In 2025, Danielle Trotta took on elevated roles that showcased not only her on-air polish but her connection to places high on the emotional map. When TNT Sports returned to NASCAR coverage, she joined as a pit reporter alongside Marty Snider and Alan Cavanna. Her blend of professionalism and genuine sentiment helped her experience NASCAR’s very first venture on Amazon Prime and set an expectation for how she might narrate what’s next. And when NASCAR unveiled its 2026 schedule, it wasn’t merely a reshuffle; it felt like a statement of identity.
Many of the same core venues remain locked in, like Darlington, Martinsville, Phoenix, and Bristol, which still anchor the season’s rhythm. Early dates mirror last year’s, including the “Clash” and Daytona, remain the traditional season openers, and key blocks like mid-summer shows, short tracks, and superspeedways continue to interweave. Now, Danielle Trotta has pulled back the curtain, hinting at the most exciting highlights within the upcoming schedule.
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Danielle Trotta teases the must-watch moments of NASCAR 2026
In an interview with Spider and Large in the Rubbin is Racing podcast, Danielle Trotta leaned forward when asked, “What are you most excited for with the 2026 schedule, and was there any first take you had when that was released?” Trotta didn’t mince words when she said that she sees Coronado, on a naval base, as having the potential to be next year’s Mexico City. “Coronado, obviously, I think is going to be next year’s Mexico City. Like, what the Chicago street course race has been and what Mexico City was, I think Coronado on a military base in San Diego. I hope I see you guys there,” she said.
The announcement that NASCAR will race at the Naval Base Coronado June 19-21, 2026, across all three national series, makes it more than dream talk. As the Chicago race is dropped for 2026, the Coronado event becomes the marquee street-style race for the season. The layout of the naval base might even incorporate turns beside aircraft carriers or tarmac segments with chicanes, as laid out by Ben Kennedy, who also said that the base’s broad streets give options for bold design. And with NASCAR eager to honor the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, the symbolism can’t be missed.
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But there’s more to the 2026 road map than street races. Trotta also expressed concern about how the schedule buries the championship decider. “Like, I feel like that’s the one that everybody’s circling. And then, to be honest with you, I think it’s getting lost in the sauce a little bit, going back to Homestead and crowning champion,” she explained. NASCAR also confirmed that Homestead-Miami Speedway will host the final race in 2026, which means the narrative arc of the season may shift how teams approach momentum, risk-taking, and preparation throughout.
In recent years, Phoenix has been the favored finale venue, but moving the championship to Homestead signals a change in direction. But into this mix comes the specter of Team Penske’s dominance. Spider raised the obvious question, “Do you think that it’s kind of like Penske’s to lose, given that it will be at Phoenix this year, and they’ve been so dominant there in years past? We’ve seen them dominate this week at New Hampshire as well, which is allegedly a comparable track. Where do you see the championship going, I guess, in each of the three series?”
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While the finale may move to Homestead, Phoenix, and tracks like New Hampshire remain critical proving grounds. In New Hampshire, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney collectively led 263 laps in the Mobil 1 301, with Josh Berry in an affiliate Wood Brothers Racing car taking three of the top four spots in the race standings. That dominance cultivates a benchmark every other team is chasing.
The talk then turned to other series and their probable championship winners, as Spider asked, “Do you think that someone on the lower level, do you think it’s Heim? Do you think anyone else has an outside chance, maybe the front road trucks? And then on the Xfinity level, can Conor Zilisch lift the trophy?” While both Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch have been leading the standings in their respective series in 2025, the chances for fate to repeat itself might be possible, as Trotta added, “Yeah, I think it’s definitely Heim time for sure. Like what an epic disappointment it would be if he didn’t.”
But the new schedule doesn’t just benefit the teams on track; it also brings fresh opportunities for broadcasters behind the mic.
Fox broadcaster reflects on balance and broadcasting
With the unveiling of the NASCAR 2026 schedule in August, the hype around bold innovations, such as a street race at the Naval Base Coronado and the long-awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway, was immense. Comparing it with 2025, one key shift sees the All-Star Race move from Charlotte to Dover, sparking debate. Denny Hamlin, too, questioned NASCAR’s decision to remove a points race from Dover, especially after a strong fan turnout.
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Meanwhile, Fox broadcaster Regan Smith revealed how the evolving NASCAR schedule has shaped his personal and professional balance. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he admitted, “The beauty of the TV schedule being the way it’s broken up is it kind of gives opportunity to focus on other stuff. And other stuff that maybe for the first 35 years of my life, I never paid any attention to.”