(NASCAR Wire Service)
Staff Report ~ NASCAR Wire Service
NASCAR announced on Thursday the 2017 schedules for its three national series – the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Typically reserved for much later in the year, NASCAR credited the early schedule release to unprecedented stakeholder collaboration, specifically the five-year sanctioning agreement that the sanctioning body signed with its race tracks last October.
“Announcing the 2017 national series schedules this early in the season is another example of the collaborative spirit across the NASCAR industry,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “It is an exciting time in NASCAR, with some of the most intriguing racing we’ve seen in years. With the 2017 schedule solidified, the industry can now concentrate on the remainder of this season, while planning for the future much earlier than in previous years.”
There are a few differences in the 2017 schedule compared to 2016, most notably a shift in two key dates during NASCAR’s playoffs.
Talladega Superspeedway will become the second race in the Round of 12 in 2017 (Oct. 15). Kansas Speedway will now become the third and final race in that round (Oct. 22).
Texas Motor Speedway shifted its spring Cup race to Sunday (Apr. 9), a move expected to increase racing action like that seen after Richmond International Raceway switched to a Sunday race for the 2016 season. Other changes in the NASCAR Cup schedule include Dover International Speedway’s spring date move to June 4, a week after the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 28). Michigan International Speedway’s second race will return to its traditional early August slot, on Aug. 13.
As is tradition, the NASCAR Cup Series 2017 schedule opens with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26. The season culminates with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 19.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series will kick off at Daytona on Feb. 25, and crown its champion at Homestead on Saturday, November 18.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series opens its season at Daytona on Feb. 24, and culminates at Homestead on Nov. 17.
See below for all three NASCAR national series schedules.
2017 Cup Series Schedule
2/18
Daytona International Speedway (Unlimited)
2/19
Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying)
2/23
Daytona International Speedway (Duel)
2/26
Daytona 500
3/5
Atlanta Motor Speedway
3/12
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/19
Phoenix International Raceway
3/26
Auto Club Speedway
4/2
Martinsville Speedway
4/9
Texas Motor Speedway
4/23
Bristol Motor Speedway
4/30
Richmond International Raceway
5/7
Talladega Superspeedway
5/13
Kansas Speedway
5/20
Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR All-Star Race)
5/28
Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/4
Dover International Speedway
6/11
Pocono Raceway
6/18
Michigan International Speedway
6/25
Sonoma Raceway
7/1
Daytona International Speedway
7/8
Kentucky Speedway
7/16
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/23
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
7/30
Pocono Raceway
8/6
Watkins Glen International
8/13
Michigan International Speedway
8/19
Bristol Motor Speedway
9/3
Darlington Raceway
9/9
Richmond International Raceway
9/17
Chicagoland Speedway
9/24
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
10/1
Dover International Speedway
10/7
Charlotte Motor Speedway
10/15
Talladega Superspeedway
10/22
Kansas Speedway
10/29
Martinsville Speedway
11/5
Texas Motor Speedway
11/12
Phoenix International Raceway
11/19
Homestead-Miami Speedway
2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Schedule
2/25
Daytona International Speedway
3/4
Atlanta Motor Speedway
3/11
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/18
Phoenix International Raceway
3/25
Auto Club Speedway
4/8
Texas Motor Speedway
4/22
Bristol Motor Speedway
4/29
Richmond International Raceway
5/6
Talladega Superspeedway
5/27
Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/3
Dover International Speedway
6/10
Pocono Raceway
6/17
Michigan International Speedway
6/24
Iowa Speedway
6/30
Daytona International Speedway
7/7
Kentucky Speedway
7/15
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/22
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
7/29
Iowa Speedway
8/5
Watkins Glen International
8/12
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
8/18
Bristol Motor Speedway
8/26
Road America
9/2
Darlington Raceway
9/8
Richmond International Raceway
9/16
Chicagoland Speedway
9/23
Kentucky Speedway
9/30
Dover International Speedway
10/6
Charlotte Motor Speedway
10/21
Kansas Speedway
11/4
Texas Motor Speedway
11/11
Phoenix International Raceway
11/18
Homestead-Miami Speedway
2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule
Date
Site
2/24
Daytona International Speedway
3/4
Atlanta Motor Speedway
4/1
Martinsville Speedway
5/12
Kansas Speedway
5/19
Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/2
Dover International Speedway
6/9
Texas Motor Speedway
6/17
Gateway Motorsports Park
6/23
Iowa Speedway
7/6
Kentucky Speedway
7/19
Eldora Speedway
7/29
Pocono Raceway
8/12
Michigan International Speedway
8/16
Bristol Motor Speedway
8/27
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
9/15
Chicagoland Speedway
9/23
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
9/30
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
10/14
Talladega Superspeedway
10/28
Martinsville Speedway
11/3
Texas Motor Speedway
11/10
Phoenix International Raceway
11/17
Homestead-Miami Speedway
SCHEDULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
JOKE – NASCAR needs to wakeup and make a big schedule change
Yay the all star race still at Charlotte… Sorry but that is just an opportunity to catch up on sleep… Don’t they get it? By lap 15 it’s so spread out it’s not exciting. Go to a local track around there. North wilksboro is still there, rockingham, south boston, im sure I’m missing some but go anywhere that’s different. Go somewhere different every year, mix it up. It’s not like they need the seating space. They had to randomly change the seat colors so on tv it looks like it’s a packed grandstand. That should tell you something.
All the buzz is the lost off weekend in June. I feel bad for those road crews. In terms of the schedule,I still think Atlanta should be after the west coast swing. The trucks only having one race between early March and early May isn’t ideal. They could definitely use a schedule filler in there.