The rental agreement between Speedway Motorsports and Circuit of the Americas, as well as NASCAR‘s sanction agreement, is set to expire in 2025. With no official announcement made, fans are left to wonder whether NASCAR will return to COTA next season.
As NASCAR heads to COTA this weekend, the dates for its 2026 race are not out yet. With the current absence of a deal between Speedway Motorsports and COTA, at least not one that has been made public, doubts have risen about COTA being a track for the 2026 NASCAR season.
NASCAR Fans Go Back and Forth on Social Media About COTA’s Future
COTA, which has been a part of the NASCAR schedule since 2021, is one of the two permanent FIA Grade One circuits in the United States. With its end hanging in the air, fans express their take on COTA and the potential for change.
One fan on Reddit said, “Would be a pretty big hit for COTA to lose NASCAR. F1 is obviously the big draw, but there’s really not that much racing there otherwise. WEC draws a decent crowd, but the smaller GT3 series aren’t bringing in more than a few thousand fans. No IMSA, no Indycar.”
A fan who wouldn’t like to see NASCAR leave COTA said, “That would be a bummer, I think there’s something to having a track that multiple classes of motorsports drive at. COTA has everyone but Indycar.”
Another replied, “I’d like to see Indycar make another attempt at COTA now that there’s a ton of series promotion that wasn’t there the first time they tried it.”
Talking about how COTA’s new course for the upcoming race could be a deciding factor for its future, a fan expressed, “I hope it returns. It’s not a bad road course, and I’m sick of new tracks coming and leaving a few years later. I guess this weekend’s race on the shortened circuit is a test to see its future viability.”
However, some fans refuse to believe any truth in COTA not being a part of NASCAR’s schedule in 2026. One said, “Death, taxes, and “this race is leaving COTA” speculation. F1 does this shit every few years. See y’all at COTA in 2026. The race Sunday will be better than people expect.”
