The 2025 season saw NASCAR and the NFL’s clash reach an all-time high with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NFL star Lamar Jackson locking horns over the use of a stylized No. 8 design. While Earnhardt ultimately secured victory, the feud between the two sports reached a new level when the NFL schedule clashed with NASCAR’s playoff races, leaving fans worried about TV ratings amid already dwindling audiences.
With NASCAR somehow managing to deal with the clash as best they could, the sport needs to now gear up for another clash in the coming season, and it might well be the biggest clash of them all.
NFL’s Schedule Push Has NASCAR’s Crown Jewel in Its Crosshair
Of the 10 playoff races in 2025, five clashed with NFL matchups, including the Kansas City Chiefs at home. Often referred to as the “Television Behemoth,” the NFL has rarely had trouble drawing audiences to its events.
And when it comes to the Super Bowl, all of America comes to a halt for the sporting spectacle.
The same is true in the Motorsports world when the Daytona 500 rolls around, but things could be heading for a massive change, given what the NFL plans to do.
Per an update on X by Journalist Jordan Bianchi, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is pushing for an 18th regular-season game, and the NFL will inevitably go through with it.
While, on first glance, it may seem trivial for the NASCAR world, that is only until one realises the far-reaching implications of the scheduling conflict that shall arise from it.
Per Bianchi, an 18-game regular season in the NFL would shift playoff scheduling, which would subsequently affect the Super Bowl. In that case, the championship-deciding event of the sport will fall on the Sunday of the President’s Day Weekend, which is the same day as the Daytona 500.
To make matters worse for NASCAR, Kraft isn’t alone in pursuing an 18-game structure. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has also toyed with the same idea, and Bianchi reports that the scheduling idea will be a significant talking point in the upcoming CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement), which is the NFL’s equivalent to NASCAR’s charter agreement.
Notably, the NFL Players’ Association agreed to the addition of a 17th regular-season game as part of the 2020 CBA, with the sport’s owners approving the expansion to begin in 2021. Additionally, the current agreement runs until 2030, but reports suggest that negotiations for a similar agreement could start much earlier.
With the addition of an 18th regular-season game, Kraft and Goodell aim to ensure that each team plays an international match as part of its annual schedule. The move comes as part of the NFL’s steadily increasing International presence, with the League playing a record seven games abroad in 2025.
Amid all this, the only silver lining in sight for NASCAR is that the NFL reportedly plans to solidify its 2030 plans as soon as possible. And should a scheduling conflict arise between the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500, the premier stock car racing series will have enough time on hand to make the necessary changes to avoid any conflict.
