The NASCAR Cup Series will compete at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas, next year while the All-Star Race will have a new home, The Athletic reported Monday.
The changes reported are:
- Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas to host a Cup race in 2021. That date would come from one of the two Cup weekends Texas Motor Speedway hosts.
- Texas Motor Speedway would get the All-Star Race, replacing the weekend sent to Circuit of the Americas.
- Texas Motor Speedway would lose it’s second point paying cup race date
NASCAR declined a request for comment, but a spokesperson said it is “looking forward to announcing the 2021 schedule in the near future.”
The Circuit of the Americas is a 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course that opened in 2012. It hosts Formula 1 races and began holding IndyCar events in 2019.
With Circuit of the Americas, the NASCAR Cup Series could have as many as five races on road courses next year: Watkins Glen, Sonoma Raceway, Charlotte Roval and the Daytona road course, which is scheduled to host the Busch Clash in February.
A NASCAR event has never been held at Circuit of the Americas, but Tony Stewart piloted a Stewart-Haas Racing car there last year in a demonstration run.
Circuit of the Americas is located roughly 220 miles south of Texas Motor Speedway in North Texas.
Texas Motor Speedway, owned by Speedway Motorsports, has hosted two Cup points races since 2005.
Circuit of the Americas would be the second new track to host a Cup race next year.
Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee was revealed in June as the newest addition to the schedule. It will host the Cup Series June 21, 2021.
NASCAR’s All-Star Race was held at Bristol Motor Speedway in July this year after the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented it from being held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Charlotte, another Speedway Motorsports track, had hosted the All-Star Race every year but one since the event’s introduction in 1985.
According The Athletic, the All-Star Race is expected to be held later in the year instead of its traditional spot the week before the Coca-Cola 600 in May.