NASCAR: 5 possible additions to the 2025 Cup Series schedule

For a long while, a schedule release for the upcoming NASCAR season was simply a yearly occurrence when very few changes, if any, were made to the previous season's schedule.

For decades, NASCAR had several hurdles to jump through in order to make even the simplest of schedule changes, whether due to contracts they were locked into or track ownership brands, namely Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) and International Speedway Corp. (ISC), that had the final say.

But after purchasing ISC in 2019 for $2 billion, that all changed. NASCAR instantly gained full ownership of 12 race tracks, including Iowa Speedway, which was not on the Cup Series schedule at the time.

The takeover meant that NASCAR was no longer tied to any pre-existing agreements with the previous owners and thus could do nearly anything they wanted with these tracks in regard to ticket sales, race formats, and most importantly, race dates.

That led to a multitude of schedule changes starting in 2021, the amount of which hadn't been seen in modern times. Several tracks have since gone from hosting two races to just one, thus opening the door for several new tracks to join, including but not limited to Iowa, Circuit of the Americas, Road America, and Nashville Superspeedway.

Suddenly, the release of the Cup Series schedule has almost become a silly season of its own, with rumors swirling around the garage and drivers and fans coming up with their own ideas, theories, and fantasies for what they want to see changed or added amid NASCAR's newly found flexibility.

With that, here are five possible additions to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

No. 1 - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Perhaps the most likely option on this list, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve almost seems like a shoo-in to join the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025. It was reported that NASCAR was in discussions to have the track join the schedule in 2024, but the deal couldn't be completed.

Located in Montreal, Quebec, this track also ticks perhaps the biggest box on NASCAR's to-do list, that being having international race for the sport's top series.

While it has never hosted a Cup Series race in the past, the track has hosted plenty of high-level races, including Formula 1's Canadian Grand Prix since 1978 and NASCAR Xfinity Series (then Nationwide Series) races from 2007 to 2012.

It is a track full of long straights, hard braking zones, fast and tight chicanes, and little run-off waiting before the walls come out to bite. Ultimate focus and skill are required to run a fast lap, with the potential for mistakes and passing being very high.

The track has also produced several classics. Who could forget the rain-soaked 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, when Jenson Button had several incidents throughout the race and was forced to rebound from last place to take the win on the last lap?

How about the 2012 NAPA Auto Parts 200, when former Formula 1 world champion -- and son of the man the track was named after -- Jacques Villeneuve led late before being bumped out of the way by Justin Allgaier for the win?

The crowds at those Nationwide Series races were also very good, with every grandstand packed full of passionate French-Canadian fans who were just happy to see any form of NASCAR competing on their home soil. There's no reason why those same stands wouldn't be packed even more to see all the bright stars of the Cup Series take to the famous track.