Saving the season: How NASCAR welcomed fans back in 2020 with COVID-19 precautions

Posted on October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Editor’s note: This is Part V of a five-part series detailing how NASCAR successfully ran its 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Part I: Overview | Part II: Schedule | Part III: Broadcast | Part IV: Teams

As masked fans filtered into Talladega Superspeedway in orderly fashion, NASCAR field and office workers wandered about the sparse crowd, assisting where and when needed. They handed out two-ounce containers of hand sanitizer and clear bags for those who forgot about the no-coolers rule. Some walked with signs that read “please wear your mask” and “please observe six-feet social distancing,” as they respected the requests themselves.

This didn’t fit in most of the employees’ job descriptions. Many who volunteered to help actually drove to Talladega, Alabama, from the NASCAR headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Daytona Beach, Florida, specifically for this race weekend.

Even Talladega track president Brian Crichton left the infield to lend a hand.

“The people we encountered and we talked to, they were thanking us,” Crichton said. “They were thanking us for making it possible for them to come back to races. I got a little bit of goosebumps when they said that. I got a little emotional. But it meant so much for the fans to be able to come back as well.”

After a Sunday rainout, June 22 marked the first NASCAR race with paying customers since the two-month COVID-19 shutdown. Homestead-Miami Speedway invited up to 1,000 South Florida service members as honorary guests the previous weekend. Talladega, though, sold up to 5,000 tickets, along with limited motor-home/fifth-wheel camping spots outside the track, on a first-come, first-served basis — prioritizing those in-state and within a 150-mile radius.

INFORMATION: Centers for Disease Control | World Health Organization

Talladega had to get approval to host fans from Alabama governor Kay Ivey, the Alabama Health Department and Talladega County officials. The race was scheduled regardless, making up for the original April 26 postponement. Crichton found it in the track’s favor that NASCAR had already completed eight races since its May return, proving the sport’s protocols and procedures were thorough enough to be reliably safe.

NASCAR announced fans would be allowed on June 9 — less than two weeks before the GEICO 500.

“It was stressful because we knew as a southeast region, as a NASCAR team, we all had to come together and make it successful,” Crichton said. “It had to be a success so we could continue to build off of it and continue to go racing.”

Talladega built off of NASCAR’s procedures and protocols for essential personnel.

Upon entering the premises, fans went through drive-in stations where they answered COVID-19 symptom and exposure questions and had their temperature checked by a handheld thermometer. If everyone in the car passed, they moved on to park. Those who didn’t went to a secondary screening with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) officials. Same thing: Pass, move on. Crichton said there were no instances where someone had to be turned away, which would have been the case if medical professionals thought there was reason to worry.

Tips for inside the venue came from an unexpected source. Select NASCAR employees, including Managing Director of Racing Operations Tom Bryant, toured Universal Orlando about 10 days before the theme park reopened June 5.

“We spent an entire day with their team going through everything from how they parked their guests to how they entered the facility to how they screened them,” Bryant said. “How they had concessions set up, how they had restrooms set up, how they had to adapt movement in and around the attractions to keep people socially distanced. Everything you can think of.”

And everything that relates to a NASCAR event.

Masks were required at all times. Social-distancing pucks — basically stickers on the ground — detailed common areas and where lines formed. Concessions solely offered pre-packaged foods and sealed drinks. Cashless payment was used to limit touch exposure. Bathrooms had every other stall or urinal blocked off.

Talladega also hired a cleaning team through its environmental-services partner, Clean Harbors. It sanitized the entire venue before and after the event. During the race, its cleaners constantly were on the move, wiping down all high-touch surfaces.

The infield was completely off limits to fans.

As for the grandstands, Talladega grouped seats in pods of four, starting two or three chairs in from the aisle to keep a safe social distance between those sitting and those walking up and down the stairs. Only one or two pods were ticketed per row.

“Even if we had space between those two groups of four – say the row was 30 seats long – well, we wouldn’t put a group in the middle, not even a group of four in the middle, because that group would have to walk in front of one of these other groups,” Crichton said. “But what we could do is we could put a group of four in the row behind those two groups, but they were in the middle of the row, so it was staggered.”

Fans witnessed the drama of seeing two wrecks on the final lap, Ryan Blaney beating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the checkered flag by .007 seconds, which tied for the sixth-closest finish in Cup Series history, and Aric Almirola crossing the finish line backward in third.

WATCH: Talladega Superspeedway’s 2020 photo finish

“Man, it was so great just to have fans back,” Blaney said post-race. “The atmosphere of them cheering was back. Before and after the race, we love that stuff. Drivers, we love support.”

Attendance wasn’t guaranteed after that event, though. It still depends on local and state COVID-19 restrictions.

The NASCAR Playoffs is currently in its Round of 12. The opening race last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway did not have fans. This Sunday’s event at Talladega will still be far from full capacity, but a track representative indicated the number of spectators welcomed will be up from the June count. Charlotte Motor Speedway will permit a limited number of fans for the elimination race scheduled Oct. 11 on its Roval layout, in accordance to North Carolina’s recently updated rules.

As of right now, Phoenix Raceway plans to host fans for the Nov. 8, 2020 championship.

“Having our fans back is awesome and we look forward to the day we can have all of them back in full capacity, but that’s not yet,” Bryant said. “Our priority and the marching orders we’ve received are to ensure our ability to crown champions in Phoenix. We are laser-focused on that. We’re not going to do anything on the fan side that would endanger our ability to conduct races. It’s a balance.”

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing confirmed Thursday that the two teams will combine forces to establish one common Chevrolet engine specification.

In doing so, Chevrolet joins manufacturers Ford and Toyota in streamlining engine building to one supplier.

“Following the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing will formalize a joint venture focused on engine R&D and the establishment of a common Chevrolet engine specification,” the organizations announced Thursday in a joint statement. “While our two championship-winning organizations will collaborate on research and development, our respective engine shop operations will continue to function independently as they currently do. We look forward to working together to fully leverage the knowledge and intellectual property of our two successful programs to advance Chevrolet’s engine for NASCAR.”

Both Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing (via ECR Engines) have developed powerful engine programs over the years. Engines produced by the two have earned a combined 39 NASCAR national series championships, including 20 at the Cup Series level. Additionally, Chevrolet race cars fielded by the two organizations have won a combined 369 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying events.

Posted on October 1, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

Growing up and attending races at Rockford Speedway, Dennis Smith Jr.‘s biggest dream was to one day race late models at his home track.

It was on that track Smith‘s dad raced and he would go watch as a kid. When he was 20, Smith began racing there himself.

Dennis Smith, Jr.

“It‘s home. That‘s why we race there, it‘s so close,” Smith said of Rockford, a NASCAR-sanctioned high-banked quarter-mile asphalt track in Rockford, Illinois. “I‘ve been going there forever. It‘s second nature. I‘ve done a million laps around the place by now.”

Rockford Speedway | Facebook

Sixteen years into his career, Smith finally got the chance to get into the track‘s highest division. Even though the start was rocky, he not only lived his dream as a late model driver, he also reached Victory Lane.

“Our very first race was opening night spring classic in 2017,” he said. “We were running good and a lap car took us out and we ended up burning the car to the ground. There was literally nothing left to it, and I still owed money on my loan for it. So everybody all over Illinois, Wisconsin, all over the place sent me parts and money to put it back together. We never missed a race.

“We won a race that year.”

Smith started racing at Rockford in 2000, and dominated the track‘s lower divisions with three RoadRunner championships and two Figure 8 titles.

But a competitive nature had him longing for more in his race career.

“It was boring. There was legit no challenge left. I needed to challenge myself with something new,” he said.

Smith took out a loan to buy a late model in 2016 and began racing it the next year. Even though they struggled in the beginning, he and the team have finished in the top five in Rockford‘s late model points every year since. He‘s third in the standings with one race left this season.

Racing has always been a family event for Smith. His dad got him into the sport. His brother raced and now serves as his spotter. His wife‘s cousins help on his crew as well, and his daughter raced for a couple years and picked up a few wins herself.

He has a family, too, among the drivers, staff, and fans at Rockford.

“Especially since I‘ve been going down there pretty much my whole life,” he said. “So everybody knows who I am down there and in the Rockford area and everybody comes together and helps everybody and we all have a good time. Have some beers after the races.”

Rockford Speedway schedule

Even though he‘s been underfunded his entire career, getting to race a late model at the track where his dad raced has been a dream come true for Smith, and he‘s honoring his dad‘s race career with his car now, too.

This year Smith switched his number from 08 to 80, the same number his dad ran, and he is using the same paint scheme.

He was able to put the car honoring his dad in victory lane on the first night of the season.

“That was like double bonus there,” he said. “Winning that, I could have retired, but I wanted to win again.”

Smith‘s 2020 season hasn‘t been the steadiest. Since that win he had two part failures in back-to-back races that he said took them out of contention for the championship.

Dennis Smith, Jr.

Rockford will host the track‘s points championship on Friday night, and the National Short Track Championships on Saturday and Sunday. While Smith said there‘s an outside chance of him winning the track title on Friday, his biggest goal this weekend is to get another late model win in one of the biggest races of the year.

“Win. That‘s it,” Smith said of his goal this weekend. “It‘s so cool to win at National Short Track Championships. I won a couple in the Figure 8 division and RoadRunner division down there, and even that was really cool, but to win at National Short Track Championships in a late model would be even cooler.”

A competitive edge and a dream is what put Smith in a late model. Now that he‘s lived two of his dreams, he wants to keep competing for even more.

“I was never really that good at competitive sports like baseball, football, that kind of stuff, but I‘m a very competitive person,” Smith said. “So I think it‘s the competitiveness. That‘s what I said earlier about getting out of the stocks, it just wasn‘t a challenge anymore. I wanted to compete. If I can compete at something at a high level I want to do it.

“That was like the coolest thing I thought I could ever do was drive a late model, and then to win a feature would have been the coolest thing ever and we did that. Now we just want a championship. So maybe next year.”

Rockford Speedway will host the NASCAR Night of Champions on Friday beginning at 6 p.m., and the National Short Track Championships on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Rockford Speedway Schedule

Posted on September 30, 2020October 1, 2020 by Terrin Waack

The NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but make it bold.

That’s essentially what the sanctioning body wanted out of its 2021 resume. It has been a process in the making and finally came to fruition this week. Those involved are proud of the final product.

“We said back in really 2019 that we wanted to evolve the schedule,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “2020 was going to be the year that we could make some moves within the portfolio of races that we had, but really 2021 and beyond are where you’re going to see some bold races from NASCAR.

“We believe we’ve delivered on that.”

NASCAR sure did. Wednesday marked the Cup Series’ biggest schedule unveil in more than 50 years. The 36-race reveal featured the highest number of new tracks added since the 1969 slate.

Overall, there were nine significant overhauls when comparing recent iterations to this upcoming version.

“Even when we set out to build this 2021 schedule, we wanted to make sure that whatever we’re doing it’s done with a very measured approach,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s vice president of racing development. “I think that’s what you’ve seen in this schedule we’ve put together. For 2022 and beyond, of course we want to continue to introduce more tracks to the circuit, especially short tracks and road courses.”

The first three changes have to do with venue additions. Circuit of The Americas, Nashville Superspeedway and Road America are all either brand or relatively new locations for the Cup Series. COTA is making its NASCAR debut. Nashville ran the Xfinity Series and Gander Truck Series from 2001-11 but never the Cup Series. Road America currently holds Xfinity Series races but hasn’t seen the Cup Series since 1956.

Two other differences come at familiar tracks but different layouts. Bristol Motor Speedway, which is ran twice a year, will convert its concrete oval into a dirt track for the Cup Series’ spring race. The Cup Series will take on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course for the first time; the Xfinity Series tested it out this year.

Darlington Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway each gained a race – count that as two updates. The All-Star Race will move to Texas Motor Speedway. And then, lastly, the opening Clash exhibition event of 2021 is set for a Tuesday night on Daytona International Speedway’s road course.

That all should add up to the magic number: nine.

“A lot to look forward to as we think about future evolutions of the schedule, too,” Kennedy said. “This is certainly a big, important step for us. But continuing to press forward with it as well.”

Don’t forget, this step came during an abnormal season. There have been one-day events, midweek races and weekend doubleheaders in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Practice and qualifying sessions were completely eliminated to limit at-track time. O’Donnell indicated practice and qualifying will be held at the five new tracks/new configurations on the schedule for 2021 as well as the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the title race at Phoenix Raceway.

Those unexpected alterations in 2020, though, showed NASCAR executives that they can successfully make major advances for the betterment of the sport.

“2021 we really believe is a bold step in that direction, but we’re not done,” O’Donnell said. “There’s 2022 and beyond where we’ll continue to look at making changes that we believe are in the best interest of the sport in key markets and at key iconic race tracks as well. We’re going to continue the journey.”

Posted on September 30, 2020October 1, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Editor’s note: This is Part IV of a five-part series detailing how NASCAR successfully ran its 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Part I: Overview | Part II: Schedule | Part III: Broadcast | Part V, Thursday: Fans

As the driver’s-side window rolls down, an at-track official reminds the team member inside the vehicle to wear his mask during pre-entry screening. The team member declined at first, but reluctantly put one on. As soon as he passed the checkpoint, however, the man made a show of taking the mask off and tossing it onto the passenger’s seat.

The team member – whose name was not disclosed, nor was the series or track – was forced to leave the premises within about 15 minutes.

“When we reached out to the series leadership and they reached out to the team, there was lightning-quick action to remove the problem,” said Tom Bryant, NASCAR’s managing director of racing operations. “Because, look, you’re endangering everybody. Stop being selfish.”

NASCAR is currently operating under abnormal circumstances, as is the rest of the nation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There are strict safety protocols and procedures, such as mandated masks and screenings, to help stop the coronavirus’ spread and allow the sport to continue its season. No one is excluded from these rules, and clearly, there are varying repercussions for those who do not follow them.

INFORMATION: Centers for Disease Control | World Health Organization

Bryant and NASCAR Vice President of Racing Operations John Bobo led a 29-member team in charge of creating a handbook dedicated solely to COVID-19 protocols and procedures. It doesn’t have a hard page count because it’s updated as more findings come out about the virus, but it typically ranges around 50 pages. All of the content has been contributed to and reviewed by numerous health experts – epidemiologists, pulmonologists, infectious disease consultants, emergency room physicians and intensive care workers.

“A lot of reading material,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “But the entire industry came together and said we want to race, we want to do this in a safe way and we believe in the protocols that are being put forward.”

The thoroughness of the handbook is why NASCAR received approval from local and state officials to race at select tracks, like Darlington Raceway in South Carolina for starters on May 17, after a two-month pause.

So, here’s how a Cup Series race day looks for a race team under the guidelines of this handbook.

For starters, roster numbers are limited. Essential personnel quantify as six road-crew members, five pit-crew members and two hauler drivers. That’s about half the normal amount, give or take, depending on the team.

Anyone attending an event must take an online health questionnaire NASCAR sends out via text message 24 hours before departure. The five-question form must be filled out and returned within 12 hours of the garage opening. Answers are reviewed by a medical liaison team. If there are any issues, NASCAR’s American Medical Response (AMR) director Dr. Ryan Stanton will schedule a telehealth appointment for the individual for further evaluation and advisement before the person even gets to the track.

“It’s 100 percent cards up,” Team Penske competition director Travis Geisler said. “We’ve really stressed to everybody this isn’t about letting your team down because you’re not coming to work or you’re lazy because you want to stay home. This is about doing the right thing.”

Upon arrival, there’s that masked in-car pre-entry screening. Precautionary questions are asked about symptoms and exposure. Temperatures are checked with a handheld thermometer. Those with any concerns go to a secondary screening, where they have a follow-up with an on-site physician – normally Stanton or another AMR representative. The medical professional then makes the call whether the person can enter the venue, not NASCAR.

Once inside, team members go straight to their respective areas of work – garage stall, pit road, spotter’s stand, etc. NASCAR implemented the safety measure of compartmentalization. Rather than one big bubble, there are many mini-bubbles.

“The driver comes in, they go to their motor coach, and they don’t come out again until they get their race car,” Bobo said. “That way, if the driver is asymptomatic, he’s not infecting someone on his team. If there’s a mechanic on his team that’s asymptomatic, he’s not infecting the driver. … The functional work groups have created an additional level of isolation, so if something does go wrong, you’re not taking out an entire team.”

From green to checkered flag, things are normal apart from the lack of people wandering around.

Drivers still have post-race media obligations, but even those responsibilities have been altered. The race winner celebrates in Victory Lane alone, wearing a mask. Instead of press conferences or mass pit-road interviews, there are Zoom teleconferences, which the top-three finishers can do from their motor home or the media center. If in the media center, masks are worn and surfaces are wiped down in between sessions.

Speaking of sanitization, each entity – NASCAR, track, teams and suppliers – are required to clean their belongings before leaving the facility. That includes haulers, cars and equipment.

“It really hit me after the race at Darlington,” Geisler said. “NASCAR outsourced some at-track sanitization of products in their trailer, like parts and tools. Those people were walking around in like full nuclear fallout gear. I mean, they had sealed facial stuff on with air pumps. They had the yellow suits on with all the seams taped. We’re walking around and we’re kind of looking at each other – none of us wearing anything but a mask – like do they know something we don’t?

“You feel like you’re in a movie at that point, and you’re just a cast member not really sure what’s going on in the script yet.”

Cast members know the script better now. It’s not the preferred normal, but it is the current norm.

Twenty-two regular-season and four postseason Cup Series events have been completed with these ever-evolving protocols and procedures. Only six playoff races remain before the 2020 champion is crowned Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

“No one at NASCAR is taking a victory lap on this,” Bobo said. “We feel fortunate and grateful that we’ve gotten this far in the season. But we understand the road ahead and we know it’s a privilege.”

PART 5: Fans

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2020) – NASCAR today announced the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, an historic slate that includes the introduction of three new race tracks – and new layouts at two iconic venues – to the sport’s top level.

Not since 1969 has NASCAR added this many new venues to its premier series schedule.

The 36-race slate includes races at three new road-course layouts, and the first Cup Series dirt race in more than 50 years.

BUY TICKETS: 2021 events available

The road course at Circuit of The Americas (May 23) joins the schedule for the first time, Road America (July 4) returns for the first time since 1956 and, after a thrilling debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020, the Cup stars will race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2021 (Aug. 15).

The high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway will transform into a dirt track for a NASCAR Cup Series race on March 28, the first premier series race on dirt since Sept. 30, 1970 (North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina).

And as previously announced, NASCAR returns to the Music City with a race at Nashville Superspeedway on June 20, which will kick off the NBC Sports portion of the season.

“We developed the 2021 schedule with one primary goal: Continue to take steps to create the most dynamic schedule possible for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Extensive collaboration between NASCAR, the race tracks, race teams and our broadcast partners allowed NASCAR to create what promises to be an exciting 2021 schedule of races.”

In addition, NASCAR announced the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race’s return to a high-speed 1.5-mile track in 2021, as the annual star-studded event moves to Texas Motor Speedway on June 13 for the first time in its 36-year history.

NASCAR will open its Cup Series season with two consecutive races in Florida. As is tradition, the season will kick off with the running of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500 – at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 14, live on FOX before heading south to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 21.

The series will also double down on a pair of familiar venues in markets threaded deep with historical NASCAR ties and passionate fanbases. Cars will hit the track at Darlington Raceway for the first time on Sunday, May 9 and again to kick off the Playoffs on Sunday, Sept. 5 while Atlanta Motor Speedway will host NASCAR’s premier series on Sunday, Mar. 21 and Sunday, July 11.

After an overhaul for the 2020 season, the only change in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will be a swap of dates between Texas and Kansas in the Round of 8. Wholly unpredictable venues – Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 18), the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Oct. 10) and Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 31) – will once again serve as the cutoff races in 2021.

Phoenix Raceway culminates the 10-race Playoffs slate as host of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race for the second consecutive year.

NASCAR Cup Series races in 2021 will once again air on the FOX and NBC family of networks. Start times and specific networks will be announced at a later date. Schedules for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will also be announced at a later date.

Below is the full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule (Playoff races in bold font):

2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

Date	Race / Track
Tuesday, February 9	Clash (Daytona Road Course)
Thursday, February 11	Duel at Daytona
Sunday, February 14	DAYTONA 500
Sunday, February 21	Homestead-Miami
Sunday, February 28	Auto Club
Sunday, March 7	Las Vegas
Sunday, March 14	Phoenix
Sunday, March 21	Atlanta
Sunday, March 28	Bristol Dirt
Saturday, April 10	Martinsville
Sunday, April 18	Richmond
Sunday, April 25	Talladega
Sunday, May 2	Kansas
Sunday, May 9	Darlington
Sunday, May 16	Dover
Sunday, May 23	COTA
Sunday, May 30	Charlotte
Sunday, June 6	Sonoma
Sunday, June 13	All-Star (Texas)
Sunday, June 20	Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday & Sunday, June 26-27	Pocono Doubleheader
Sunday, July 4	Road America
Sunday, July 11	Atlanta
Sunday, July 18	New Hampshire
Sunday, August 8	Watkins Glen
Sunday, August 15	Indianapolis Road Course
Sunday, August 22	Michigan
Saturday, August 28	Daytona
Sunday, September 5	Darlington
Saturday, September 11	Richmond
Saturday, September 18	Bristol
Sunday, September 26	Las Vegas
Sunday, October 3	Talladega
Sunday, October 10	Charlotte Roval
Sunday, October 17	Texas
Sunday, October 24	Kansas
Sunday, October 31	Martinsville
Sunday, November 7	Phoenix

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Zack Albert

For decades, road racing at NASCAR’s highest level was a twice-a-year experience. In the last two seasons, the Cup Series competed on three road courses each year, adding an extra dose of right and left turns to the schedule.

With Wednesday’s release of the 2021 Cup Series schedule, the number of road courses has grown to six for next season, with two first-time hosts, one circuit’s return from a long-ago era, a stable date for the lone road course in the playoffs and two familiar venues that return after a one-year hiatus for COVID-19 concerns.

BUY TICKETS: 2021 events available

The two brand-new faces include one of motorsports’ relative newcomers — Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas — and a historic facility that in 2000 created a grand-prix layout that’s part road course, part oval — Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The addition of the 3.426-mile COTA track on May 23 creates a second venue for the series in the Lone Star State, alongside the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Cup Series debut of Indy’s road-course layout on Aug. 15 comes one season after the Xfinity Series held its first race on the 2.439-mile hybrid circuit.

Road America has played host to the Xfinity Series every year since 2010, but its July 4 date for 2021 will mark the Cup Series’ first event on the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, road circuit since 1956, a race won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tim Flock. The high-speed, 4.048-mile track will become the longest on the Cup Series schedule.

Sonoma Raceway (June 6) and Watkins Glen International (Aug. 8) return to familiar slots on the schedule. Those tracks had been annual stops for the series since the late 1980s, but both were scratched from the 2020 schedule because of COVID-19’s impact.

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval layout returns for a fourth straight season, and it will remain the only road course in the NASCAR Playoffs. The 2.28-mile oval-road circuit is scheduled Oct. 10 as the Round of 12’s elimination race for a second consecutive season.

MORE: See the full schedule

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Zack Albert

NASCAR officials released the 2021 Cup Series schedule Wednesday, introducing three new tracks, expanding to six road courses and placing a dirt-track race on the calendar for the first time in more than 50 years.

Next year’s Cup Series remains at 36 point-paying races, starting as it did this year with the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 14) and ending with the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 7). In between those bookends, there are new venues and schedule shuffles as part of the dramatic changes long hinted at by NASCAR officials.

BUY TICKETS: 2021 events available

Among the shifts for 2021 are these highlights:

— May 23: Circuit of The Americas, a pristine 3.426-mile road course in Austin, Texas, that has been host to Formula 1, IndyCar and IMSA competition.

— June 20: Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, that was confirmed for the 2021 schedule last spring.

— July 4: Road America, a historic 4.048-mile road circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, that last hosted the Cup Series in 1956.

— Aug. 15: Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.439-mile road course, a shift from the 2.5-mile oval layout.

RELATED: Official release from NASCAR

The Cup Series will also diversify its calendar with a temporary conversion of Bristol Motor Speedway to a dirt-track surface for its March 28 event. The last time NASCAR’s top division raced on dirt, Richard Petty won at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds’ dusty half-mile in Raleigh on Sept. 30, 1970.

NASCAR president Steve Phelps had indicated in a Sept. 1 roundtable with reporters that the 2021 schedule could be released in segments as coronavirus safeguards continue to alter normal race-weekend operations. In a manner of speaking, it was, with tracks and other officials staggering their announcements throughout the day before the full 36-race release later Wednesday afternoon.

Phelps said Sept. 1 that he was “cautiously optimistic that many of the objectives that we would have had in a pre-COVID world, we will have during our 2021 season.” The 2021 slate was scheduled for a springtime release this year, but the more immediate efforts by competition and racing operations officials to salvage the 36-race schedule for 2020 have taken priority.

Among the other highlights in the 2021 schedule release:

— The NASCAR All-Star Race will move to Texas Motor Speedway for the first time, with the annual invitational set for a June 13 date. The non-points exhibition has been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway for 33 of 35 runnings, with only single All-Star events taking place at Atlanta Motor Speedway (1986) and Bristol Motor Speedway (2020).

— Darlington Raceway will play host to two Cup Series races in 2021, slotting in at May 9 and Sept. 5 on the schedule. The 1.366-mile South Carolina track held three Cup races this year as competition officials gave priority to events within driving distance in its return after the COVID-19 outbreak. It had held one event annually from 2005-19. Darlington’s annual Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend will again serve as the opener of the 10-race playoffs.

— Atlanta Motor Speedway also expands to two annual stops on the Cup Series schedule, set for March 21 and July 11. The 1.54-mile track has been a part of the NASCAR calendar since 1960 and has held one race each year from 2011-20.

— The 10-race postseason schedule remains largely intact, with Bristol Motor Speedway (Round of 16), the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Round of 12) and Martinsville Speedway (Round of 8) returning as the elimination races. Only Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway trade places in the postseason lineup, with Texas (Oct. 17) aligned as the Round of 8 opener with Kansas (Oct. 24) to follow.

— Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway have been removed from the Cup Series schedule. Chicagoland had been on the Cup calendar from 2001-19 and served as the playoff opener from 2011-16. Kentucky Speedway hosted 10 Cup Series races from 2011-20.

The full 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule:

Feb. 14 — Daytona International Speedway

Feb. 21 — Homestead-Miami Speedway

Feb. 28 — Auto Club Speedway

March 7 — Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 14 — Phoenix Raceway

March 21 — Atlanta Motor Speedway

March 28 — Bristol Motor Speedway

April 4 — Easter holiday

April 10 — Martinsville Speedway

April 18 — Richmond Raceway

April 25 — Talladega Superspeedway

May 2 — Kansas Speedway

May 9 — Darlington Raceway

May 16 — Dover International Speedway

May 23 — Circuit of The Americas

May 30 — Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 6 — Sonoma Raceway

June 13 — Texas Motor Speedway, All-Star Race

June 20 — Nashville Superspeedway

June 26 — Pocono Raceway

June 27 — Pocono Raceway

July 4 — Road America

July 11 — Atlanta Motor Speedway

July 18 — New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Aug. 8 — Watkins Glen International

Aug. 15 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Aug. 22 — Michigan International Speedway

Aug. 28 — Daytona International Speedway

Sept. 5 — Darlington Raceway

Sept. 11 — Richmond Raceway

Sept. 18 — Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 26 — Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct. 3 — Talladega Superspeedway

Oct. 10 — Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

Oct. 17 — Texas Motor Speedway

Oct. 24 — Kansas Speedway

Oct. 31 — Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 7 — Phoenix Raceway

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

MORE: Talladega weekend schedule | Starting Lineup

Posted on September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s competition-based formula, which is a total number based on the previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver will be joined by Kurt Busch on the front row in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set by random draws. The new structure draws on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

See the full starting lineup for Sunday’s race below.

Starting spot	Driver	Car #	Team
1	Denny Hamlin (P)	11	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	Kurt Busch (P)	1	Chip Ganassi Racing
3	Martin Truex Jr. (P)	19	Joe Gibbs Racing
4	Alex Bowman (P)	88	Hendrick Motorsports
5	Kevin Harvick (P)	4	Stewart-Haas Racing
6	Kyle Busch (P)	18	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	Brad Keselowski (P)	2	Team Penske
8	Joey Logano (P)	22	Team Penske
9	Clint Bowyer (P)	14	Stewart-Haas Racing
10	Chase Elliott (P)	9	Hendrick Motorsports
11	Aric Almirola (P)	10	Stewart-Haas Racing
12	Austin Dillon (P)	3	Richard Childress Racing
13	Matt DiBenedetto	21	Wood Brothers Racing
14	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske
15	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Racing
16	Erik Jones	20	Joe Gibbs Racing
17	Jimmie Johnson	48	Hendrick Motorsports
18	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing
19	Ryan Newman	6	Roush Fenway Racing
20	Matt Kenseth	42	Chip Ganassi Racing
21	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports
22	Christopher Bell	95	Leavine Family Racing
23	John Hunter Nemechek	38	Front Row Motorsports
24	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports
25	Ryan Preece	37	JTG Daugherty Racing
26	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing
27	Bubba Wallace	43	Richard Petty Motorsports
28	Ty Dillon	13	Germain Racing
29	Corey LaJoie	32	Go Fas Racing
30	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing
31	Daniel Suarez	96	Gaunt Brothers Racing
32	Brennan Poole	15	Premium Motorsports
33	Quin Houff	00	StarCom Racing
34	JJ Yeley	27	Rick Ware Racing
35	Justin Haley	77	Spire Motorsports
36	Joey Gase	51	Petty Ware Racing
37	Timmy Hill	66	Motorsports Business Management
38	James Davison	53	Rick Ware Racing
39	Brendan Gaughan	62	Beard Motorsports