NASCAR just lobbed a pretty big curveball at the racing world. For the first time in its history, the sport’s national series Awards Banquet is heading to Scottsdale, Arizona.
The 2025 ceremony is set for November 4, landing just two days after the season-ending championship race at Phoenix Raceway. It’ll celebrate champions from the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series, all under the desert sun.
In the past, the awards were synonymous with glitzy venues like Waldorf Astoria New York, which hosted the event for decades, and more recently Charlotte and Nashville.
The shift to Scottsdale marks a noticeable change in tone: less buttoned-up ballroom, more championship afterglow. NASCAR leaders say that’s exactly the point.
“Scottsdale offers the perfect backdrop for this year’s NASCAR Awards,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer. “The incredible excitement from Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway will immediately carry into this year’s Awards, adding a level of energy we’ve never seen for this celebration.”
Basically, they want to ride the adrenaline of Championship Weekend instead of letting it fizzle out before the trophy handouts even happen.
Balancing Tradition With a Fresh Vibe
For NASCAR, this move is about more than geography. It’s part of a bigger push to modernise how the sport celebrates its champions, while still respecting its roots. The Regional and International Series Awards will stay in Charlotte on November 21, keeping the city’s long-running role as a hub for NASCAR’s grassroots and global racing community intact.
Still, some fans worry that shifting the main show to Arizona chips away at the prestige the banquet used to carry. There was a certain old-school charm in watching drivers and crews trade their fire suits for tuxes in New York or Nashville. It felt like the formal exclamation point to a gruelling season.
Now, with the banquet tucked right after the last checkered flag, the whole thing feels a bit more like a quick victory lap than a grand finale, and that’s rubbing some longtime fans the wrong way.
NASCAR Fans Sound Off: Nostalgia vs. “Just Move On”
Scroll through social media and you’ll see the split clear as day. Some fans are into the idea of keeping the championship buzz going. Others? Not so much.
“Who cares. Besides, do you think anyone wants to stay around after the last race? I’ll see most of the drivers in Cabo after the race anyway,” one user named BeachBum joked.
Dave, another fan, was less amused: “This is absolutely ridiculous. Why even bother? @NASCAR post-season awards used to be special and mean something, now it’s rush rush, let’s get done and move on.”
And then there’s Tim White, who summed up what a lot of old-school fans are feeling: “I remember when the year-end awards show was a big deal. The perfect ending to the season. I looked forward to it and miss it!”
Whether Scottsdale wins fans over or fuels more nostalgia-fueled grumbling, one thing’s certain: NASCAR isn’t afraid to shake up tradition in pursuit of fresh energy.
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