The year was 2020, and the world was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. NASCAR, like every other sports league, was forced to shut down and postpone their events. It took weekday racing, double headers, and changes in venue, but there was a 36 schedule put together.
The next year continued the theme of schedule shakeups. Most notably, the amount of road courses jumped to seven on the schedule, nearly double the previous season. Though the series only visits four circuits in 2026, several road courses have rotated on and off the schedule since.
The “Calm” Before the Storm: Charlotte Roval
From the early 2000s to late 2010s, the NASCAR Cup Series schedule was near-stagnant. A track would occasionally gain or lose a date, or move around the schedule, but only one new track was added from 2002 to 2017. This stagnant schedule saw two road courses: Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway.
Both changed in 2018, when the fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway moved to the infield road course, coined the ‘Roval’. Ryan Blaney, now a champion, won only his second career race there after Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. tangled in the final turns. The next year, Chase Elliott won after an issue early in the race sent him to the rear.
Though Cup had break-out moments, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series joined them every season at this track too. Their time was highlighted by A.J. Allmendinger winning four times in a row and a first win for Chase Briscoe, while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series joined for a one off in 2025 and saw one of Corey Heim’s record-setting 12 wins.
So, from Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott’s feud in 2021 to Christopher Bell’s breakout win in 2022, the Charlotte Roval saw many iconic moments. Fans even witnessed SVG capping off a season of road course dominance in 2025 with an over 15-second win. However, over the years, fans grew tired of the unique layout and longed for that date to return to the oval, and that portion of the fan base got their wish. For the first time since 2017, Charlotte Motor Speedway announced they would host two points races on its oval configuration.
The “Rovals” Continue
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Watkins Glen and Sonoma were both off the table for 2020. However, the series still wanted to run a road-course event, so it turned to another “Roval”: the Daytona Road Course.
The Daytona Road Course hosted all three series in 2020 and 2021, both times as a fill-in venue for a different track. 2020 was a replacement for Watkins Glen while 2021 saw a last minute fill-in for Auto Club Speedway.
The series’ eventual champions swept the first events held in 2020, as Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, and Sheldon Creed won in their respective series. The Truck Series saw its eventual champion, Ben Rhodes, win again in 2021, while the other two series produced first-time winners, with Christopher Bell earning his first Cup Series victory and Ty Gibbs claiming his first Xfinity Series win at O’Reilly Auto Parts 253.
A third Roval join the schedule in 2021, as the Brickyard 400 was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. In addition to Cup, the O’Reilly Series also ran this configuration in 2020. Though the Roval experiment was a success at some tracks, the IMS road course was considered divisive amongst fans and drivers which led to a move back to the oval for 2024 where the date remains.
Interestingly, every Cup race at the venue saw a driver earn their second career win. A.J. Allmendinger won driving part time in 2021, Tyler Reddick cemented himself as a top road course racer in 2022, and Michael McDowell dominated in 2023. Top road course talent won in the O’Reilly series every season, as Briscoe, Cindric, Allmendinger, and Gibbs are the list of NOAPS winners.
2021’s Other New Road Courses
The Indy Road Course was one of three new or returning road courses on the 2021 schedule. Circuit of the Americas, a track known for Formula One, ran their first race in 2021 with Chase Elliott capturing the win in a monsoon-shortened event. Despite a disastrous first race, COTA remains on the Cup Series schedule to this day and even saw a configuration change heading into 2025. Ross Chastain, William Byron, Bell, and Reddick (twice) have also won races at the Texas track.
The O’Reilly series has joined every season, with Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, and Connor Zilisch all winning races with Allmendinger winning two. The Truck Series saw races from 2021 to 2024, with Todd Gilliland and Corey Heim capturing a win each with Zane Smith earning two.
From a road course in the South to one in the North, the Cup Series returned to Road America for the first time since 1956. In both appearances, more than 100,000 fans attended and were rewarded with wins by Elliott in 2021 and Reddick’s long-awaited first career victory in 2022. Due to a different venue that will be discussed next, Road America would be taken off the NASCAR schedule following 2022.
While the track only saw three Cup races total, it was a staple on the O’Reilly schedule from 2010 to 2021. The track had a reputation for producing first-time winners as six of the eleven races produced one. Nelson Piquet Jr, A.J. Allmendinger, Brendan Gaughan, Michael McDowell, Jeremey Clements, and Sam Mayer all saw their first NOAPS wins come at the venue.
Experimental Races: Street Racing and an International Track
Speaking of the venue that replaced Road America, meet the Chicago Street Course. Street racing had been discussed for years and came to fruition for the 2023 season. Like COTA, the race saw massive rain showers in its first showing, but still produced a great race with SVG capturing a win on debut and became a surprisingly popular event. The New Zealander also won the final race (for now) in 2025 and O’Reily wins in 2024 and 2025. Alex Bowman won the Cup race between those years and Cole Custer captured the inaugural NOAPS win.
In 2026, the race at Chicago moved back to the oval of Chicagoland Speedway, and the street race moved to the Naval Base Coronado where they just hosted their inaugural NASCAR weekend with all three series and victories from Layne Riggs, Austin Hill, and Heim.
Only one more road course has come onto the Cup Series schedule: the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. For the first time since 1958, a Cup Series points race would be hosted outside of the United States. SVG would win the Cup race and Daniel Suarez would capture a win in front of his home country in O’Reilly. Due to the World Cup, Mexico City did not return to the 2026 schedule.
Lower Series Only Tracks
From 2022 to 2025, Portland International Raceway hosted the O’Reilly Series. Allmendinger, Custer, SVG, and Zilisch all saw wins at the track before it was phased out heading into 2026.
Portland’s spot on the O’Reilly schedule was granted when the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which saw a final O’Reilly race in 2021 won by AJ Allmendinger, moved to the Truck Series. Parker Kligerman and Heim won the two races, before Mid-Ohio was phased off the schedule entirely heading into 2024 for NASCAR top-three touring series.
In the past two seasons, the Truck Series has seen two inaugural road course races. Lime Rock Park and the St. Petersburg Street Circuit saw their debuts in 2025 and 2026 with wins from Heim and Riggs respectively.
A plethora of different road and street courses have flowed on and off the NASCAR schedule in the 2020s decade. From street courses on military bases to Formula One tracks to international races, there has been an incredibly diverse set of venues that NASCAR drivers turn right on.
