There have been plenty of debates about how the racing has been in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. While some have been entertaining to the core, a few others, especially the short-track fixtures, have not been as thrilling. A lot of it had to do with the tracks involved which sparked more discussions. On this note, NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell enlightened the fans about the track selection and how it might be next year.

Safe to say, races on a few tracks did not live up to the hype from a fan’s point of view and that was concerning. While the playoffs changed that perspective a bit, O’Donnell’s statement brought more promise to what the future holds.

NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell provides an insight into the 2024 Cup Series dynamics

It was with great delight that Iowa Speedway confirmed hosting its first-ever Cup Series race the next October. While that gives an interesting dynamic to the competition, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell explained how Montreal was also in consideration.

He clarified Iowa was not a replacement for Montreal. In fact, he was quick to point out that both parties involved to make it happen but it was just a “little quick” to make it workable. To the delight of the fans, he confirmed NASCAR will continue to look at short tracks and road courses.

Not only that, he admitted that drivers and tire manufacturer Goodyear will hold a meeting later on Friday afternoon for further improvements. However, he signaled safety improvements would remain an “endless journey” despite the progress made this year.

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With NASCAR exploring several avenues, Steve O’Donnell couldn’t help but stress the sport’s ambitions to race internationally soon.

NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell expresses intentions to take the Cup Series to a global level

It was in 1998 that the NASCAR Cup Series held an exhibition race in Japan. Since then, no race has taken place outside the United States. However, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell wants to change that approach. Speaking about it during the “State of the Sport” conference, he discussed future plans.

He said, “I think when you look at our sport and the ability to go into a marketplace, really grow the sport, we want to make sure we have all the levers in place to not just kind of come in and out, we want to build NASCAR within that particular country or marketplace.”

O’Donnell added, “As we continued to talk in Montreal, we realized that probably was a little quick to be able to make that happen. In the meantime, there’s been a number of discussions not only in other areas in the U.S. but other opportunities in North America and outside the U.S.”

While that looks promising, it will depend on several factors. Obviously, the fans would love to explore new options and hopefully have a more diverse Cup Series schedule in the future. What do you think is the right thing to do there? Should the Cup Series go global? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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