Are there too many road courses in NASCAR?

For generations, NASCAR was built around its ovals. Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte, Atlanta: tracks where cars race in perfect circles, turning exclusively left at physics-defying speeds. This configuration developed a specific type of competition, where the skill to maneuver in massive packs at 200 mph defined success.

Road courses existed, but as a scheduled oddity. Watkins Glen since 1986, Sonoma since 1989. Two events out of thirty-some races per season where drivers faced a completely different challenge: turning both directions, braking violently, constantly shifting gears.

For decades, that ratio remained stable. Two road courses, the rest ovals. That ratio has changed. The modern schedule includes more road courses, and the shift has sparked a debate dividing drivers, fans, and NASCAR itself about the sport's proper direction.

Brad Keselowski: "There are too many road courses in NASCAR"

The RFK Racing driver posted a strong statement on X: 

We've gone from 2 to 6 road course races, possibly more next year. NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series. IMSA was built as North America's premier road course series. IMSA will always do road course racing better than NASCAR and that's okay. Yes, there ARE TOO MANY road courses in NASCAR.

Keselowski backed his position with viewership data: "NASCAR's oval races consistently have better ratings, attendance, and sponsorship than road course races. Clearly, oval racing fans should have the final say here. 2 to 4 road course races are enough."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. supports road course criticism

The NBC Sports analyst and legendary driver voiced his support for Keselowski on the Dale Jr. Download podcast: "I don't like road courses right now. I'd say what I enjoy most about our sport are probably tracks like Charlotte and Kansas." Reacting to Keselowski's post, Earnhardt Jr. used a GIF that said: "You're absolutely right."

The legend quoted Richard Petty to strengthen his argument: "You're creating a championship scenario by winning on a road course, which isn't really what NASCAR has represented from the beginning. From that perspective, I think they'll have to adjust and change some of these things."

How NASCAR went from 2 to 6 road courses per season

Since 1986, NASCAR has raced at Watkins Glen, and since 1989 at Sonoma Raceway. For decades, these two road courses were the only events of their kind on the Cup Series calendar, establishing a traditional format that remained relatively stable until 2017.

The first change came in 2018 with the addition of the Charlotte Roval, bringing the total to three road courses. The number remained stable until 2019, when NASCAR still maintained its traditional oval-focused identity.

The turning point came in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, NASCAR experimented with unprecedented configurations, reaching seven road courses: Daytona Road Course, Charlotte Roval, Indianapolis Road Course, Watkins Glen, Austin, Road America (Elkhart Lake), and Sonoma.

By 2022, with the introduction of Next Gen, NASCAR established six road courses: Road America (Elkhart Lake), Watkins Glen, Austin, Charlotte Roval, Indianapolis Road Course, and Sonoma. The 2023 schedule maintained six events, replacing Road America with the Chicago Street Course.

In 2024, NASCAR slightly reduced to five road courses, dropping Indianapolis Road Course. For 2025, NASCAR maintains six events: Austin, Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and Charlotte Roval.

This growth marks a 200% increase from the traditional two-road-course format that lasted for decades.

Next Gen favors road course performance

The introduction of Next Gen in 2022 promised modernization, cost reduction, and improved safety. What NASCAR didn't anticipate was how these changes would fundamentally alter the competitive balance in favor of road courses.

The most significant change was abandoning the "twisted" chassis that had characterized NASCAR for decades. Previous generations used an asymmetrical design optimized exclusively for left turns: more weight on the right side, suspension with different geometry on each side, and intentionally unbalanced aerodynamics.

This asymmetrical design worked perfectly on ovals, where cars only turn left. The weight transfer to the right side helped in corners, while the differential suspension geometry optimized handling under these specific conditions.

On road courses, however, the "twisted" chassis offered less predictable behavior. The asymmetrical design worked optimally in left turns but didn't provide the same level of control in right-hand turns, crucial at tracks like Watkins Glen or Chicago.

The Next Gen adopted a completely symmetrical approach: same geometry on both sides, evenly distributed weight, balanced aerodynamics. This symmetry allows the car to have predictable behavior when turning in either direction, a crucial advantage on road courses.

The sequential five-speed transmission, larger brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, flat bottom with rear diffuser, and low-profile tires completed a transformation that significantly benefited road course specialists.

Viewership numbers don't exclusively favor ovals

The 2025 TV numbers present a more nuanced reality than Keselowski's claims about "consistently better" ratings for ovals.

The year's most successful events remain traditional ovals. Daytona 500 (7.96M), Atlanta (4.586M), and Talladega (4.041M) lead viewership, supporting Keselowski's position about ovals' appeal.

But road courses have also demonstrated their ability to attract audiences. Circuit of The Americas (COTA) drew 4.132 million viewers, becoming the fourth most-watched event of the year. It outperformed established ovals like Phoenix (2.818M), Martinsville (2.422M), Texas (2.56M), and Kansas (2.319M).

The trend repeats with other road courses. Mexico (2.10M), Chicago (2.1M), and Sonoma (2.189M) posted better numbers than ovals like Bristol (2.05M), Nashville (2.06M), and Pocono (1.869M).

The data suggests the broadcast channel remains more decisive than track type: the difference between network TV and cable exceeds 2 million viewers for comparable events.

Logano and Hamlin call for fewer road courses

Joey Logano was specific in his proposal: "I think there are too many road courses if you ask me. Three. Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and Chicago. I think that's what we should do."

Logano criticized the lack of caution flags on road courses: "There aren't enough yellows in the races like what happened at Watkins Glen. Soon nobody will want to go, we'll go back to running more oval races as it should be."

Denny Hamlin commented: "I think people tuned into Bowman Gray because it was a track they hadn't seen before. I think they watched LA because it was a track they hadn't seen before. Once they know it and see it, if you keep giving them more of the same, eventually they'll get bored."

Hamlin reaffirmed his position about the sport's identity: "NASCAR for many years, what it was built on, was oval racing, short track racing. Eight [road courses] in the Xfinity Series. I mean, that's too many. The good racing is on ovals, and that's what we are. We're not IMSA."

Van Gisbergen dominates road courses with Supercars experience

Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing has won three races in 2025, all on road courses: Mexico, Chicago, and Sonoma. His quick adaptation to Next Gen is explained by his prior experience in Australian Supercars, a series that shares fundamental technical characteristics with NASCAR's current car.

Van Gisbergen leads a group of drivers who excel on road courses but struggle on traditional ovals. His experience in the Australian series translates directly to Next Gen on road courses, but doesn't guarantee consistency on superspeedways or short tracks.

Richard Petty and the playoffs dilemma

"The King" expressed his concern after van Gisbergen's Mexico victory: "The way they've set this up [the playoffs], if you win you're in, that can't be right. You have someone who's 30th in points going to the playoffs. What about the guy who's 15th, 16th or 18th who's been running well, finishing well everywhere?"

The seven-time champion added: "You're creating a championship scenario by winning on a road course, which isn't really what NASCAR has represented from the beginning."

Kevin Harvick explained the playoff impact: "The road course stretch will be interesting for Allmendinger, SVG, some of these drivers. That's when it gets interesting. When you have drivers making the playoffs with one win but who aren't even close in the points battle, that's when it gets interesting because you're leaving other drivers out."

The disputed future

The viewership numbers tell a different story than the veterans paint. While Keselowski insists ovals have "consistently better ratings," COTA outperformed Phoenix, Martinsville and Texas. Chicago and Sonoma posted better numbers than Bristol and Nashville.

Is it possible the "identity crisis" is more a generational issue than a real threat to the sport? Drivers who grew up when NASCAR had just two road courses see six as a betrayal. Fans who tuned into Chicago for the first time may not share that nostalgia.

The real question isn't whether NASCAR is losing its soul, but whether it's evolving into something a generation of legends prefers not to recognize. The data suggests the audience is more open to change than veterans assume.