With the introduction of the 2026 championship rotation model, no one would like to take a gamble with the Championship race. There have been talks, and fans are clearly pushing for one name  – some have slept on this, but it is proving to be a popular contender to host the last race of the season. And, Kevin Harvick has been on top of this as much as any other fan or driver.

The 14-time Craftsman Truck series winner, who is one of the greats, has some personal favorites he would like to add to the roster. But before that, here’s what Ben Kennedy has stated as the reason for the introduction of the model from next year. “I would say it’s four or five things. It’s marketing and promotion, for sure, and it’s location. We want to be in a warm-weather market. Ideally, being in November, that first week of November, it kind of limits you to the amount of races that you can run. … I would say the quality of the facility,” he said. 

From Kennedy’s words, NASCAR is in dire need of marketing. As most fans miss the old sport, and feel the sport is dying. While that can’t be true, we recently saw how Texas spiked in terms of viewership. It averaged 2.56 million viewers for its round at Texas Motor Speedway on FS1, eclipsing the audience of 2.2 million that watched the Formula One Miami Grand Prix on ABC. Now that’s a good comeback. So adding Homestead to the roster can boost the stats even more. However, speaking on the Phoenix investment, Kennedy shared a bold opinion.

“In Phoenix, we put over $100 million into the redevelopment of that track, and it was a big catalyst for bringing this championship to the West Coast. We’re going to be putting a good amount of capital into Homestead as well ahead of the race,” he revealed. Clearly, NASCAR is turning every stone to help get the sport back to what it was. Adding to Kennedy’s narrative and appreciating NASCAR’s decision, Kevin Harvick, recently on the Happy Hour Podcast, reveals his appreciation and another Championship race pick.

“I think that going back to Homestead is something that the industry likes. I think being able to know that this championship race is going to be a rotation, you know, I think it’s natural that it goes to Homestead and Phoenix,”  he said. But there are two names, a surprising one, that he brings up. 

“My list would be Charlotte and Las Vegas to add to the list of rotation. I think that Charlotte being in that mix with our industry being here would be a big moment for the sport. I don’t think there’s any question that the weather would be just fine, last week of October and the 1st week of November; it’s a great time to be in North Carolina.”

The rotation would still maintain the same level of competitiveness and keep things interesting. Knowing that Charlotte is a 1.5-mile quad-oval, and is a dirt track and drag strip, Kevin Harvick has definitely started a roulette of rumors. However, if we talk about Las Vegas Speedway is a D-shaped oval and already has two schedules throughout the year, and is an important race holder for playoffs. Either way, if these two tracks get to host the final race, NASCAR fans are up for a good show, and it might help the sport get back its old character as well.

Moreover, NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi is also backing Kevin Harvick’s choice for more tracks in the rotation.

“Absolutely Charlotte could be part of – should be part of—the rotation, and I would expand it out and say if you encompass the hall of fame and do some things with, like, the shops and everything else, you could really make this cool thing and make it like this big weeklong Championship celebration so yes on Charlotte.” 

However, it is important to understand what type of racetrack is fit for the final race. Jeff Gluck seemed to have an understanding, as he shared, “We’ve unanimously agreed it needs to look and feel what we’d expect traditional NASCAR racing to look and feel like.”

It looks like Charlotte Motor Speedway would have to be an exception in this case. Fans in the comment section also showed so much love and support for Charlotte, saying, “Agreed. Charlotte should definitely get a Championship race at some point. Needs to be in the rotation after Homestead.”  But it is only a matter of time that determines whether this voice is heard. Charlotte, the center of the Hall of Fame, would be a great pick for sure.

Joey Logano has a take on the “Ennie Minnie Moe” pick

There are several important factors to keep in mind while settling for the final racetrack, including the characteristics of a track, the upgrades of its facilities, market appeal, and maybe even some amount of significance and history of it within the sport. And most importantly, what the weather would be like in November.

Tracks like Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega definitely offer a great deal of excitement but are also very heavily reliant on unpredictable drafting, which makes it interesting, and surprise winners may emerge. These are great for regular season races, but not ideal for crowning the season-long champion.

Additionally, tradition, passion, and loads of enthusiasm are a given at Bristol, Charlotte, and Darlington. But these tracks do not qualify for being the best pick. And, according to Joey Logano,  “When you get down to the nitty-gritty of the playoffs, especially if it’s coming down to one race, like it is right now, you don’t want an oddball race, you want it to be the grassroots of what our sport is built off of, which is ovals, right?” And, Logano’s take is spot on. This is what NASCAR stands for.

He further went on to add what has helped the sport grow over the decades, saying, “Whether it’s a short track or mile-and-a-half, that’s what our roots really are. That is what built our sport. Throwing in a road course or any other oddball type racetrack, superspeedway, it’s too much by chance and it wouldn’t be ideal, I don’t believe, for our sport.”

So, for now, Las Vegas, Miami, and Phoenix stand out and seem to be the top contenders; with some adjustments, Charlotte could find itself joining the league soon.