NASCAR may add street racing in 2021

NASCAR might be eyeing the streets of Long Beach. They might have to double their grandstand capacity

NASCAR is considering adding temporary tracks in city centers or sports stadium parking lots to the season as soon as 2021, Sports Business Journal reports.

Along with its signature oval tracks, NASCAR currently competes on two road courses (Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International) and a so-called “roval" set up in the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Sources tell SBJ that NASCAR is aiming to add 8 new markets by 2022, which would likely require the elimination of several current events.

Possible scenarios include teaming up with Indycar at one of its street-racing venues, like Long Beach, Calif., where sports cars and the Stadium Super Trucks series also compete. Formula One is currently in discussions to hold a race in the parking lots and access roads outside Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, and all of the top metro areas in the United States have a facility that presents a similar opportunity for NASCAR.

NASCAR has not commented on the report, but president Steve Phelps said at a press conference last week that “we’re having a lot of discussions right now on the 2021 schedule, and we’re looking at three things when we’re looking at that race schedule: where we’re going to have the most competitive racing we can have, where we’re going to have full grandstands, and what does that market look like — is it a new market we can service?"