NASCAR’s scheduling decisions have once again sparked controversy, this time with the inclusion of the World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois in the Round of 16 of the 2025 playoffs. The decision, revealed by a Spanish vendor linked with NASCAR, caught many by surprise, including veteran racer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who did not hold back in expressing his bewilderment.
The WWT Raceway, which hosted its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race just two years ago in 2022, has quickly risen from a potential footnote in race circuit history to a playoff contender.
Acquired by Curtis Francois in 2012, the track was initially met with skepticism, with many predicting its disappearance from the racing calendar. Instead, it has now been catapulted into the limelight of the playoffs, as shown in the leaked 2025 schedule.
Earnhardt Jr.’s reaction to the WWT Raceway’s playoff inclusion was of sheer surprise as he questioned the logic behind the decision.
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“The playoffs are wild. How in the hell did St. Louis end up in the playoffs? I would love to know, I’m not … it’s bizarre. It’s fine. I mean there’s no sort of, ‘Oh you don’t deserve this’ kind of vibe, I just wonder how that even happened.
“I didn’t think it had a chance of getting in the playoffs ever. Not ever. It just still feels like it just got here in terms of the Cup Series.
“And now it’s in the playoffs. So I’m wondering where the, what the reasoning is, what the reasoning is why.”
Alongside the WWT controversy, NASCAR’s decision to place Talladega Superspeedway in the Round of 8 also raised eyebrows.
Known for its unpredictability and the high likelihood of crashes, Talladega has been a topic of contention for altering the competitive balance.
However, unlike his stance on WWT Raceway, Earnhardt supported NASCAR’s call on Talladega, bringing attention to the drama and challenges it brings to the competition.
“I know that there’s an 80% chance you’re gonna crash and I know that there are a lot of fluke winners or the potential chance for a long-shot winner. But I don’t think that should scare the industry away from being…throw the drivers right into those difficult scenarios.
“Throw them into those moments where we want to see them panic,” he explained.
While NASCAR has denied the accuracy of the leaked schedule, there are enough similarities to previous leaks and official announcements to suggest the possibility that it might indeed reflect the true 2025 lineup.
If so, this could prematurely influence NASCAR’s marketing strategies and announcements.
There are still lots of questions surrounding 2025 – questions we intend to answer.