Are There Too Many Road Courses In NASCAR?

Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Sonoma today marked his third consecutive road course victory in the NASCAR Cup Series, and with it came another round of discussion over NASCAR’s evolving schedule. Once known almost exclusively for its ovals, the Cup Series now features six road courses—and potentially a seventh shortly. While the increased variety has brought new strategies into play, it has also raised eyebrows among some of the sport’s veterans. Earlier this week, Brad Keselowski voiced his concerns about the shift, questioning whether NASCAR has gone too far in its embrace of road racing. The dominance of a driver like SVG on these tracks has only added fuel to the fire.

Keselowski’s tweet summed up a sentiment shared by many: “We went from two to six road course races, possibly seven next year. NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series. IMSA was built as the primary road course series in North America. IMSA will always do road racing better than NASCAR, and that’s ok. Yes, TOO many road courses in NASCAR.” That perspective isn’t anti-road course, it’s simply about balance. NASCAR’s strength has always been its identity: beating and banging action in every corner of an oval track. Yet, when the calendar starts tipping in another direction, it begs the question of what exactly the Cup Series is trying to be.

At their best, road courses offer a different kind of thrill. They’re strategic, technical, and physically demanding in a way that many oval races aren’t. Pit strategy often matters more than raw speed, and drivers are challenged with shifting and hard braking. These things aren’t very common at tracks like Talladega or Martinsville, where NASCAR had found its previous identity. It’s also an opportunity for new talent to shine, as drivers like van Gisbergen or even AJ Allmendinger often rise to the occasion while others struggle to adapt. These tracks bring flavor and unpredictability, which is part of what NASCAR wanted when expanding the road course count.

Yet, the flipside is predictability of a different kind. When one or two drivers consistently dominate these races—because they come from backgrounds better suited to this discipline—it can feel repetitive instead of refreshing. Sonoma was just another example of SVG putting on a clinic while most of the field tried, and failed, to catch up. That’s not his fault. SVG is incredibly skilled, but it does make these events feel like outliers instead of genuine tests of the broader Cup field. If these races don’t challenge the same pool of drivers who thrive on ovals, are they serving the purpose of crowning a complete champion?

So, are there too many road courses? It depends on who you ask, but the current number feels a little heavy. NASCAR doesn’t need to eliminate them—tracks like Watkins Glen, COTA, and the Chicago, or other city, Street Race all have their place—but paring the schedule down to four or five spread out would help restore balance. Let road races be special events that mix things up without overtaking the show. That way, specialists like SVG still have room to shine without making the rest of the field feel like they’re running a different series.