NASCAR shakes up 2020 schedule, makes changes to key events

By Jerry Jordan, Editor

With much anticipation, speculation and consternation on social media and private group chats around the sport, NASCAR released its 2020 schedule and made date changes for several key events, including moving the season-ending race from Homestead-Miami Speedway to the Arizona desert at ISM Raceway near Phoenix and putting the cars under the Saturday night lights at Martinsville on Mother’s Day Weekend.

“The fans and the industry as a whole have been vocal about the desire for sweeping changes to the schedule, and the 2020 slate is a reflection of our efforts to execute against that feedback,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “These changes are a result of unprecedented consensus-building with our race tracks and broadcast partners; something we look to continue into 2021 and beyond.”

The race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will move to the sixth race of the season behind the change at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the second race of the year. Also, the season will end two weeks earlier than normal on November 8, which puts Texas Motor Speedway race on October 26 – taking it away from the state’s opening day of hunting season.

“From a Speedway Motorsports perspective, we’re pleased to kick off the early season ‘West Coast Swing’ at Las Vegas with the second race of the year, then welcome fans back to the Southeast to a warmer mid-March date at Atlanta. Texas, Bristol, Charlotte, Sonoma, Kentucky and New Hampshire continue to hold similar race weekends on the calendar through July, then we’ll amplify the intensity even more for the Night Race at Bristol as it moves to September as the cutoff in the first-round of the playoffs,” said SMI’s Marcus Smith. “Las Vegas moves later in September to a cooler race weekend in the desert, and the ROVAL returns to Charlotte’s more traditional mid-October weekend as the cutoff race of the second playoff round. Texas will cap our NASCAR SMI season with a playoff tussle a week earlier in advance of the local hunting season.”

Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage was thrilled with the change and said opening day of hunting season is something the track has been battling since it received a second date in 2005. It may not be a big deal elsewhere but hunting is serious business is Texas.

“The fall date change solves the issue we’ve dealt with since 2005 in that it gets us off the traditional early November opening week of the Texas general hunting season,” said Gossage said. “That’s a big issue for a key faction of our race fans so this should please all the white-tailed deer hunters who couldn’t make it out to the track. Now they can so we’re looking forward to them joining us for our new Oct. 25 race date.”

Making the playoffs in 2020 will be the races at Bristol and Darlington Raceway, which will kick-off the playoffs and take that event away from Las Vegas, where the weather was exceptionally hot this past year. As speculated Pocono Raceway will have a Cup Series doubleheader on June 27 and June 28 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host its race on July 5 with the second Daytona event kicking off the Playoffs.

“Quite fittingly, the birthplace of NASCAR will host the bookend races to the 2020 regular season,” O’Donnell said. “Racing in Daytona – particularly in the summer under the lights – never fails in delivering intense and unpredictable action. There’s no question this venue will create some incredible drama as drivers make one last push for a playoff spot.

“A lot of collaboration from the industry wanting to end the regular season at Daytona.”

The reaction from drivers came quickly, as well, with everyone looking forward to the changes as a positive move for the sport. Kurt Busch added that he believes the changes will be refreshing.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said, with applause and sending a shoutout to America’s military. “Schedule changes to refresh our sport. Everyone will be booking their NASCAR races in advance. Let’s double-down on military tickets now.”

There will also be a two-week break in the season between the July 19 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and August 9 race at Michigan International Speedway.

2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE