![NASCAR Reportedly In Talks To Hold A Race In Saudi Arabia & It Looks Like Something Out Of Mario Kart]()
![NASCAR Saudi Arabia]()
Everybody wants a piece of that Saudi money these days.
I'm sure everybody remembers a couple of years ago the controversy surrounding LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed golf league that saw professionals ditching the PGA Tour for massive contracts with the rival league. Many raised ethical concerns with the league, which is financed by the government of Saudi Arabia, a country well-known for their public corruption and human rights abuses, particularly towards women.
But hey, money talks I guess. And apparently
NASCAR is interested in getting them a piece of that Saudi pie too.
According to a report by Adam Stern with the
Sports Business Journal, the sport is in talks to hold a race in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia before the end of the decade.
The revelation came yesterday from Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation Chair Khalid Al-Faisal, who was taking a tour of the construction of the Qiddiya Speed Park, a planned racetrack being built as part of a larger entertainment and tourism project.
The track is scheduled to open before 2030, and according to Stern there is reportedly an agreement in place for F1 to move the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from Jeddah to Quiddiya when it opens, potentially as soon as 2027. But a poster shared by Al-Faisal reveals other events that may eventually be held at the track, and NASCAR is listed as among the possibilities.
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Stern also shared photos of the proposed track, and fans immediately began comparing it to Mario Kart:
https://twitter.com/A_S12/status/1851079093011239155
https://twitter.com/TheHamlinQueen/status/1851080756749013174
The sport is obviously seeking to host events outside the United States, with NASCAR announcing earlier this year that the Cup Series would return to Mexico next year for a race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City in 2025. And NASCAR has also been seeking to host a points-paying race in Canada, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
But NASCAR hasn't ventured outside of North America for a race since 1998 when the Cup Series held an exhibition race in Japan for the third consecutive year.
It's not really surprising that NASCAR would consider hosting a race in Saudi Arabia though, after NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell and VP Ben Kennedy both said back in 2023 that they were interested in exploring a race in the Middle East.
Any race in Saudi Arabia is still in the early planning stages though, with NASCAR refusing to comment on any conversations they've had about bringing a race to the still-t0-be-completed racetrack, and the poster from the racetrack indicating that NASCAR was a series that was only in discussions and without a firm agreement.
Obviously it's hard to see how a race in Saudi Arabia sits well with NASCAR fans, who are already accusing leadership of getting further and further away from its roots in an attempt to chase profit and attract new fans at the expense of existing viewers.
But hey, as we've seen from LIV Golf, that Saudi money is hard to pass up. And you've gotta think if NASCAR were to agree to host a race at the new track, the Saudis would be ready to cut a massive check to make it happen.
Could you imagine them trying to understand a guy like Dale Earnhardt Jr. over in Saudi Arabia though? The language barrier would be hilarious.
https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia/status/1418570902652981250
Stern also shared photos of the proposed track, and fans immediately began comparing it to Mario Kart:
https://twitter.com/A_S12/status/1851079093011239155
https://twitter.com/TheHamlinQueen/status/1851080756749013174
The sport is obviously seeking to host events outside the United States, with NASCAR announcing earlier this year that the Cup Series would return to Mexico next year for a race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course in Mexico City in 2025. And NASCAR has also been seeking to host a points-paying race in Canada, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
But NASCAR hasn't ventured outside of North America for a race since 1998 when the Cup Series held an exhibition race in Japan for the third consecutive year.
It's not really surprising that NASCAR would consider hosting a race in Saudi Arabia though, after NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell and VP Ben Kennedy both said back in 2023 that they were interested in exploring a race in the Middle East.
Any race in Saudi Arabia is still in the early planning stages though, with NASCAR refusing to comment on any conversations they've had about bringing a race to the still-t0-be-completed racetrack, and the poster from the racetrack indicating that NASCAR was a series that was only in discussions and without a firm agreement.
Obviously it's hard to see how a race in Saudi Arabia sits well with NASCAR fans, who are already accusing leadership of getting further and further away from its roots in an attempt to chase profit and attract new fans at the expense of existing viewers.
But hey, as we've seen from LIV Golf, that Saudi money is hard to pass up. And you've gotta think if NASCAR were to agree to host a race at the new track, the Saudis would be ready to cut a massive check to make it happen.
Could you imagine them trying to understand a guy like Dale Earnhardt Jr. over in Saudi Arabia though? The language barrier would be hilarious.
https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia/status/1418570902652981250