Two tracks will return to more traditional slots on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2027, with Bristol Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway trading places between the regular season and The Chase.
The move, unveiled Thursday morning in dueling announcements by both Speedway Motorsports facilities, puts the annual Bristol Night Race back in its familiar late-summer slot on Aug. 14 after a seven-year run in the postseason. New Hampshire will take Bristol’s place in The Chase next year, marking its 16th postseason appearance as the main event for a Sept. 25-26 race weekend.
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Bristol’s under-the-lights spectacle had occupied a mid- to late-August slot since 1978, when Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough prevailed in the first night race at the 0.533-mile Tennessee track. That changed in 2020, when Bristol moved into the postseason rotation under the elimination-era format.
Bristol will hold a pair of NASCAR race weekends next year, both tripleheaders. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will join the Cup Series for the April 9-11 and Aug. 12-14 weekends.
New Hampshire will rotate back into The Chase on Sunday, Sept. 26, after being outside the postseason picture for eight of the last nine seasons. Before that stretch, the Loudon track was a Chase race venue from 2004 through 2017, its most recent season hosting two annual Cup Series events.
Next year’s Cup Series race is slated to be the third of 10 races in The Chase. The weekend will also feature the opening race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Both tracks still have races to run this season as the NASCAR calendar enters its stretch run. New Hampshire comes first Aug. 23 (3 p.m. ET, USA Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the penultimate race in the Cup Series regular season. This year’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race follows, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the third race in The Chase.
The rest of the 2027 NASCAR schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.