Over the last three years, the NASCAR Cup Series schedule has incorporated a dirt track, a stadium, a revitalized historic short track and a street course, places competitors and fans never envisioned.
Now, there is speculation a Cup race outside the United States will be integrated into the series schedule, and Brad Keselowski believes it should be a Canadian oval.
“There’s a big market for us there,” Keselowski says about Canada. “I think that particular market is underserved. That would help us branch out somewhat internationally while in a manner that I think could control costs for the owners in a respectful way.”
Keselowski believes it should be an oval because that style track showcases NASCAR better.
NASCAR’s premier series ventured into Canada in the 1950s. The first NASCAR race conducted outside the United States was on July 1, 1952, when Buddy Shuman won a 200-lap event on a half-mile dirt track at Stamford Park near Niagara Falls, Ontario. Then on July 18, 1958, Lee Petty won a 100-lap race on a 0.333-mile paved track at Canadian Exposition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.
NASCAR’s Xfinity Series raced in Montreal on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 2007-2012. The sanctioning body moved to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, and held Craftsman Truck Series races at the facility 2013-2019.
Keselowski notes that schedule variability is important for the sport.
“When I came into the sport full time in 2010 the schedule had pretty much looked the same for a while,” Keselowski says. “Up until 2017, 2018, it was the same schedule every year and that was really unhealthy for us as a sport. So, to see the movement that we have now is really positive.”
Denny Hamlin believes the variety in the schedule is the reason for the bump in the sport’s TV ratings over the last few years, and he, too, foresees a race outside the United States. One “across the pond, eventually,” Hamlin says.
