On Sunday, as usual, the NASCAR Cup Series rolled off at Daytona International Speedway to wave the green flag for the first and most prestigious points-paying race of the Cup Series schedule. It was a packed house at the track of people all trying to catch the Great American Race, and they were not disappointed as the Daytona 500 this year featured big crashes, good racing, an exciting finish, and a first time 500 winner. However, even though the Daytona 500 is a story in itself, there is more going on off the track.

Last year closed out with things looking rough for NASCAR. There was a major lawsuit between NASCAR and two teams, as well as many disgruntled people within the fan base. NASCAR viewership has been on a steady decline since the peak of the sport around the early 2000s, with NASCAR seeing its most watched Daytona 500 in 2006, where over nineteen million people tuned in to watch the Great American Race. But, in 2021, NASCAR saw a dismal 4.8 million viewers for the Daytona 500, and has not risen back up to even 9 million in the years that followed. This raises the obvious question: why has NASCAR been in decline?

Axil Alexander, a sophomore going on seven years of being a NASCAR fan, had this to say when asked why he thinks NASCAR has been falling off: “Motorsports have been evolving, more sports are focusing on better technology, and NASCAR is keeping the original.” NASCAR at its core has long been imagined as the sport of “good ol’ boys,” but such a mindset of NASCAR being a more traditional sport has proven to be dangerous, as there have been times before when NASCAR struggled to let go of things that were very clearly not working. 

So what does 2026 have in store for NASCAR? Fans over the last several years have consistently been displeased with the state of NASCAR, and it makes sense. It’s a shame to see that the sport you love is in decline. When things just aren’t working out, the obvious thing to do is identify the problem and fix it. Yet, it seemed like the voice of the fans was not getting through. When Alexander was asked if he felt NASCAR has been listening to its fans, he said, “Yes and no. Some things you can’t just go back and there’s some things we try to prevent, of course for safety and just all around for the drivers.” 

However, it seems like now, after tons of effort from the fan base and figures within NASCAR itself, the sport is seeing major change. The points format for 2026 was completely overhauled, throwing out the controversial playoffs format for a version of something that was around during the sport’s peak in popularity: the Chase. “I’d say they’re probably good,” said Alexander, when asked about his thoughts on changes coming in 2026, “with them bringing back something from when NASCAR was in its prime. I think that’s gonna make a big difference in the race itself.” NASCAR finally seems to be understanding the frustrations of many people with the sport and has begun looking for ways to solve the issues at hand.

NASCAR has made interesting changes to the schedule for the 2026 season, and alongside that, something that is a very good sign has been occurring as of late. More networks are trying to get the chance to broadcast NASCAR. Alongside the usual FOX and NBC, Prime and TNT are each going to broadcast cup races in 2026, the latter of which is making a return to NASCAR after having stopped broadcasting races 12 years ago. Even the Speed channel is making a return this year. If channels are willing to spend millions of dollars to get the chance to broadcast NASCAR races, this goes to show that NASCAR is on the up and up.

“I think NASCAR is gonna be more of a good year this year,” Alexander replied when asked if he felt NASCAR was in for a better time in 2026. “Last year we had a bunch of people who’ve just been retiring and getting old, but then the new racers coming in from the Xfinity [O’Reilly’s Auto Parts] series and the Truck series, and the new mods. It’s gonna hopefully inject morphine into it.” Many of the drivers that were making their first starts or were in their prime during NASCAR’s peak have now come and gone. Drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are now some of the last remnants of a time passed by, and both are certainly near the end of their careers. A lot of people who were introduced to NASCAR at its height have now seen their favorite drivers retire, and the sport decline. 

However, 2026 is not 2025, or 2024, and so on and so forth. The drivers play a big role, and many of them have advocated for change (the aforementioned Denny Hamlin included), but ultimately the shots must be called by the people who run the sport. This year, it looks like the shots are right on target. Earlier, the 2021 Daytona 500 was made noteworthy for having an abysmally low number of viewers, but that is not the full story. That race was delayed by rain, and since then, viewership for the Daytona 500 has climbed back up to around eight million. “I don’t see [myself] turning away any time soon,” said Alexander. “I’m gonna keep watching.”

If these promising changes coming to NASCAR in 2026 are able to hold on to old fans and bring in a new generation of the fan base, and if the beginning of the 2026 season was anything to go off of, then this next season, and hopefully seasons to come, are going to be a greater, stronger period for NASCAR. They will signal a return to the form seen in the 2000s. Though the recent past has been rocky for the sport, the fans are finally getting what they have long wanted to see, and NASCAR is heading into 2026 with a sense of optimism. Alexander was asked how he feels going into 2026, to which he replied, “Oh, I’m excited for the next season.”