North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race since 1996 in 2023 when it hosted the exhibition All-Star Race in May, and it returned to the calendar to host that race again in 2024 and 2025.
In 2026, the four-turn, 0.625-mile (1.006-kilometer) North Wilkesboro, North Carolina oval returned to the schedule with a points race, its first in three decades. It marked the first time since 1956 that the track was on the schedule as the host of a single race, rather than two (or zero).
But after just one season, North Wilkesboro will no longer be on the 36-race championship schedule in 2027.
North Wilkesboro back to All-Star Race role for 2027
North Wilkesboro is set to return as the host of the All-Star Race in 2027, with a full race format TBD after this year's format at Dover Motor Speedway generated criticism for being needlessly convoluted.
Additionally, Dover is set to return to the regular season schedule after a one-year hiatus. The 2026 season was the first season since the track opened in 1969 during which it did not host at least one points race. Its 2027 race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 16, one week before the All-Star Race on Sunday, May 23.
Dover's race weekend is technically set to be the same as it was this year, the third weekend in May, but because of when Memorial Day Weekend falls, it is scheduled to be two weeks before the annual Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, rather than one like it was this year.
The switch back to North Wilkesboro as the host of the All-Star Race marks the fifth venue change since 2020 alone. Aside from Charlotte, which hosted the race each year from 1987 to 2019, North Wilkesboro is the only track to ever host the event for more than two years in a row. Whether it returns in 2028, of course, remains to be seen.
The 2020 All-Star Race was hosted at Bristol Motor Speedway, due to COVID-19 restriction-related schedule changes, and the 2021 and 2022 races were held at Texas Motor Speedway.
The 2027 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is not yet fully solidified, but bits and pieces of it are continuing to come together, and the full calendar should be available within the next few weeks.
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