NASCAR’s return to the Dover Motor Speedway was a mixed bag. The All-Star race that was held there had a new format and a new car package, resulting in mixed reviews from fans and drivers alike.

Drivers like Chase Elliott said that the weekend felt like a normal race weekend and wasn't representative of an All-Star Race. More such criticism led to speculation around the future of the Dover racetrack.

However, Mike Burch, COO of Speedway Motorsports, which owns Dover Motor Speedway among other NASCAR tracks, has now addressed the matter on "The Gluckcast" podcast hosted by NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck. He emphasized that Dover is not on the decline, noting that it remains one of their best-selling tracks. 

"There will be racing at Dover," Burch said in a clip shared by Gluck on X. "This idea that Dover is on decline or on the way out, no, there are too many passionate race fans. It's one of our biggest-selling race tickets-wise. So again, you don't move a race because you sell tickets. You don't move a race if you've got corporate support."

Continuing in the interaction, he explained that the All-Star Race has proven to be a ‘portable’ event that has been hosted at various racetracks.

Burch also defended the concept of the All-Star race, highlighting that the core experience is simply another form of entertaining racing, and he encourages fans to check it out if it comes to their local track. 

The 2026 All-Star race followed an overly complicated format, featuring a qualifying round featuring a live pit-stop challenge. The main race was split into three parts: two 75-lap sprints, where the starting lineup for the second segment reversed the top 26 finishers from the first. 

Finally, 26 drivers, including past winners, champions, a fan-vote winner, and the top performers from the first two segments, battled it out in a 200-lap shootout for the $1 million prize.

But this wasn't the only topic that Mike Burch addressed.

Why NASCAR is unlikely to return to Kentucky Speedway

In the same interaction, Burch also spoke of the Kentucky Speedway, which has seen renewed fan interest. He didn’t explicitly rule out a return, but stated that there were operational reasons behind abandoning the track in the first place, and those reasons still stand.

Burch highlighted the opening of a new airport in the area, more warehouses, and data centers, and how pressure on surrounding real estate rises.

"One thing that's not being built is racetracks, and the land continues to get more and more valuable every day," he said on The Gluckcast. "At some point, if you are the owner of one of these tracks, and we're seeing that at a much higher rate at smaller tracks, families or individuals are saying, you know what, I can make as much money on the interest in selling this as I am in operating the racetrack."

Burch also clarified that, thankfully, there are people such as Jim France and Steve O’Donnell involved, as, according to him, they love racing and are invested in operating and preserving the racetracks.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Yash Kotak