Overview
- With court filings unsealed in a teams’ lawsuit, NASCAR leaders defended the 2025 charter agreement as an upgrade, citing more than $3 billion in guaranteed team payments, 14 years of charter security through 2039, and an estimated $1.5 billion in enterprise value while saying, “This is not an antitrust case.”
- The championship weekend will rotate, with Homestead-Miami Speedway selected for 2026, as NASCAR also highlighted a North Wilkesboro points race, the All‑Star Race move to Dover, and record presales for the Naval Base Coronado event.
- Competition plans include raising Next Gen horsepower to 750 on road courses and ovals under 1.5 miles in 2026 and conducting an offseason North Wilkesboro test to evaluate power, aero changes, and tire wear.
- NASCAR reported Cup Series viewership down about 14% in 2025 as projected due to a shift toward cable and streaming, noted Xfinity Series viewership exceeded expectations on the CW, and said Amazon broadcasts drew a younger Cup audience.
- Commercially, Freeway Insurance joined Coca-Cola, Busch Light, and Xfinity as a fourth Premier Partner as NASCAR touted its strongest sponsorship climate in roughly 15 years, detailed 6,000 driver-appearance hours in 2025, and confirmed Ram’s Truck Series return in 2026 with additional OEM talks ongoing.