Report: NASCAR removing 3 tracks from Playoff, including a fan favorite

In 2025, the NASCAR Playoffs are going to look a lot different than they have in recent memory. More changes are on the way. A new report names three tracks that NASCAR is removing and one of them is not going to be a popular decision.

This year the NASCAR Playoffs are different than they were a year ago. There have been changes in the past to the postseason, but these reportedly new changes are going to be controversial.

If you thought it was strange for NASCAR to move Daytona out of the regular season finale spot and put Darlington out of the playoffs, buckle up.

During the latest episode of The Teardown with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, the NASCAR insiders talked about 2025. No schedule has been released yet. It sounds like it is getting close.

Bianchi shared very interesting news about the 2025 playoffs.

“It may be a playoff track, actually,” Bianchi said to his co-host, referencing New Hampshire. “Have you heard the news?”

Bianchi continued:

“The Athletic has learned that three tracks are coming out of the playoffs, are tentatively planned to come out of the playoff schedule next year. We know about Atlanta, that’s already been announced. Moving from starting the playoffs to mid-summer. Two other tracks The Athletic has learned will be moving out of the playoffs – Watkins Glen and Homestead. … So, no Homestead in the playoffs. Going to be supposedly moving to early March, mid-March.”

No Homestead, and Watkins Glen gets to be in the playoffs for one year. But it gets more strange.

Why is NASCAR changing the Playoffs?

So, what is the rationale here? How do you remove Homestead, one of the best tracks on the schedule? Miami was the championship track a few years ago. Now it won’t be in the playoffs?

Jordan Bianchi says it is all about the weather early in the season.

“What I’ve been told is that they need another warm weather date,” Bianchi explained. “Fontana, as you know, is off the schedule, you only have two West Coast races now. You do not have a lot of races at the beginning of the year where weather isn’t going to be an issue, shouldn’t be an issue, you pad it up a little bit.

“You add Homestead at the beginning of the year which gives you Las Vegas, Phoenix, Homestead and then you can get into that Bristol, Martinsville stretch a little bit and this kind of gives you another week to help those tracks that are so often plagued by inclement weather.”

When the 2025 schedule comes out, it will be controversial. Homestead, Watkins Glen, and Atlanta are being removed. Glen and Atlanta, who cares? But what replaces those races?

Darlington is going to be added back into the playoffs. It will once again be the first race of the first round, if Bianchi’s report ends up being 100% accurate. NASCAR could change direction quickly.

Bianchi reported in the same podcast that Gateway, New Hampshire, and Darlington are the three tracks that will be added to the playoffs in 2025. Gateway, New Hampshire, Martinsville, Bristol, and Phoenix – half of the playoffs are short tracks in a car that doesn’t race well on short tracks.

So, what do you think of these changes, are they going to make the NASCAR Playoffs better?