What NASCAR Just Did is INSANE!

Alex weever here joined by Ben kennedy and Nascar has some exciting news to announce surrounding the long rumored return to racing in Mexico this time with an Nascar Cup Series I know that the Xfinity series raced in Mexico from 2005 to 2008 but it's time now for the cup series to head down to Mexico it is we're going to International the biggest bombshell in NASCAR's 2025 Cup schedule is the mindblowing 28 consecutive race weekends more than half a year of non-stop racing action this shatters the previous record of 23 straight weekends which was set just this season from the Daytona 500 on February 18th to the Indianapolis race on July 21st before this marathon of racing kicks off NASCAR is bringing back a much needed breather for the first time since 2022 the series won't race on Easter weekend this decision comes after careful consideration of feedback from teams and drivers once that break is over though it's Full Throttle all the way to the season finale at Phoenix on November 2nd this non-stop action is something we haven't seen in NASCAR for half a century Ben kennedy NASCAR's executive VP and The Mastermind behind recent scheduling decisions explained the thinking behind this massive change he said another thing that we discussed quite a bit internally if you look at the schedule and the way it is laid out this year two off weeks for the Olympic break it was was a good opportunity for everybody to hit reset before they came back to Richmond in the last 14 races of the Season Kennedy added I think as we've gone through some of the past few years some of the feedback we've received and received in particular on the cup side is trying to find a way to get that Easter weekend back off for them so we're able to achieve that this new schedule isn't just about more racing though it's also about timing the November 2nd finale will be the early end to a cup season since way back in 1973 when the season wrapped up on October 21st but why the rush to finish earlier well it's all about competing with other sports especially the NFL NASCAR is trying to keep fans engaged through the fall without going head-to-head with football's peak season speaking of the NFL there's a potential Clash on the horizon that has NASCAR officials keeping a close eye on the future the NFL is considering adding an 18th game to its schedule and might want to hold Future Super Bowls on President's Day weekend in February that's traditionally when NASCAR holds its Crown Jewel event the Daytona 500 for now this isn't an immediate concern Super Bowl dates are set through 2027 and none fall on President's Day weekend so the next 3- Daytona 500s should be safe from any conflict for the first time ever NASCAR is taking the cup series across the border for a points race in Mexico City this is huge news for the sport and shows NASCAR's commitment to Growing Beyond us borders Ben kennedy is clearly excited about this move he stated it's no secret we've been bullish about growing NASCAR beyond our borders in the 2025 schedule is an important and thrilling first milestone in that Journey the Mexico City race will be held at the autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez which is also home to formula 1's Mexican Grand and Prix NASCAR is partnering with Essa an experienced event promoter to bring this race to life Kennedy couldn't reveal the length of the agreement for the Mexico City race but he expressed hope for a long-term presence he said this is new for us this is a big and bold step for our sport we've made a lot of those kind of big bets over the past few years whether it's going to Downtown LA or Chicago now Mexico Series in Mexico um this is a Monumental moment for our sport in the sense that this is our first step of really taking the cup series internationally and you know I think it could set us up for the future in potential new markets um you know I think we've been honest about our interest in taking our Cup Series abroad whether that's north of the Border or South of the Border and then as we talk about some of our other races you know there are opportunities for us to take the cup series even further than that so however this exciting Edition comes at a cost Richmond Raceway will lose one of its two races to make room for Mexico's City Kennedy addressed this tough decision unfortunately every time we add a new venue I think we'd love to say there's a 39th or 40th event but unfortunately we can't every time we go to a new venue that unfortunately comes at the expense of another venue but it's not all about new international venues NASCAR is also paying homage to its roots with the addition of Bowman Gray Stadium to the schedule known as the mad house this quarter mile track in wi Salem North Carolina will host The Clash NASCAR's season opening exhibition race Kennedy was clearly thrilled about this Edition we acquired the lease at Bowman Gray earlier this year and felt like it was a good opportunity for us to get back to Our Roots again we haven't raced at Bowman Gray since 1971 decades since we competed there he added I think it's a huge opportunity to obviously kick off our season being on Fox a weekend before the Super Bowl two weekends before our biggest event of the year the Daytona 500 but then also put a big Spotlight on weekly racing the truck series is also getting a new venue with the addition of lim Rock Park in Connecticut this road course has long sought a Nascar event and now it's finally happening weather has been a persistent issue for NASCAR in recent years leading to several date changes for 2025 Michigan's race moves from August to early June hoping to avoid the rain that has played Ed the event for the past 3 years Bristol's Spring Race shifts from March to April Nashville moves to June 1st do goes to July 20th and I was RAC is now in August Kennedy explained these changes a lot of this as we always talk is stakeholder feedback we're hearing from a number of different voices whether it be our track Partners our broadcast Partners our teams our drivers being mindful of that as well as working with our weather Partners also assess how do we minimize the amount of weather impact at events that we have the playoffs are also getting a makeover for 2025 Daytona returns as the regular season finale while Gateway and New Hampshire join the playoff schedule these additions come at the expense of Watkins Glenn and Atlanta Talladega also moves from its traditional round of 12 spot to the round of eight Kennedy explained the inclusion of Gateway in the playoffs Curtis Francois and the team at St Lewis have been fantastic partners with us from day one whether it's marketing and promoting the event events putting on big ancillary events around it talk about the events on Saturday night even Sunday leading into our Cup Series event they are big promoters for us for sure the Chicago street race which made its debut in 2023 is confirmed to return for a third year in 2025 despite initial skepticism and weather challenges in its first year the event has received positive feedback from fans and the industry Kennedy shared his thoughts on Chicago's success this year in so many levels was spectacular thankfully we had better weather for a majority of the weekend until we were about to get the race started if you look at the racing product if you look at some of our fan feedback that we get from our surveys after the race we hear from our fans throughout the industry a lot of feedback has been really positive the addition of Mexico City to the schedule is particularly significant it aligns NASCAR with other major sports leagues like the NFL and MLB which have been taking events overseas this move not only expands NASCAR's reach but also Taps into a market with a growing appetite for Motorsports especially with Mexican driver Daniel Suarez competing in the cup series The Return to Rockingham is another noteworthy development the track now owned by Raleigh businessman Dan lovenheim will host its races on Easter weekend this could potentially attract cup drivers looking for extra track time during their off weekend Bowman gry Stadium's inclusion is a nod to NASCAR's Grassroots known for its passionate fans and Close Quarters racing the mad house is sure to provide an electrifying start to the season with 177,000 seats and a history dating back to NASCAR's early days it's a perfect blend of old and new the changes to the playoff schedule are also significant gateways inclusion rewards the tracks strong promotion and fan turnout since joining the cup schedule New Hampshire's return to the playoffs gives the Northeast a championship deciding race while talladega's move to the round of eight adds even more unpredictability to the late stages of the title hunt