A ranking of which tracks should host the NASCAR Championship race.

Thanks to a massive, and for the most part, awesome overhaul of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the championship race will be at ISM Raceway in Phoenix rather than Homestead, which has hosted the championship race since 2002. I am all for NASCAR rotating where the championship race is held. Personally, I am in favor of NASCAR having tracks bid on hosting the championship race much like the NFL does with the Super Bowl. This would bring a newfound energy to some tracks and could produce some exciting racing, which is the goal, after-all.

After watching yesterday's race at Phoenix, it's completely understandable to be skeptical about how entertaining the 2020 championship race will be. A lot of the entertainment could fall on if NASCAR does anything to the current rule changes, such as perhaps taking off the spoiler or lowering the downforce on short tracks, but that's an argument for another day.

There are 23 tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit and none of them are identical to each other. Sure, there are some similarities to each other, but each track is unique in its' own way. Remember my proposal for NASCAR to rotate the championship race yearly? Unfortunately, I don't think every track would put on a great show for the fans and that's what it's about. So, I thought it would be neat to rank the tracks 1 through 23 in terms of which tracks I would find the most intriguing as a championship race and which tracks I would find the least. For the sake of this, I am conducting this ranking under the 2019 aero package and am paying no attention to the potential weather problems that could arise in November. Let's begin.

#24 Sonoma: I enjoy road course racing as much as anybody, but this year, the top three finishers at Sonoma were separated by 30 seconds. The course is too technical and typically does not yield great racing.

#23 Indy: This is one of my least favorite races on the circuit. It has failed to garner much excitement in year's past and should have never been the regular season finale. I'm not sure how you make this race exciting.

#22 Pocono: I enjoy Pocono more than others, but aside from the thought of running Pocono in November in a potential snowstorm, nothing about Pocono screams exciting championship race.

#21 Michigan: The aero package was designed to make tracks like Michigan more exciting, the June race was a snoozer and the August race was OK thanks to fuel mileage playing a factor.

#20 Fontana: See Michigan, the restarts might be crazy, but that could be the only exciting part.

#19 Phoenix: This is what we have to look forward to next year.

#18 Dover: I didn't think the October race was as bad as many people, but the June race was not good. A softer tire could make this race intriguing.

#17 Las Vegas: This track has two races for some reason. It's a stereotypical cookie cutter track. Not great, but not terrible, so not championship worthy.

#16 Texas: Texas is not a good track. We saw this last week when Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin crashed. It's probably time to repave Texas, but seeing championship contenders battle a terrible track could be intriguing, too.

#15 Richmond: I love short track racing, but Richmond always has the possibility of a driver flat-out dominating.

#14 Martinsville: Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex. Jr combined to lead 910 of 1000 possible laps in two races this season. Part of this could be because of the giant spoilers and high downforce, but that's not changing and Martinsville might not be entertaining until it does.

#13 Watkins Glen: I like Watkins Glen more than most. It usually shapes up to be an entertaining race where strategies play a factor. Might not be a great title race, but would anything below it be either?

#12 Atlanta: The championship track until 2002, Atlanta has really been the only track this year where tires have played a factor. That could be exciting.

#11 New Hampshire: Completely throwing out the fact that it's New Hampshire in November, I like this track and it's kind of a short track, or at least sometimes races like one.

#10 Charlotte: If the All-Star Race is any indication, a championship race at Charlotte could dish out some exciting racing.

#9 Kentucky: The July race was extremely exciting. The 2019 package has benefited tracks like Kentucky.

#8 Chicago: See Kentucky, this track put on a great race. Although, it could have been because it was hot, rained and then cooled down.

#7 Homestead: For some reason, Homestead has been darn near perfect for a championship race. I would be fine if stayed there, but there's six other tracks I'd like to see more.

#6 Charlotte Roval: We've seen two races from the Roval and both have been exciting. It's served high drama as a cutoff race, so could it do the same as a championship race?

#5 Darlington: How about a throwback and championship weekend? That would be awesome.

#4 Talladega: Please save me the garbage take about how the big one could affect a championship. It already does, so your point is moot. It would be exciting to watch the championship contenders try to avoid the big ones.

#3 Kansas: This is undoubtedly the most exciting 1.5 mile track. It put on good shows in both 2019 races and the restarts were ridiculous. Not to mention, a championship in Kansas City would be awesome for once.

#2 Bristol: If you wouldn't be cool with seeing some hard racing and maybe a bump-and-run for the championship, then maybe you shouldn't watch NASCAR. Just the thought of tempers flaring in a championship race has me excited.

#1 Daytona: The season starts at Daytona, so why not finish it there? It would be a perfect way to bookend the season and would put on an exciting race. Again, the big one could happen, but you can't argue that it wouldn't be exciting, because it would be.