Dover to host 2026 All-Star Race; North Wilkesboro gets points date

Dover Motor Speedway will be the site of the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race, the sanctioning body announced Wednesday, providing a unique track on which to showcase the top drivers while keeping the sport's history at the forefront after a successful three-year run for the event at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The schedule change also gives North Wilkesboro the opportunity to host its first points race in 30 years, since Sept. 29, 1996, when Jeff Gordon won the last points-paying Cup Series contest held there. NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports worked together to make this schedule change the best of both worlds for fans of the sport, with the All-Star Race at Dover slated for May 17 and the points race at North Wilkesboro on July 19. RELATED: NASCAR releases 2026 schedule | Full schedule "We have an incredibly strong fan base in that region in our country, and if you look at Pocono (Raceway), New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) in a few weeks here is going to look incredible, and then Dover in particular has had a really strong turnout over the past few years," said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's executive vice president, chief revenue & racing innovation officer. "I think it's going to be a great addition to the All-Star Race, and then also moving them back to May from a weather perspective, I think, is going to be just a better overall experience for our fans and our industry. "So, we considered a handful of options, obviously, in collaboration with Speedway Motorsports on where the future of the All-Star Race would go and naturally landed on Dover and think it'll be a good location for us." The All-Star Race at Dover will air on FOX Sports, the final contest of the network's coverage portion during the season. Christopher Bell is the defending All-Star Race victor, winning the $1 million prize during the 2025 rendition. Denny Hamlin is the most recent race winner at Dover with two straight Delaware wins. North Wilkesboro will be the fourth of five races covered by TNT Sports. The contest will also act as Round 4 of the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge, setting up the Championship Round occurring at Indianapolis Motor Speedway one week later. "The biggest factor was our fans and the feedback that we heard from them after the All-Star Race this year," Kennedy said. "You know, 70% of them asked for a points race at North Wilkesboro, and it was about four out of five 18- to 34-year-olds also asked for a points race at North Wilkesboro. I think on top of that, we also heard from the industry that hey, it's been great having the All-Star Race here for a few years, but we'd love to see a return to a points event, and being in TNT's portion of the season with Dale Jr. in the booth, it's been 30 years since we've had a points race at North Wilkesboro since Jeff Gordon went to Victory Lane in the late 1990s, it's going to be a great return. So we're excited to see it." Dover, which opened in 1969, will not host a points-paying event in the Cup Series in 2026 for the first time in track history. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will each run a points-paying race scheduled for May 15 and 16, respectively, ahead of Cup's All-Star Race. MORE: In-Season Challenge returns | St. Pete joins Truck schedule Delaware's concrete, banked 1-miler joins a select list of tracks to host NASCAR's star-studded exhibition, including Charlotte Motor Speedway (1985, 1987-2019), EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta (1986), Bristol Motor Speedway (2020) and, most recently, North Wilkesboro (2023-25). North Wilkesboro, which hosted at least one Cup Series race every season from 1949-1996, sat mostly dormant until its renovation and revival ahead of its return to the NASCAR schedule in 2023, when it hosted a regular-season Craftsman Truck Series race in addition to the All-Star Race. North Wilkesboro will again act as a points-paying venue for the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026 on July 18, the fourth consecutive season the track will host the Truck Series field. The 2026 NASCAR campaign kicks off Feb. 1 with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the second season the track has hosted the preseason exhibition. The regular-season opener will begin on Feb. 15 at Daytona International Speedway for the 68th Daytona 500. The 2026 season will conclude on Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Cup Series Championship. NASCAR CUP SERIES [table id=513 /] *Denotes playoff race NASCAR O'REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES [table id=514 /] *Denotes playoff race NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES [table id=515 /] *Denotes playoff race