By Jerry Jordan, Editor
NASCAR announced the Xfinity Series and newly renamed NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) 2019 race schedules today with few changes from the current season.
Most noticeably is the official name of the truck series officially changing from its Camping World entitlement to Gander Outdoors. The only real scheduling changes to appear for 2019 include the addition of a tripleheader race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in the Spring with the truck race being held on March 29, 2019. That eliminates the truck series race in November and takes it out of the playoffs, which will put Bristol Motor Speedway as the kickoff event.
The second is a swap of the dirt race at Eldora. In 2018, the race will be held between Kentucky Speedway and Pocono Raceway on July 18 but that will change in 2019 and the Eldora Dirt Derby will be held on August 1. That race now falls between the Pocono and Michigan International Speedway race dates.
The trucks still have three tripleheaders in a row to kick off the 2019 season and the Easter Break remains between the Martinsville and Dover events, which was already and off-weekend for trucks.
As for the Xfinity Series, due the to the Easter Break moving from April 1 in 2018 to April 21 in 2019, the race at Texas Motor Speedway will shift from April 7 to March 30 in 2019. Other races affected include Bristol Motor Speedway moving from April 14 to April 6 and Richmond Raceway moving to April 12 from April 20. That puts the off-week between Richmond and Talladega Superspeedway rather than California’s Auto Club Speedway and Texas, as it was earlier in 2018.
The end of the 2019 season for all three of NASCAR’s top touring series will be the week leading up to Thanksgiving.
| 2019 NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES | SERIES | RACE |
| Fri, Feb 15 | NGOTS | Daytona |
| Sat, Feb 23 | NGOTS | Atlanta |
| Fri, Mar 1 | NGOTS | Las Vegas |
| Sat, Mar 23 | NGOTS | Martinsville |
| Fri, Mar 29 | NGOTS | Texas |
| Sun, Apr 21 | ALL | EASTER – OFF |
| Fri, May 10 | NGOTS | Kansas |
| Fri, May 17 | NGOTS | Charlotte |
| Fri, Jun 7 | NGOTS | Texas |
| Sat, Jun 15 | NGOTS | Iowa |
| Sat, Jun 22 | NGOTS | Gateway |
| Fri, Jun 28 | NGOTS | Chicagoland |
| Thu, Jul 11 | NGOTS | Kentucky |
| Sat, Jul 27 | NGOTS | Pocono |
| Thu, Aug 1 | NGOTS | Eldora |
| Sat, Aug 10 | NGOTS | Michigan |
| Thu, Aug 15 | NGOTS | Bristol |
| Sun, Aug 25 | NGOTS | CTMP |
| Fri, Sep 13 | NGOTS | Las Vegas |
| Sat, Oct 12 | NGOTS | Talladega |
| Sat, Oct 26 | NGOTS | Martinsville |
| Fri, Nov 8 | NGOTS | Phoenix |
| Fri, Nov 15 | NGOTS | Miami-Homestead |
| 2019 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES | ||
| Sat, Feb 16 | NXS | Daytona |
| Sat, Feb 23 | NXS | Atlanta |
| Sat, Mar 2 | NXS | Las Vegas |
| Sat, Mar 9 | NXS | Phoenix |
| Sat, Mar 16 | NXS | California |
| Sat, Mar 30 | NXS | Texas |
| Sat, Apr 6 | NXS | Bristol |
| Fri, Apr 12 | NXS | Richmond |
| Sun, Apr 21 | ALL | EASTER – OFF |
| Sat, Apr 27 | NXS | Talladega |
| Sat, May 4 | NXS | Dover |
| Sat, May 25 | NXS | Charlotte |
| Sat, Jun 1 | NXS | Pocono |
| Sat, Jun 8 | NXS | Michigan |
| Sun, Jun 16 | NXS | Iowa |
| Sat, Jun 29 | NXS | Chicagoland |
| Fri, Jul 5 | NXS | Daytona |
| Fri, Jul 12 | NXS | Kentucky |
| Sat, Jul 20 | NXS | New Hampshire |
| Sat, Jul 27 | NXS | Iowa |
| Sat, Aug 3 | NXS | Watkins Glen |
| Sat, Aug 10 | NXS | Mid-Ohio |
| Fri, Aug 16 | NXS | Bristol |
| Sat, Aug 24 | NXS | Road America |
| Sat, Aug 31 | NXS | Darlington |
| Sat, Sep 7 | NXS | Indianapolis |
| Sat, Sep 14 | NXS | Las Vegas |
| Fri, Sep 20 | NXS | Richmond |
| Sat, Sep 28 | NXS | Charlotte |
| Sat, Oct 5 | NXS | Dover |
| Sat, Oct 19 | NXS | Kansas |
| Sat, Nov 2 | NXS | Texas |
| Sat, Nov 9 | NXS | Phoenix |
| Sat, Nov 16 | NXS | Miami-Homestead |