Did NASCAR really have the authority to decide where the All-Star Race would go, right after North Wilkesboro’s three-year run ended in 2025? Well, we know this much: Nashville Superspeedway was near the top of that list. On paper, it may sound like a no-brainer, but in reality, it never had a chance. That’s what NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi broke down on Jeff Gluck’s latest live YouTube session.

“NASCAR has partners in place that have signed contracts,” Bianchi said.

“Those conversations were had, but at the end of the day, it’s a lot to overcome. There’s a lot of hurdles to overcome. There’s contracts in place. There’s a lot of different variables. They just couldn’t make it work.” He elaborated more in a later part of the conversation.

Here is the peripheral information you need to know. NASCAR does not control the All-Star date. Speedway Motorsports does. SMI is the private company behind Charlotte, Bristol, Dover, and North Wilkesboro. When that date moves, it moves within their calendar. Moving from points race to an exhibition event isn’t a simple move, there are lot of hurdles to overcome.

So the conversation took a turn towards Bowman Gray Stadium. NASCAR got a lease for the track that extends to 2050. It’s one of the few venues where they hold the cards, not SMI. The case for it was pretty much made. Historic short track. Packed every week. NASCAR’s longest-running weekly race. The fans already love it.

The case against it wrote itself just as fast. There is a football field in the middle of the track. No pit lane; teams would pit on the grass infield. Modern Cup haulers cannot physically fit in the stadium. And NASCAR already have run the Clash there. Running the NASCAR All-Star Race at the same tiny oval would make both events feel like reruns of each other.

Now, since we have had the race in Dover this year, which Denny Hamlin won, the All-Star Race leaving North Wilkesboro had nothing to do with it presumably being a failed attempt. Fans were used to enjoying the million-dollar event under the lights, but Dover didn’t have those facilities.

SMI saw a bigger opportunity and took it, upgrading the track to a full points-paying race, the Window World 450. The NASCAR All-Star date got transferred to Dover to make room. That whole story starts in 2019, when Earnhardt Jr. organized volunteers just to pull weeds off the surface so the track could be scanned for iRacing. Fans went crazy for it.

Wilkesboro has been hosting the All-Star race since 2023 until NASCAR decided to give it a points race in 2026. It all started with a revival project led by Dale Jr, and SMI took notice and added new life to the forgotten track.

Earnhardt Jr. was direct about who made it happen. “North Wilkesboro came back because of Marcus Smith,” he said. “NASCAR didn’t play any role in that happening.”

There is a strong possibility that North Wilkesboro could host the 2027 All-Star race. Just a year after having a points race, the short oval wis likely to retain it’s place for the million dollar event.