The quality of racing at Dover during the All-Star Race was elite. It may not have felt particularly “All-Star-esque,” but the racing itself was top-class. As a result, conversations about the track potentially remaining on the calendar are beginning to grow. At the same time, there were things viewers simply could not ignore, turning its potential return into an open-ended one. Track president Mike Tatoian eventually had to step in.

It’s a historic track that has hosted Cup races since 1969. Between 1971 and 2020, the venue held two events every year until one date was dropped the following season. In 2026, Dover also lost its regular Cup Series points race while the All-Star Race returned there for the first time in 42 years, bringing renewed buzz to the area as race traffic once again filled the iconic venue.

Tatoian acknowledged that the All-Star race is playing a major role in endorsing future events within the NASCAR schedule, especially as the organisation evaluates what comes next beyond 2026.

“Based on where we are right now, our fans are very excited. We’re going to exceed the ticket sales that we sold last year for our points race. And so people vote by their pocketbook…We’ll have a race in 2027. We just don’t know if it’ll be an All-Star race,” he said.

Still, some fans feel the energy around the speedway no longer matches the electric atmosphere Dover became famous for during NASCAR’s peak years. A fan, John Barnes, who has attended races at the Delaware track for roughly three decades, admitted the shrinking crowds have become impossible to ignore.

“People are leaving,” Barnes said. “You just go in there when you buy a ticket, and you go, ‘Where are all these people?’ It used to be jammed up, crunched.”

Reports suggested that nearly 10,000 seats were empty inside the 54,000-capacity venue, quickly sparking criticism online over NASCAR’s All-Star format, venue decisions, and rising ticket costs.

Attendance concerns have followed the sport throughout the season. Earlier this year, viewers also pointed out visible empty seats during the Martinsville broadcast, continuing a conversation NASCAR has faced for years. While premier events such as the Daytona 500 still attract massive crowds, many regular-season races have struggled to recreate the packed atmospheres seen during NASCAR’s late-1990s and early-2000s boom.

“We all would meet at the same spot,” Barnes added about his past experience in Dover. “Everybody’s here and stays for over 30 some years. There were 40 people now in our group, and now we’re the only ones left.”

For Dover, the All-Star was also a massive culture change. It was a non-points race, one that didn’t really excite the audience, because there was little at stake other than the $1 million paycheck for the winning driver.

Long-time camper Sonya Brow, who has been attending races in Dover for 28 years, enjoys the weekend atmosphere overall, but would not like to see the All-Star return for that reason alone. “I would rather be a competitive points race. I like the All-Star race, but it’s not the same,” she said. “There’s been a decline in fans coming to the races. Hopefully, it gets back up because we love it when it’s packed. But I don’t know.”

Even amid the complaints, NASCAR weekend remains one of the region’s biggest tourism boosts each year, driving business for nearby hotels, restaurants, and local vendors. But with uncertainty still surrounding whether Dover will continue hosting the All-Star Race beyond next season, the future direction of the Monster Mile remains very much up in the air.

Where could NASCAR head to for the 2027 All-Star?

While the All-Star experiment at Dover wasn’t a complete disaster, questions already remain about whether the event will return to the Monster Mile in 2027, sparking fresh debate over where NASCAR could take the race next.

In recent years, since NASCAR moved away from Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020, the All-Star Race has been held at Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and then North Wilkesboro Speedway for three straight seasons. Charlotte, of course, remains the sentimental favorite, as it was there that the exhibition race built its prestige. But a return to Bristol could also be on the table.

Bristol hosted the All-Star event in 2020, becoming the first non-Charlotte venue to do so since Atlanta in 1986. The short track’s intense atmosphere and aggressive style of racing naturally fit the exhibition format.

At the same time, NASCAR could simply return the race to Charlotte. From 1985 through 2019, the event became a staple of the NASCAR calendar there, traditionally running the week before the Coca-Cola 600. Since leaving Concord, many fans feel the race has struggled to maintain that same big-event energy.

Another increasingly popular option is EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway. Since its 2022 reconfiguration, the track has consistently produced chaotic pack racing and dramatic finishes, quickly turning into one of the series’ most entertaining stops.

One major advantage Atlanta holds is its lights, which would allow NASCAR to restore the nighttime atmosphere many believe the All-Star Race desperately needs.