Grading the biggest changes to the 2027 NASCAR schedule

NASCAR officially released its 2027 schedule on Wednesday, and while there weren't many changes, the few there were are very notable. Here are those changes graded on an A-F scale. 

Moving the Clash back to Daytona: B

Let's start with why this was a good move: the Clash, an exhibition race originally open only to pole winners from the previous year, was held at Daytona from 1979-2020. There's history and tradition there, and holding it eight days before the Daytona 500 gives Florida race fans already in Daytona Beach more bang for their buck. 

On the other hand, the last Clash on the oval at Daytona in 2020 was a wreckfest and didn't have much in the way of good racing. With Next-Gen speedway racing currently lacking in quality, there's a chance the 2027 Clash isn't much to write home about. 

The good news for those who don't like the change is that it's believed to be a one-year stopgap as NASCAR evaluates its options with the event moving forward. 

Truck race at Bowman Gray: A

This grade is maybe the most subjective of all. If you're a racing purist, don't watch this race. Bowman Gray is known as "The Madhouse" for a reason: it's a quarter-mile bullring that features close-quarters racing where contact is inevitable and encouraged. We may not see Truck Series drivers engage in fisticuffs next August as much as the drivers who race at Bowman Gray every week tend to do, but taking a series full of young drivers to such a venue should be very entertaining, even if it's not the greatest racing in the world. 

Rockingham off the schedule: D

This gets a D because the move, while frustrating, wasn't NASCAR's fault. The uncertainty surrounding the speedway and its owner, Darryl Cuttell of the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) is something NASCAR couldn't have foreseen. 

Still, it's unfortunate that the North Carolina track, which was revitalized in 2025 and hosted the O'Reilly and Truck Series in each of the last two years, is once again off the schedule. It may take a  Herculean effort to get "The Rock" back on the NASCAR calendar come 2028. 

North Wilkesboro hosting the All Star Race: C

It's important to remember that there was once a time where North Wilkesboro ever being on the NASCAR schedule again was a pipe dream and nothing more. Still, after the venue hosted its first points race in 30 years on July 19, it's disappointing to see it relegated to hosting NASCAR's All-Star Race, which is far from the appointment television it once was. 

At the very least, the fans of Wilkes County who had the track taken from them in the 1990s will still get to see the best stock car drivers in the world take to the speedway. The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will also visit the track in 2027. 

Return to Coronado: A+

NASCAR's first race on a US military base came in June, when it raced at Naval Base Coronado in California. Aside from a slight snafu with a manhole cover in the O'Reilly Series race and a couple of major crashes that necessitated wall repair, the event was a success and put the sport back into a Southern California market it doesn't have a permanent home in with the demise of Auto Club Speedway. 

Not only will NASCAR race at Coronado in 2027, but it also plans to race at another military base in 2028 as part of a partnership between the sanctioning body and the Department of Defense.