Dover Motor Speedway could be the home of NASCAR’s All-Star Race for the 2026 Cup Series season. According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, there is an “increasing possibility” that the All-Star Race could be moved from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover as NASCAR finalizes its 2026 Cup Series Schedule.
Bianchi noted that if Dover got the All-Star race, it could mean that North Wilkesboro could land a Cup points race. The last time a Cup Points race happened at the North Carolina short track was in 1996, when Jeff Gordon won the Tyson Holly Farms 400.
NASCAR fans will find out which track will host the All-Star Race soon, as Bianchi said that NASCAR is targeting next week to release the 2026 Cup Schedule. If the race is at Dover, it might not sit well with fans, as only 55 percent thought the race that happened in July was good, according to a poll done by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic.
When the poll was posted on social media, one fan wrote, “This race really showed that the Next Gen car sucks. The 9 team really botched the call by pitting…. on top of that, only taking 2 tires when no one else to race on pit road. This car needs to change the aerodynamics and horsepower.”
Will the NASCAR All-Star Race be a success at Dover?
Another fan added, “First race I’ve missed in forever, losing interest, I’m tired of wishing NASCAR would recognize that chasing a viewership that won’t be loyal ever, for loyal fans that would have never left.” Bianchi said this move would be a “last-minute change of direction,” as it was originally reported that the race was returning to North Wilkesboro.
Dover Motor Speedway opened in 1969 and is exactly one mile long. The track hosted two NASCAR Cup Series races per season from 1971 to 2020, and it began hosting just one Cup race in 2021. Denny Hamlin has won a Dover the last two years, and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson holds the record for most wins at the track with six.
NASCAR has had its All-Star Race since 1985, and it has been hosted by different tracks. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the first All-Star race, and it moved to Atlanta Motor Speedway the following year. It returned to Charlotte in 1987 and would stay there until 2020, when it moved to Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2021, NASCAR moved the All-Star Race to Texas Motor Speedway and would be there for two seasons. North Wilkesboro got the All-Star Race in 2023.
