NASCAR’s trusted insider report addresses all rumors on Iowa Speedway’s 2026 Cup date

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic recently dismissed the uncertainty regarding Iowa Speedway's place on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

With the 2026 schedule nearly finalized and the official release set to come out possibly next week, rumours have cast doubt on Iowa’s status despite its sell-out crowds in the previous two seasons. On a recent episode of The Teardown, Bianchi shared with 100% certainty that Iowa will appear on the 2026 schedule.

"There's a report out there that Iowa may or may not be happening and that there have been conversations among NASCAR about not returning. I'm going to say this, unequivocally, Iowa will have a Cup Series date next year, 100 percent. I promise you that. That is on the Cup Series schedule," Bianchi said (1:12:38 onwards).

He added that, despite the chatter about rotating tracks, NASCAR never considered dropping Iowa.

"I am also reporting that there was never any conversations among NASCAR to say, 'Hey, do we do this or not?'... Because you have to have 38 dates. And so, you can't have all of these races fall off without putting stuff back on. And you're not adding a second date at Michigan. You're not adding a second date at Richmond. Joliet's [Chicagoland Speedway] getting a date already. You're running out of options. And so, yeah. Yeah. So, that was always going to be the case," he added.

Iowa has delivered two straight sellouts since 2024. The first Cup race drew around 45,000 fans, and the return event sold out again, even without temporary suites.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Street Race and Mexico City event for 2026 have been replaced with an expected return to Chicagoland and a street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.

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Rumored NASCAR Cup schedule changes for 2026

The Cup Series will drop Mexico City mainly due to scheduling conflicts with the 2026 FIFA World Cup. NASCAR also faced some logistical challenges this season with that event.

To fill the street-race gap, NASCAR's new event in San Diego will possibly run on a street circuit at Naval Base Coronado and include all three series (Cup, Xfinity, Truck) during Father’s Day weekend i.e. from June 19 to 21, 2026.

Other rumors include earlier dates for Darlington and Richmond and possibly two weeks off at Easter and in August. A potential All-Star Race at Dover is also under consideration, and North Wilkesboro could return as a points-paying venue.