It’s time for our fourth annual Most Anticipated NASCAR Races list, ranked in order of how much we’re looking forward to each one.The top two are pretty obvious this year, since they represent the two new races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. And if there’s anything near a consensus in the NASCAR garage these days, it’s that inaugural races are accompanied by a lot of energy that can quickly drop off after a year (let alone two or three).So it’s not going to be a surprise to see Mexico City and Bowman Gray Stadium atop the list, while Iowa Speedway slips down the rankings. But how did the rest shake out? Surprisingly (even to us), there were some big gainers and losers this season — and not just because of playoff schedule movement.• How curious will we be to see what happens in this race?• How much will we care about this race by the end of the year?• What kind of an impact will this race have on this season (or beyond)?And as always, the
previous season’s list was not consulted before making the picks. Any similarities (or differences) in rankings are a coincidence.
1. Mexico City (June 15)
On Father’s Day Weekend, NASCAR is taking its premier Cup Series to Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the first international points-paying race since 1958. The Xfinity Series raced at the same venue in the 2000s, but it has since been reconfigured and upgraded for Formula One’s annual visit to Mexico City.Mexican fans seem to love motorsports based on the turnout for both F1 and NASCAR’s Mexico Series, and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez should get the rock star treatment from the national media that weekend. The energy of an inaugural race on foreign soil is going to be incredibly fun to witness.
2. Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (Feb. 2)
OK, so this one already happened. But it was easily going to be No. 2 regardless, and
the race certainly lived up to the hype (and more) with the Bowman Gray fans never sitting down for the entire event.The race was so successful, there was immediate clamoring afterward for a return next season. Will it happen? Hard to say, but there wouldn’t be many complaints if it did.
Last year: Not ranked, but the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Clash was No. 233. Phoenix Championship Race (Nov. 2)
The entire season builds up to this one race, and whether the eventual winner is satisfying for fans or not, it becomes a talking point for the entire offseason and beyond. (Let’s hope this is the final championship race at Phoenix though.)
Last year: No. 34. Daytona 500 (Feb. 16)
The last seven Daytona 500s have either finished under caution or gone beyond the scheduled distance due to a wreck in the final laps. It sure would be nice to have a naturally unfolding finish to the checkered flag for the “Great American Race” this year.
Last year: No. 25. Martinsville 2 (Oct. 26)
The race to set the Championship 4 tends to have more drama and memorable moments than the actual title race. Just look at last year, where
controversial race manipulation sent William Byron through instead of Christopher Bell, while Ryan Blaney won his way into the finale after a gut-punch of a Homestead finish the week before.
Last year: No. 66. Coca-Cola 600 (May 25)
Everything about last year’s 600 was a bummer, with Kyle Larson
not running the “Double” due to the same storm system that ultimately shortened the race. This one should be better if the weather holds up, allowing Larson to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the 600 — which also happens to be the first race streamed by Amazon Prime.
Last year: No. 187. Talladega 2 (Oct. 19)
Talladega deciding a Championship 4 berth makes me queasy. Spinning the roulette wheel to have a major role in NASCAR determining its season-long winner? While it may feel uncomfortable for the spirit of competition, we all know one thing: You won’t be able to look away.
Last year: No. 158. Las Vegas 2 (Oct. 12)
This race being the opener for Round 3 of the playoffs has had a major impact on the championship in two of the last three years. In 2024,
Joey Logano snatched the win away from Bell with a strategy gamble and parlayed it into an appearance in the title race — which he won — while Bell’s bitter defeat ultimately cost him a berth into the Championship 4.
Last year: No. 119. Daytona 2 (Aug. 23)
The regular-season finale returns to its rightful spot at Daytona this season after a one-year hiatus. NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey behind the mic for perhaps another magical moment,
like with Harrison Burton last summer? Yes, please.
Last year: No. 2410. Bristol 1 (April 13)
This race is only up this high on the list for one reason: Tires. Will we see a repeat of
the wild, unexpected tire wear race from last spring? Clearly, no one can know for sure since the Night Race in September turned out differently than expected. But we’ll all find out together, which makes it highly anticipated.
Last year: No. 1911. Southern 500 (Aug. 31)
The second Darlington race returns to its spot as the playoff opener this season, and of course, it’s still a can’t-miss NASCAR crown jewel at the same time.
Last year: No. 1012. Charlotte Roval (Oct. 5)
While still wishing this race was on the Charlotte oval instead of the road course, it’s a Round 2 playoff elimination race. You can’t have it much lower than this, because the occasional chaos could result in a big name missing the cut.
Last year: No. 1613. Bristol Night Race (Sept. 13)
Though this race was somewhat of a letdown last year, it still belongs this high by nature of being a cutoff race for Round 1 of the playoffs.
Last year: No. 1714. Phoenix 1 (March 9)
Championship preview? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, the “option” tire used in this race will probably end up as the championship race tire in November, making this weekend a crucial measuring stick for teams with title aspirations.
Last year: No. 1215. Kansas 1 (May 11)
How do you follow one of the best NASCAR races of the Modern Era,
which happened in this event last year? I’m not sure it’s possible to come close, but Kansas has been consistently great with the Next Gen car.
Last year: No. 1316. Chicago Street Race (July 6)
This race has been No. 1 on the list for the past two seasons, but it drops down the list for Year 3. Why? I’m not sure. It’s still a really cool event and we’ve yet to see a weekend there that wasn’t affected by weather in some way. But you have to wonder if this is the final year for the race and if the enthusiasm for it will start to wane, as was the case by the time Year 3 arrived at the L.A. Coliseum.
Last year: No. 117. Brickyard 400 (July 27)
One of NASCAR’s most cherished races returned last year, and it proved once again to be a test of strength; the top four finishers (Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Blaney and Bell) were all among the best drivers of the season. This will also be the championship for
NASCAR’s in-season tournament, which will be down to two drivers by then.
Last year: No. 418. Kansas 2 (Sept. 28)
Is this a mistake? This feels like a mistake. How did a Kansas playoff race end up mid-pack on this list? While it will certainly be a great show, I’m just not sure it clears any of the other races above for anticipation level. Just for the record, none of the six Next Gen races at Kansas have scored below 80 percent in the “Was it a good race?” poll.
Last year: No. 1419. Atlanta 1 (Feb. 23)
The 2024 version of this race had
one of the all-time NASCAR finishes: Three-wide at the line, “Cars” style. Not only that, it was a terrific race overall. It should be fun again this year while potentially introducing a playoffs-altering winner into the mix (like with Suárez last season) one week after the Daytona 500.
Last year: No. 2620. New Hampshire (Sept. 21)
New England in the fall? NASCAR Leafers! Actually, this is way up on the list because New Hampshire has its first playoff race since 2017 and will serve as the opener for Round 2. I’m not sure anyone was actually clamoring for a Loudon playoff race again, but here it is.
Last year: No. 3421. Gateway (Sept. 7)
What in the world? A playoff race at World Wide Technology Raceway? Pretty random, but OK. At least the football-less St. Louis market should rally around this event on the opening Sunday of NFL season.
Last year: No. 3322. COTA (March 2)
There are three reasons this race is higher on the list this year: A new course layout (NASCAR lopped a mile off of the F1 circuit to do a shorter track), the first chance to see if Shane van Gisbergen can win his way into the playoffs as a Cup Series rookie and the Cup debut of 18-year-old future star Connor Zilisch.
Last year: No. 2923. Atlanta 2 (June 28)
This is the opening race of NASCAR’s new in-season, bracket-style tournament with a $1 million prize. I’m not sure how much fans will truly care about it, but it will certainly give people something to talk about (and sports fans to bet on) when so many other sports are in their offseasons.
Last year: No. 824. Las Vegas 1 (March 16)
This race was very high on the anticipation list in 2024 because it was the first “real” (non-superspeedway) race of the season. Now it’s not. Sure, it’s the first intermediate and will give us an indication of strength on those tracks. But does that even matter anymore? The last three races of the season are going to be a superspeedway and two short tracks, and the playoffs only have two 1.5-mile tracks now. This race might not be the barometer for the season we once thought.
Last year: No. 725. Darlington 1 (April 6)
Darlington is great. Almost every race there is. But in terms of anticipation level, I’m not sure this is particularly notable.
Last year: No. 2026. Talladega 1 (April 27)
It’s a superspeedway race. It’s Talladega. You already know what you’re going to get: Pack racing, a giant wreck or two and a possible upset winner who steals a playoff spot.
Last year: No. 2727. Homestead (March 23)
Look how they massacred my boy. This one makes me angry to type, and honestly, it should probably be lower on the list, but my love for Homestead won’t allow me to drop it any further. NASCAR took this glorious track out of the playoffs and made it irrelevant again with a March date, which will likely have sparse attendance. I truly hope this is part of a larger plan to move it back to the championship race, because otherwise … ugh.
Last year: No. 928. North Wilkesboro (May 18)
This isn’t lower on the list for one reason: A possible fight. We saw last year how the inability to escape the infield can create some angry drivers who have to stew over being wronged for an entire race. It probably won’t happen again, but it could. Otherwise, what reason has NASCAR given us to care about the All-Star Race?
Last year: No. 2229. Iowa (Aug. 3)
With apologies to Iowa after
a great crowd and excellent race for its inaugural event last season, this quickly moves into “just another race” category. It will be interesting to gauge the enthusiasm for Year 2, but ultimately there isn’t much in terms of anticipation level here.
Last year: No. 530. Richmond (Aug. 16)
Richmond Raceway president Lori Waran is tired of seeing me rank her races at the bottom of the list each year. Well, now there’s only one date — and it also has reason to move up. Who could have foreseen Austin Dillon’s out-of-nowhere speed there last summer? Remember, he almost won the race before
his wrecking ball incident. But then the
did-that-just-happen? finish made Richmond anything but boring, and the impact on the season (and beyond, thanks to a policy change) has resonated.
31. Michigan (June 8)
Out of 14 races in the “Was it a good race?” poll, the three highest Michigan races are the three with the Next Gen car. Not necessarily total bangers, but pretty good.
Last year: No. 2532. Dover (July 20)
Why is Dover higher on the list this year? Strangely, it’s because of the brutal date. Mid-July in the Mid-Atlantic with those metal seats? Woof. That could be a scorcher. Other than the pandemic-altered calendar in 2020, Dover hasn’t had a date later in the summer than early June or earlier than mid-September since its inaugural race in 1969. It’s likely to be hot and muggy, and you would think the track is going to be sliiiiick. Could be eventful.
Last year: No. 3533. Nashville (June 1)
Do I think this will be an amazing race? No, but last year’s Nashville race actually determined the 2024 series championship. Remember, this is the race where Logano
somehow made his fuel last through a record five overtimes and won his way into the playoffs; he would have missed out on a berth altogether without that win. Could something wild happen again here?
Last year: No. 3234. Sonoma (July 13)
Aside from a few May races in the 1990s, Sonoma has always been in June. It’s one of the most reliable dates on the calendar. Until this year, anyway. Now Sonoma is in July and has to follow the Chicago Street Race. I don’t love that, but at least the in-season tournament (this will be the third round) could give us something extra to watch.
Last year: No. 2835. Watkins Glen (Aug. 10)
This feels really unfair to the Glen. I love the track and it had
an awesome finish last year between Chris Buescher and van Gisbergen, but WGI now moves out of the playoffs back to a summer spot. It will probably be a good show and could be the opportunity for an AJ Allmendinger-type to win his way into the playoffs with just three races remaining, but in terms of “anticipation” level it’s just sort of … there.
Last year: No. 2136. Texas (May 4)
Even though Texas Motor Speedway gets a lot of crap from everyone, last year’s race wasn’t bad at all. That said, I’m not sure even
a Chase Elliott win is enough to move this up the anticipation list.
Last year: No. 3737. Martinsville 1 (March 30)
The last good Martinsville spring race was 2021, followed by three stinkers once the Next Gen car arrived. Maybe the softer tire will make a difference. Also, maybe not.
Last year: No. 3138. Pocono (June 22)
I have nothing against Pocono, and I’m not sure why it ended up this low on the list. It just sort of happened that way. Honestly, it probably doesn’t help to have a race sandwiched between the inaugural Mexico City race and the in-season tournament opener at superspeedway-style Atlanta, either.
Last year: No. 30
