026, but there’s a twist that has the NASCAR community buzzing with both excitement and outrage. The deal would swap venues with Dover Motor Speedway, creating one of the most controversial schedule changes in recent memory.

Why Is North Wilkesboro Speedway Finally Getting Its Shot?

The legendary 0.625-mile oval hasn’t hosted a Cup Series points race since Jeff Gordon’s victory in the 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400 on September 29, 1996. That’s 30 years of silence from a track that once defined short-track racing in NASCAR’s premier series.

Everything changed after $40 million in renovations brought the facility back to life. North Wilkesboro successfully returned to NASCAR’s national touring series schedule in 2023 with the All-Star Race, proving it could handle modern Cup Series competition while maintaining the character that made it legendary.

Christopher Bell, who won the 2025 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in May, has been vocal about the track’s quality. He praised it as the “best short track on the schedule” and called the venue “absolutely incredible.” His victory came in a thrilling 250-lap event that featured an All-Star Race record 18 lead changes among eight drivers.

The track’s successful hosting of the All-Star Race has consistently generated calls from drivers and fans for North Wilkesboro to receive a regular-season points race. The renovated facility has proven it can deliver the kind of racing that today’s NASCAR desperately needs, especially on the short-track side of the schedule.

“What in the hell would possess NASCAR to be so foolish, the racing product just isn’t very good at Dover right now,” one fan commented on social media, capturing the widespread criticism of the potential Dover move.

Dover Motor Speedway’s selection as the 2026 All-Star Race venue has generated intense fan backlash due to several major problems. The most glaring issue is Dover’s lack of lighting infrastructure, which would force a daytime All-Star Race and break decades of tradition dating back to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s introduction of nighttime racing for the event in 1992.

The one-mile concrete oval has also struggled with the NextGen car producing processional racing with limited passing opportunities. This problem would be magnified in an All-Star format with roughly half the normal field size, potentially creating a parade instead of the action-packed showcase the event is supposed to be.

Dover currently hosts one Cup Series points race per year after losing its second date to Nashville Superspeedway in 2021. Fans have expressed particular frustration about potentially losing Dover’s remaining points race, with Northeast-based supporters noting: “At this point it’s obvious they just hate the fans.”

Another fan added concerns about regional representation: “I know attendance is down, which has more to do with the fact the current car setup sucks, but do they just forget there are NASCAR fans up here in the northeast?”

NASCAR is expected to announce its complete 2026 Cup Series schedule next week, with the All-Star Race maintaining its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot while North Wilkesboro would receive a summer points race date.