Why the NFL's 18-game schedule could force NASCAR to move its biggest race

NASCAR could be about to face a schedule shake-up due to increasing talks of the Super Bowl reportedly moving to the Presidents' Day weekend. The NFL has long been America’s dominant fall sport, but it has been pushing its influence farther than just Sunday evenings.

With the league seriously contemplating an expansion from 17 to 18 regular-season games, its ripple effects may reach into other major sports, including NASCAR.

The Super Bowl might shift to Presidents’ Day weekend if there is an expansion to 18 games in a season. This shift is where NASCAR enters the picture, because the Daytona 500, which is the crown jewel of stock car racing and NASCAR's biggest race of the year, already has its traditional weekend slot as the Presidents' Day weekend.

NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, recently spoke on the possibility and how he thinks it would be beneficial for his sport.

"We always say, ‘What do the fans want? What do the fans really think is important?’ And I think it’s clear they want more regular-season games versus preseason games, I think 18 weeks would get you to that point, and I think it would be a really great move," Roger Goodell said via Front Office Sports.

League owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell have floated adding an 18th game, but it’s not likely to happen immediately. Formal negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association are not expected before early 2026. If the expansion proceeds, many sources believe the earliest it could take effect would be 2027.

What are the possible outcomes and implications for NASCAR if the NFL shifts to an 18-game schedule?

The NFL’s push toward an 18-game regular season may still be years away, but one sport standing squarely in the confusion is NASCAR, whose most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, traditionally kicks off the Cup Series season on Presidents’ Day weekend. If the Super Bowl slides into that same slot, the sport would be staring down a scheduling clash it can’t afford to ignore.

DAYTONA 500 - Source: Imagn

Let us look at some possible outcomes and implications for the sport if this shift becomes real.

#3. Move the Daytona 500

The sporting body could reschedule the Daytona 500 to a different weekend, potentially pushing it back or forward in February, or even altering the start of its season to avoid a clash with the Super Bowl.

#2. Adjust the season calendar differently

Switching just one marquee event could have domino effects. Other race dates, track contracts, and scheduling logistics like weather, television windows, and attendance might all have to be reworked.

#1. Check out compromise or co-existence possibilities

NASCAR and the NFL might try to coordinate so that the Daytona 500 and the Super Bowl don’t fully overlap, perhaps by starting times that avoid direct conflicts or staggering them. But this is fragile, especially if the NFL’s schedule stretch includes more bye weeks or shifts hard into February.