Kevin Harvick, NASCAR legend and current broadcast announcer, is urging for a significant NASCAR schedule change, pushing the sport to embrace more flexible, rotating championship venues and unique track experiences. Speaking from Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, Harvick argues that innovation and variety are vital to reviving attendance and maintaining fan excitement in the sport.
NASCAR Introduces Major Shifts for the 2026 Cup Series
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is set for transformation, defined by a mix of new locations and nostalgic returns. Notably, the San Diego Street Course at Naval Base Coronado will make history as the first Cup race held on an active U.S. military base. In addition, Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval left dormant since 2019, is back in the lineup, taking over from the temporary downtown Chicago Street Race.
Another significant change is North Wilkesboro Speedway’s return after decades without a points-paying race. Most strikingly, NASCAR Championship Weekend is shifting from its recent home at Phoenix Raceway to Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida. This change is part of a broader Championship Rotation model, with Homestead now set to host the season finales for the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series.
Harvick Champions the Case for Rotating Championship Events
Kevin Harvick, on his “Happy Hour” podcast, highlighted the crucial need for rotation in major NASCAR events, crediting increased ticket demand to fans’ anticipation of venue changes. He noted heightened excitement at Phoenix, partly because the 2026 championship would shift to Homestead. Explaining this phenomenon, Harvick observed the impact of scarcity and novelty on attendance, tying it directly to scheduling adjustments.
“The crazy part about Phoenix is you talk about the campaign, you talk about the fan support. It’s been that way as long as I can ever remember going there. I used to go there as a little kid, and I think when you look at… Now, I don’t think it was as packed last year. They did a really good job this year of getting the fans there.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
Harvick believes repetitive scheduling leads to diminishing returns, emphasizing that shifting locations prevents the routine from turning stale. He pointed to Phoenix as an example, where the knowledge that the following championship would be elsewhere motivated a stronger turnout, hoping the trend continues for future venues.
“I think some of that has to do with it’s not their next year. I think that any time, no matter what we do, we always seem to go down a path of going one too many times. I hope that when people see that we’re going to Homestead next year, I hope we’re not going to Homestead the year after. I hope we’re going somewhere else.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
His podcast co-host, Mamba Smith, weighed in by noting the positive energy now seen at single-race events such as Pocono and New Hampshire. Harvick expanded on this with historic examples, referencing reduced dates at tracks, a strategy that shifted mediocre crowds to enthusiastic sell-outs.
“It did the same thing at California Speedway when they went from two races to one. It was one great event instead of having two mediocre events.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
He then applied this principle to other venues, advocating for a consolidated event model to boost exclusivity and crowd interest across the schedule.
“You look at a place like Kansas, Kansas really should be a one-race event because of the fact that you have two mediocre crowds. I think it would be a great one-race crowd. Chicagoland was the same way. It was a great one-race crowd.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
Nostalgia and Novelty: Key Drivers of Fan Excitement
The return to Chicagoland Speedway, absent from the series since 2019, puts Harvick’s theory to the test, blending nostalgia with the unpredictability of the current Next Gen car. He expects this combination will reignite passion among long-time supporters and spark renewed interest in the event’s unique character.
“I think that crowd will be good when we go to Chicagoland because we haven’t been there in a while. It’s kind of like that nostalgic place that has been sitting idle since… It’s going to be a fire up.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
Harvick predicts the worn and challenging surface at Chicagoland will further enhance the racing spectacle, especially with the evolution of Next Gen technology.
“I think these cars are going to put on a great race at Chicagoland because it’s rough. It’s worn out when we left. Not to mention it’s been sitting for how many years it’s been sitting,”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
He stressed the importance of one-of-a-kind events to maintain NASCAR’s appeal, tying the San Diego street course debut into his wider push for unusual and memorable venues.
“I think that San Diego is going to be… It’s going to be cool. Those one-of-a-kind events are really what the sport needs.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
For Harvick, consistent change is essential, not just for championship races but across the sport’s entire schedule. Only by frequently altering where the season’s grand finale takes place, he says, can NASCAR fully engage its base and attract new faces.
“Having the championship race at a different venue every year compared to the previous two or three years is the way that they should do it. I hope that when we go to Homestead, I hope the next year we’re going somewhere different.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
Harvick Warns Against Over-Emphasizing Competitive Parity
In addition to his advocacy for schedule flexibility, Harvick remains a vocal critic of rules that aim for perfect parity in the NASCAR Next Gen era. The 2014 Cup Series champion has repeatedly warned that the “fair for everybody” doctrine can ultimately dilute what makes the sport distinctive, cautioning NASCAR against suppressing the dominance that creates stars and draws passionate crowds.
“We’re in the ‘let’s try to make it fair for everybody’ evolution,”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
“And I think when you’re in the middle of that, we made less stars.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
Harvick pointed to the decreasing number of race winners, with only 14 drivers winning races in the most recent season—a sharp contrast to the 19 different winners seen with the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022. For him, this shift signals a return to form, as powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing rise to dominance once again.
“We had 14 drivers who won races this year, that’s the fewest since 2020,”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
“The good teams are starting to get the good people and the details, and all of a sudden, it’s migrating back to how it was.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
He argued that attempts to create a level playing field have not only blurred the sport’s competitive hierarchy, but have also undermined its most popular personalities.
“Let the stars be the stars,”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
“You can’t make it fair for Rick Ware Racing compared to Rick Hendrick. It’s never going to be fair, and the more you try to water that down, the more you lose what makes this sport great.”
– Kevin Harvick, Broadcast Announcer
In Harvick’s view, striving for parity to an extreme detracts from the spectacle by removing the sense of dominance and excellence that has historically fueled passionate fandom across NASCAR, and he sees recent results as evidence that the best teams and drivers will always assert themselves.
Outlook for NASCAR and the Impact of Harvick’s Proposals
The changes in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule signal a moment of reinvention for the sport, inspired by prominent figures like Kevin Harvick advocating for a dynamic approach to event planning. By rotating championship venues, embracing unconventional race locations, and resisting efforts to artificially equalize competition, NASCAR may be able to reverse declining attendance and renew excitement among both loyal followers and new fans.
This bold reimagining of the schedule will soon be put to the test as Homestead-Miami Speedway prepares to host the season finale, Chicagoland reopens for top-tier racing, and the San Diego Street Course makes its debut. The response from the crowd, drivers, and teams will ultimately determine if Harvick’s vision for schedule flexibility and the prioritization of star power are the keys to NASCAR’s future success.
