標籤: Motor

Dover Motor Speedway hosted the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, marking the first time in decades that there was no points race at the iconic track. While the 2027 NASCAR schedule won’t be determined for months, there is early discussion about Dover’s plans for next season.

Sunday night’s episode teardownJordan Bianchi, motorsports reporter for The Athletic, said that Dover would “100 percent” have a Cup Series race next season and that it would most likely be a single-point race.

Read more: Insider reveals potential cost of NASCAR charter

“There’s going to be a race next year at Dover, that’s clear as day. There’s a 100 percent chance there will be a race next year… I would say highly likely it’s a points race.”

Jordan Bianchi on whether there will be a NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway in 2027

The Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware was one of the biggest losers last year when NASCAR announced its schedule for the 2026 season. With North Wilkesboro getting the points race, another spot was clinched in the exhibition race during the season.

NASCAR officials chose Dover. Due to the nearby Dover Air Force Base, resulting in flight restrictions over the track, the All-Star Race could only be held in the afternoon. While racing fans still showed up in large numbers, drivers and fans alike criticized Sunday’s All-Star Race as feeling too long, with Dover’s track design not matching well with the format of the event.

The good news is that Dover is going to host the points race again in 2027. It’s less clear what changes NASCAR would need to make to make that happen. It has already been announced that the Chicago Street Race will return next year, possibly replacing Chicagoland.

The points race at Dover could mean the All-Star Race will return to North Wilkesboro. Alternatively, NASCAR could hold the All-Star Race at Bowman Gray Stadium, or even run it ahead of the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Whatever decision is made, it looks like Dover will get a worthy points race in 2027.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Jimmie Johnson’s racing team Legacy Motor Club is set to expand next year, adding a third charter for the 2027 Cup Series season. With the new seat available, it appears that the team’s search for its wheelman is over.

According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Legacy’s year-long search for a third chartered driver is “effectively over” and the team is now focusing on 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst to get behind the wheel in 2027.

Read more: NASCAR prospects whose stock is rising

Riley Herbst, age 27, became a full-time Cup Series driver with 23XI in the No. 35 car last season. He struggled in his rookie year, failing to record a single top 10 finish, while posting one of the worst average starting positions (26.97) and average finishing position (26.39) among full-time Cup drivers.

He has performed much better in 2026. Through 12 races, Herbst’s average starting position (20.25) and average finishing position (22.67) have improved significantly. Herbst earned his first top-10 finish (Daytona 500) since 2023, and he has finished in the top 20 four times this year.

Herbst also brings other qualities that probably have significant importance to the heritage. First of all, he has proven to be an excellent teammate to Tyler Reddick this season through his work in leading Tyler Reddick to victory at Daytona and in the sim.

Equally important for a relatively new team like Legacy, Herbst also brings funding. The Herbst family owns a vast chain of convenience stores, and Driver has a long-term relationship with Monster Energy. Combine all this with the improvements he has made this year, and it is easy to see why he is a top candidate to join the Legacy Motor Club next season.

The domino effect of joining Riley Herbst’s legacy

All of Legacy’s pursuit comes as it secured a third charter in the Cup Series for the 2027 season, creating a domino effect that will impact many top teams. Both 23XI and RFK Racing are affected by the move.

RELATED: Chase Contender Could Lose Chartered Status in 2027

The above charter is leased to RFK this season and is being used for Ryan Preece. RFK is also in a tough spot as all three of its drivers—Preece, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski—are in contract years. Even if all three drivers are re-signed, there is currently no viable path for the team to acquire a third charter.

Since RFK deals with the loss of a chartered car, 23XI has its own vacancy. Fortunately for the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, NASCAR’s top prospect Corey Haim is set to replace Herbst next season. Widely regarded as the top prospect in NASCAR, Heim’s arrival should give 23XI a chance to establish itself as the third-best team in the Cup Series.

RELATED: When Corey Heim Can Race Full-Time for 23XI Racing

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The NASCAR All-Star Race is being held at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend, with the Monster Mile featuring in a non-points race. Unfortunately for racing fans in Delaware, this may be one of their last opportunities to see the Cup Series at the Monster Mile.

On Sunday’s episode of The Teardown, The Athletic’s motorsports reporter Jordan Bianchi shared that there is a “real concern” around the industry that Dover could lose out as a future host for NASCAR races.

“There’s real concern among people about the future of Dover… They’ve lost a race, they’re now stuck in an All-Star race that no one’s interested in… It’s been moved around, it has no place on the schedule. It’s one of those things that just floats around here, there, wherever.”

The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi may be out of Dover Motor Speedway NASCAR race due to growing concerns

Read more: NASCAR standings before Dover

Dover was effectively dropped from the NASCAR schedule a few months before the season. Reports first surfaced in August that the Monster Mile was being strongly considered to host an All-Star race, marking the first time since 1968 that Dover did not have a points race.

Instead, the track owned by Speedway Motorsports is now mired in a race that the drivers care less about and the fans have even less interest. Making matters worse, the All-Star Race will be held in the early afternoon (1:00 p.m. ET) because the proximity to Dover Air Force Base means that no lights can be used on the track to support night racing.

To make matters worse, Dover itself is not suitable for the All-Star Race, which is a shorter race and does not include the longer races for which the Monster Mile is designed. As a result, there is less excitement for this year’s non-points race than previous All-Star races.

“Most people don’t think it’s going to be very exciting. Dover is a nice track, but I think we both agree that it’s a track built on long, green-flag races and things like that. It’s not conducive to the All-Star Race format. Yes, there are concerns… I’ve heard it’s iffy (ticket sales). It’s not good, it’s worrisome… If you’re worried about Dover, you’re sitting there thinking, How will Dover get back into the points race?

Jordan Bianchi on uncertainty about NASCAR’s future at Dover

If there is not a strong attendance for the NASCAR All-Star Race this weekend, it will potentially give the league an ‘argument’ to justify not holding the race at Dover in 2027.

This may not necessarily be fair, especially given the history of Dover and the level of appreciation both fans and drivers have for that track. However, the Monster Mile is clearly not a priority track by NASCAR officials and fears about the future of the venue seem justified.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

NASCAR’s schedule is completely loaded this week as the Truck Series, O’Reilly Series and Cup Series are all in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be a great weekend of racing all three days at Texas Motor Speedway.

Let’s take a look at the NASCAR weekend schedule for Texas. As always, TMS is listed for Eastern Time. You can find everything from practice and qualifying times to track information and where to watch the race.

READ MORE: NASCAR Power Rankings before Texas

NASCAR weekend schedule in Texas

Here is this week’s NASCAR schedule for practice, qualifying times and green flag times at Texas Motor Speedway. We’ve broken it down before, you can find the individual Truck, O’Reilly Series and Cup Series weekend schedules below.

Friday, May 1

Saturday, May 2

Read more: NASCAR’s standing before Texas

Sunday, May 3

Read More: Best NASCAR Races 2026

NASCAR Truck Series Schedule This Weekend

Here is the NASCAR Truck Series schedule for Texas this weekend.

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Schedule This Weekend

Here is the schedule for this weekend’s NASCAR ORAS.

NASCAR Cup Series schedule this weekend

Here is the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for Texas this weekend.

Texas Motor Speedway: Quick Stats

• Track Length: 1.5 miles
• Track Type: intermediate
• surface: asphalt
• Banking: turn; 24, backstretch; 5, tri-oval; 5

Texas Motor Speedway Race Details and Stages

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

On Friday, 23 veterans and prospects were released from their existing contracts in the latest round of WWE’s annual roster cuts. Some of the most notable names to be released this week were each member of the Wyatt Six, Kairi Sane, and wrestling power couple Aleister Black and Zelina Vega.

While this was bad news for those wrestlers, it does leave a group of interesting talents in pro wrestling free agency at a time when the industry is strong. All Elite Wrestling should seriously consider signing veteran performers soon. With that in mind, here are seven former WWE stars that AEW should target on the open market.

carry sen

AEW’s women’s division has come a long way over the years. However, that still pales in comparison to the absurd amount of talent on WWE’s roster. But WWE has just offered several talented female wrestlers that Tony Khan may want to quickly embrace. The most notable is Japanese veteran Kairi Sane.

Khan has mentioned being a fan of Sane in the past and has a clear love for the talent from the Land of the Rising Sun. While Sane may no longer be in her prime, she is still a good performer who one will have a lot of sympathy for as she was not given the chance to finish her long-running storyline with Asuka in WWE.

motor city machine gun

AEW probably has the best bell-to-bell wrestling in the world. Another thing they do well is highlight tag wrestling. This has been a weakness for WWE during the Paul “Triple H” Levesque era, and it’s why TNA legends the Motor City Machine Guns have had a disappointing run in the company.

When he hit free agency a few years ago, there were rumors that he might sign with AEW. A move back to TNA seems very unlikely, and there are far more interesting matchups for Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in AEW as a team or singles.

alba fire

AEW has made huge inroads among European wrestling fans. That’s why they can go to Wembley Stadium every year and perform very well. Therefore, former Women’s Tag Champion Alba Fires should be a top target in free agency.

She is a strong wrestler and gives them another talent that attracts and keeps fans in the UK. Additionally, her former WWE tag partner, Isla Dawn, is already under the AEW umbrella.

Santos Escobar

AEW has strongly embraced its working relationship with Mexico’s CMLL as well as the Spanish-speaking audience. That’s why it would be wise to capture Santos Escobar. However, unlike most of the CMLL talent performing in AEW, Escobar is fluent in English and can connect with fans in both languages.

Furthermore, he is at his best right now and despite being a strong wrestler in the ring, he is underrated on the mic.

zoey stark

Zoey Stark was snake bitten by injuries during her tenure in WWE, including rupturing her knee ligaments twice. However, when healthy, she was one of the most athletic and skilled female wrestlers on the roster.

His latest knee injury has likely taken away his athletic gifts. However, at just 32 years old, she feels like a perfect fit for AEW and a great addition to the women’s division.

nikki cross

Nikki Cross is a talented performer who was treated poorly as a member of the Wyatt Six. Since WWE had trouble booking the unique group, he did not have a single match while a part of the faction. His wild character work is always entertaining, and he’s a rock-solid worker in the ring.

Additionally, like Alba Fires, she will be an addition that will not only strengthen the AEW women’s division but also strengthen the company’s relationship with UK Wrestling.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos