NASCAR.com goes 1-on-1 with Ben Kennedy about whether NASCAR will go international in the future and the reasoning behind the placement of races on race weekends for next season.
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00:00 Well, let's touch on some rumors. We all know that we like to speculate when it comes to the schedule,
00:04 but there was definitely some rumors about an international race. NASCAR is sticking
00:08 stateside for 2024. Have you completely ruled out racing internationally or is there an opportunity
00:15 for that in the future with the Cup Series? Yeah, we haven't ruled it out. You know,
00:20 it's something that we've continued to explore. We've been exploring this since we put the
00:25 scheduling group together several years ago. We've explored it for 22, 23, 24. You know,
00:32 unfortunately, there wasn't anything that necessarily came together around 24. I think
00:37 that said, as we think about 25 and beyond, we're still bullish on taking the Cup Series
00:42 international. So where that's going to be is going to be really important to us. And then,
00:48 you know, as we've always said in the schedule, we really want to make sure that timing makes sense
00:52 too. So as we thought about Chicago and LA and a lot of these other markets and territories,
00:59 a lot of that had to sync up with, you know, the market, the location, making sure that we're
01:04 coming in there and actually setting the event itself up for as much success as possible. So
01:10 nothing internationally in the 24 schedule, but something we're definitely keeping our pulse on
01:15 as we think about 25 and beyond. All right, Ben, you let us know when we need to have those
01:19 passports ready and we'll be ready to go. But I know it's a collaborative effort and there are so
01:23 many different angles and sides of putting together what an Ask Our Cup Series schedule looks like. So
01:29 what's been the most challenging part of forming the 2024 schedule? I don't know that's necessarily
01:36 been the most challenging part, but, you know, I think every year there, you know, there are
01:41 always changes and differences. And, you know, part of that might be, you know, what we've seen,
01:48 frankly, as we think about how the racing product looks with the next-gen car relative to the gen
01:53 six car. Part of that, frankly, comes to competition that we have in certain markets when we go to
01:59 some of these different places. So every year looks a little bit different. This one was a bit
02:04 unique. Having those two off weeks, we had it in 2021 with the two off weeks that we have for the
02:10 Olympics. And I think having that again for 24 is going to be something special. I know our industry
02:16 is probably going to be excited about that, taking a couple of weeks off. But what then it leads to
02:21 is kind of the domino effect as we think about where all the other races place and fall. And then,
02:27 you know, it's just a matter of, you know, talking to our track partners and broadcast partners and
02:32 other stakeholders and make sure that we're placing each track on the weekend that makes
02:37 the most sense for them and for the sport. I know at the end of the day, NASCAR, the main
02:42 concern is the fans. We obviously want to bring entertainment and great racing to our fans in
02:47 different markets. So as a race fan, I know that you are thinking first and foremost about them.
02:52 What excites you the most about next year's schedule? I'm excited for Iowa. I think it's
02:58 going to be great to be able to go out there. A new track, I selfishly as a fan, but also as a
03:06 driver, being able to race around that track, I loved Iowa Speedway as a driver. It's a ton of
03:11 fun. It had a lot of grooves. We know what the racing product looks like on an old worn out
03:16 surface. Typically it's a little bit better. So I think to be able to go there on the same surface
03:22 that's there today is going to put on a great racing product. I'm confident it's going to be
03:27 a sold out race. There should be a lot of energy around it. So I'm looking forward to that. I'm
03:32 looking forward to going back to Chicago. I'm looking forward to the Indy oval. I'm looking
03:36 forward to going back to the Coliseum again and a new playoff schedule. So a lot to look forward
03:42 to as we think about next year. We'll just encompass the whole 2024 season. We're excited
03:47 for another season of great racing. Ben, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate you.
03:50 Great. Thank you, Alex. All right, race fans, that's it. That's the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
03:56 schedule. For all information on next year's schedule or for ticket information, make sure
04:01 and visit nascar.com.