NASCAR is opening itself up to experimentation now more than ever. This is to attract the younger generation to stock car racing and regain the sport’s lost popularity. In line with many new initiatives, such as street racing and international races, the sanctioning body could hold a true All-Star Race in which vehicles from all three national series race against each other.
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president, was asked about the possibility of this happening in a recent press conference. He replied, “I think anything is on the table. For now, we’re focused on the Cup Series. Having our biggest names and our biggest stars compete in All-Star weekend, we feel like it’s been important.” In 2026, the Xfinity and Truck Series will put on companion events to go along with the All-Star Race.
Going into the future, however, they could all be merged into one. Kennedy reasoned, “As it relates to other drivers coming and competing in those series, we haven’t necessarily gotten to that bridge yet, but I would never put anything out of consideration. If you think about where we were five or six years ago, related to the schedule versus now, running on a military base and downtown Chicago and taking races internationally, nothing is off the table.”
For the last few years, the All-Star Race was held at North Wilkesboro Speedway. In 2026, North Wilkesboro will become the venue of a points-paying race, and Dover will host the All-Star Race. In light of such changes, it cannot be ruled out that the three national series will compete with each other directly at least for one weekend on the calendar.
The top drivers from each series could be picked out based on strict eligibility criteria. To keep it fair, NASCAR would have to choose a track where all the vehicles have an equal amount of track time. Seeing all the top stars from each series race against each other would be a must-watch event. Moreover, this would also provide the opportunity for some David-Goliath storylines.
Possibly, the promotion could also use a specialised car for such an event. Something that falls between the Next Gen, the Xfinity Series car, and the trucks. This would make it a true driver vs driver showdown. How the event eventually shapes up remains to be seen in the near future.