NASCAR exec describes strategy with selecting playoff racetracks

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule has evolved over time and will get another fresh coat of paint in 2025.

NASCAR officially unveiled next season’s schedule last week, featuring three changes to the 10-race playoff schedule. Homestead-Miami, Watkins Glen and Atlanta’s second date are being shifted from the postseason to the regular season. Gateway, New Hampshire and Darlington’s second date are moving to the playoff schedule.

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Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue & racing innovations officer, explained the sanctioning body’s strategy in choosing specific tracks to host playoff races during a sit-down interview with FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick on his “ Happy Hour ” podcast this week. Kennedy said that introducing “a little bit of novelty” to “add some unpredictability” has become a focus moving forward.

NASCAR exec explains 2025 playoff schedule changes

“If you think about when we made a lot of those changes to the playoff schedule in 2020, we kind of set that schedule and we didn’t make a ton of changes to that. Maybe one event here, there, move up and down. This year, we’ll see Atlanta and Watkins Glen in the playoff which I think is gonna add a new dynamic to the first round,” Kennedy said. “So, that’s gonna be interesting and then next year, we’ll have St. Louis, we’ll have New Hampshire and then I think another variable is gonna be Talladega going to the Round of 8 as well.

“As you think about playoffs in general, I think our thought process is still to leave a lot of the things that our fans love like those cutoff races and like a lot of the events, the Bristol Night Race for example, in the playoff schedule. But if there’s opportunity for us to introduce a little bit of novelty and add some unpredictability to it, I think that’s something we’re looking at as well.”

NASCAR playoff drivers reveal which playoff track worries them the most

In looking at this year’s playoff schedule and the 2025 slate, unpredictability is quite evident. Talladega will host a Round of 12 race in early October and next season, will serve as the third to final race of the playoffs.

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic asked all 16 playoff drivers at Cup Series Playoff Media Day in Charlotte this week a series of questions on the biggest topics in NASCAR. Among them, “which playoff track worries you the most?” The drivers answered anonymously, but it was clear Talladega was the consensus answer. Talladega received seven votes, with Atlanta (four votes), Charlotte ROVAL (two votes) and Bristol (two votes) drawing consideration as well.

“You just never know,” one driver said. “You could be leading on the last lap and finish 30th.”

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