# NASCAR Plans 2027 Changes > NASCAR to tweak qualifying, international races, and car safety for 2027. - Title: NASCAR Plans 2027 Changes · Autoweek | Shortify - Summary: NASCAR to tweak qualifying, international races, and car safety for 2027. NASCAR will adjust qualifying rules, explore international races, and improve… - Keywords: nascar, 2027, qualifying, international race, driver safety, cup racing, cte, safety, Autoweek - Source: Autoweek — https://autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a74363336/nascar-considering-big-changes-for-2027 - Author: Deb Williams - Published: 2026-11-07T01:31:44+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: nascar, 2027, qualifying, international race, driver safety, cup racing, cte, safety, cars, sports ## NASCAR Safety Concerns NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell acknowledges the sport's danger but says concussion risks have been a long-term focus for safety improvements. > We have a number of doctors that have studied this (CTE), this has been a focus for us for a long, long time. Safety is a never-ending journey and we’re going to continue, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we put the drivers in the safest possible place. ## First CTE Diagnosis Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Fame member, became the first known driver diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy posthumously. > Lorenzen was diagnosed by researchers at the Boston University CTE Center, making him the first known NASCAR driver diagnosed with the disease. ## Driver Brain Donations Several current and former drivers have pledged their brains post-mortem to science for concussion and CTE research through the Concussion Legacy Foundation. > Those drivers include Dale Earnhardt Jr., and NHRA competitors Tony Schumacher, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Antron Brown, Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Leah Pruett. ## Current Car Benefits NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell says the current Cup car has created a healthier business model with more new owners and OEMs entering the sport. > You have many new owners that have come into the sport. You have an ownership landscape that is much healthier than it was before. You have Dodge entering the sport. You have other OEMs who are looking at it. ## Qualifying Changes NASCAR will use owner points to set the field in 2027 when qualifying is rained out, simplifying the process for fans. > That will make it a little bit easier to explain to our fans. There is no math involved other than you just look at the owners’ points and that’s how we’ll line them up on Sunday. ## All-Star Qualifying NASCAR considers an All-Star qualifying format with a pit stop for a 'very select few' races, similar to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600. > We’re still working on that with the teams, but that is something we’d like to do next year for a handful of events. ## International Race Strategy NASCAR plans strategic international races to develop fans and sponsors, not just for short-term gains. > We don’t want to just go somewhere for the sake of going somewhere. If we take a race somewhere we want to make sure that we’re not just in and out, maybe collecting a fee for the teams in NASCAR, and what have we done? ## Midweek Race Possibility NASCAR might introduce midweek races on CW, but it’s costly and needs to drive new viewership for owners. > CW is working on some of that midweek, and the opportunity for maybe a midweek race is a possibility. It’s costly for sure, so we want to make sure for the owners in the series that it really drives new viewership. ## Fontana Track Status NASCAR keeps Fontana, California as an important market but faces challenges building a new track there. > It’s an important market. There’s a ton of NASCAR fans in California, and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got somewhere to race. ## Key takeaway NASCAR will adjust qualifying rules, explore international races, and improve driver safety for 2027.