Winston-Salem sets one condition for joining NASCAR’s $1M Bowman Gray Stadium upgrade plan

Winston-Salem has proposed a five-year racing deal with NASCAR in exchange for a $1M upgrade plan for the Bowman Gray Stadium. The venue hosted this year's inaugural exhibition event, The Cookout Clash, but the new deal would ensure at least one regular season event from the sport's three National Series: Cup, Xfinity, or the Craftsman Truck.

On Monday, June 16, the city council voted to allocate $1M for a new scoreboard, but under the condition that NASCAR would race on the historic short track for a five-year period. While the city owns the facility, NASCAR took over racing operations under a lease through 2050 by acquiring Winston Salem Speedway Inc. in March 2024.

On Friday, June 20, Winston-Salem Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe announced the news in an email, writing,

"City management currently is working with NASCAR officials on drafting the agreement."

The quarter-mile short track has hosted 28 Cup Series events from 1958 to 1971. The series' return to the venue in 2025 saw Chase Elliot dominate the field by leading 171 of 200 laps. The non-points paying race followed a major facility upgrade in January, including a new lighting system and the installation of SAFER barriers and protective catch fences.

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Kevin Harvick gives his verdict on NASCAR's Mexico City race

Kevin Harvick has issued a word of advice for NASCAR after the Mexico City race. The former Cup Series driver took to his podcast "Happy Hour" and suggested that three years is 'probably too many' to race in international markets. He also stressed that the sport should explore more racetracks within North America and not venture far beyond the continent.

The Viva Mexico 250 witnessed the hometown hero, Daniel Suarez, take the checkered flag in the Xfinity Series race, while his teammate, Shane Van Gisbergen, swept the Cup Series race from pole.

"I think that one, two, three, three years is probably too many as we learn every time we do it for too many years. So one or two years, move it around do something different...I thought the race was good. I think when you look at the fan base and Suarez winning on Saturday and the fans that showed up on Sunday, I like experiencing new things and I like to do that in North America. I think that Mexico, Canada, United States. I don't think that we should venture too far outside of that. We've got plenty of racetracks to move all around those parts of, of the world," Harvick said. [5:20 onwards]

The weekend at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was also plagued with travel snags that saw several crew members stranded in Charlotte, resulting in delayed arrivals and a shift in the schedule timings.

Nonetheless, Prime Video reported that NASCAR's inaugural event outside the US garnered 2.1 million viewers, beating out the likes of IndyCar and Formula 1 from the same day.