NASCAR is always looking to outdo itself when it comes to big firsts. The first-ever race at an active military base at the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego, which was a mega success, was a good example of that. 

While the hype around the San Diego race continues as metrics start to unveil themselves, everyone is now asking what the next big thing that NASCAR will come up with is. 

While most of the news is still speculative, Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s COO, hinted that the next big NASCAR race could be around the iconic Central Park of New York. 

Kennedy spoke to Sports Business Journal's Tom Friend about how NASCAR plans its next steps and big projects. “Central Park would be epic,” he said.

Kennedy added, “I keep asking my team. I’m like, ‘What are you going to bring us next?’ We gotta see where the bar goes from here. The possibilities are as far as your imagination goes until someone tells you no.” Kennedy also said, “We’ve talked about Central Park before.”

One of the other big ideas for NASCAR was a race around the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but the logistics of the race didn’t seem feasible, according to Ben Kennedy. 

However, Kennedy is certain of one thing: street courses are not going anywhere, and they bring something unique to NASCAR, which makes the organization continue looking for newer places to race around, not just in America but internationally. 

What street courses bring to the table for NASCAR

Gone are the days when NASCAR traditionally went left. Now, there is an ever-increasing demand for NASCAR to find more tracks that go right as well. The idea is to bring races to iconic parts of the country, which allows NASCAR to connect with an untapped audience. 

According to SBJ’s same report, 50,000 seats were sold out, with 67 per cent of ticket buyers having never attended a NASCAR event before. The race in San Diego also saw fans pour in from not just the 50 American states but also 17 different countries. 

Ben Kennedy highlighted the importance of the increasing number of street races on NASCAR’s calendar. 

“I would say in general, events like this they’re important for a lot of new fans that come into this sport. They bring more partners. I was talking with a team representative earlier… And they say outside Daytona 500, the Chicago and San Diego street races sell quicker than anything else that they see on the schedule.”

While Kennedy is hopeful that the Navy will view the success of the race similarly to NASCAR and the event goes beyond the initial one-year commitment, he also said, “I think, ultimately, a little bit of it is changing the perception of who NASCAR is. We’re for everyone. We’re a bad*** sport.”

As the COO shared his thoughts on the importance of street courses, it will be interesting to see how fans respond to NASCAR aiming for newer and more iconic venues for street races. 

Where do you think NASCAR should go next?

Read more on Daytona Racing Digest.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason