Posted on by @nascarcasm

Hello NASCAR fans. We need your help to make Jimmie Johnson’s retirement from full-time racing as memorable as possible. And it’s really easy to do so, thanks to our brilliant and ingenious plan. Read on.

When a driver of great renown like Jimmie retires, many tracks pay homage by naming things after him. Atlanta Motor Speedway named a tower after him …

New Hampshire Motor Speedway named a 5K running trail around the track after him …

… and gave him a musket should any Redcoats show up at his house demanding fealty to the King but that’s not really the point here.

Oh, and Homestead-Miami Speedway named a tunnel after him …

Here’s the thing — we can’t stop here. And that’s where you, the race fan, comes in.

Here’s what we want to do. We want you to name as many things as possible after Jimmie Johnson. It doesn’t matter what said thing is. It can be large, small, stationary, alive ­– whatever you desire. A bookcase. A can of soup. A hamster cage. Your own pelvic bone. The item itself is irrelevant. The sheer number of things that are named for Jimmie? That’s what’s important.

We think the volume of things that are named after ol’ Seven-Time will convey the legacy he has left in this sport. He deserves it. His name deserves to be ubiquitous. And when he retires from full-time racing, you will always remember his contributions to the sport, as you sit in your Jimmie Johnson Recliner, sipping a beer from the Jimmie Johnson Beer Stein, flipping from channel to channel with the Jimmie Johnson TV Remote.

When you have decided what you will be naming after Jimmie, tweet it to myself, @nascarcasm, using the hashtag #NamedAfterJimmie. Also, there must be signage. It can be a label from a common household label maker, a printout attached with tape, or scrawled on a Post-It note. We’ll aggregate and share several of them on NASCAR.com in a few weeks’ time. You can read them on your Jimmie Johnson Commemorative Tablet or Jimmie Johnson Honorary Laptop.

I’ll start. I give you the Jimmie Johnson Ceiling Fan…

Photo1 Jj Named Things

The Jimmie Johnson Shower Poof …

Photo2jj Named Things

The Jimmie Johnson Commemorative “Rock Me Amadeus” On Vinyl …

Photo3 Jj Named Things

And the Jimmie Johnson Commemorative Confused Dog …

Photo4 Jj Named Things

… and now it’s your turn. Pick an item, any item, slap some signage on it, and tweet it to @nascarcasm using the hashtag #NamedForJimmie.

Our hope is that we can provide a proper sendoff to a driver who absolutely deserves it. Let’s name as many things as possible. Years from now, as you’re sitting on your Jimmie Johnson Beanbag, reading your Jimmie Johnson Commemorative Copy Of “Twilight,” you’ll remember that you were part of something special. Enough from me. Get to naming!

Posted on by Staff Report

Erik Jones will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021, the team announced Thursday night.

Jones, 24, is in the midst of his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 after spending his rookie season with the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. The two organizations had an alliance, and Jones moved into the No. 20 after his rookie campaign.

RELATED: Keep up with latest Silly Season action

“I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said in the team release. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.”

The Michigan native has won two races in NASCAR’s premier series — at Daytona International Speedway in 2018 and at Darlington Raceway in 2019. His best finish in the final points standings was 15th in 2018. He came in 16th last season and currently ranks 18th with six races remaining in the 2020 regular season.

Jones’ 2020 contract was a one-year deal he signed late in the 2019 season.

“We appreciate all Erik has done for Joe Gibbs Racing over the past several years,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “He joined us as a teenager and has accomplished so much in his time here and we remain focused on the remainder of this season and earning him a spot in the playoffs.”

Jones has been in the Toyota pipeline for eight years, getting his first national series start in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2013 with Kyle Busch Motorsports. In fact, Busch — a teammate to Jones at Joe Gibbs Racing — helped bring Jones in to the Toyota camp. Known for his eye for talent, Busch took note of Jones’ skill behind the wheel in a late model race in 2012. When Jones bested Busch to win the prestigious Snowball Derby months later as a 16-year-old, he found himself in the Gander Trucks series on a part-time basis the next season.

Jones would won the Gander Trucks championship in 2015, his first full-time season in that series. It called for a promotion to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he won four races in 2016 — his lone full-time Xfinity Series season.

“Erik has been an incredible friend to Toyota throughout the last eight years,” said Ed Laukes, Group Vice President, Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “We’ve become close not only to Erik, but to his entire family. We’ve celebrated together, we’ve cried together and we’ve supported each other through it all. Unfortunately, the time has come that we have to part ways from a competitive standpoint. We know Erik will continue to do great things in this sport and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. We will certainly continue to follow his career and will be there to congratulate him as he continues to succeed.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

With only six races remaining to set the 10-driver NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series playoff field, there is good reason to expect tight and intense racing in Friday night’s Henry Ford Health System 200 (6 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway. But then again, putting it all on the line is the very essence of this series – as the championship driver standings will indicate.

RELATED: Michigan weekend schedule | NASCAR on TV this week

Hattori Racing Enterprises driver Austin Hill is not only the series standings leader – by 43 points over Ben Rhodes – he is also the defending Michigan race winner, earning a .125-second victory over Sheldon Creed last summer in an overtime thriller. Hill brings a 2020 series-best nine top-10 finishes and a series-high 186 laps led to Michigan.

All three of those drivers – Hill, Rhodes and Creed – return to the fast 2-miler assured of their playoff opportunities, but that’s not the case for a pair of otherwise heavy championship favorites who are still in need of a victory or a major points boost.

Defending series champion Matt Crafton punched his playoff ticket two weeks ago, winning at Kansas Speedway, but a pair of annual championship contenders – former series champion Johnny Sauter and 2019 Championship Four competitor Stewart Friesen – are still below the playoff cutline.

Sauter is ranked 12th, 53 points behind 10th-place Todd Gilliland. Sauter, the 2016 Gander Truck Series champion, won at Michigan in 2014 and was race runner-up in 2018. The driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford finished 12th there last year.

Friesen, driver of the No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota, is ranked 14th – 71 points behind the cutoff line. He has a pair of career-best eighth-place finishes in three starts at Michigan. His best showing this season is fourth place at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished 27th and 34th in the two series’ most recent two races at Kansas.

Tyler Ankrum, the 18-year old considered one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the sport, is ranked 11th in the championship standings coming to Michigan, only 22 points behind 10th-place Gilliland and 27 points behind ninth-place Derek Kraus. Ankrum was leading at Michigan with four laps remaining last summer when he was collected in a nine-truck crash that forced overtime.

Gilliland’s best Michigan finish is fifth in 2018. He led 14 laps last year but was also caught in the same late race crash as Ankrum. This will be the 18-year old Kraus’s Michigan debut.

Beyond positioning themselves among the playoff favorites, several of the highest-ranked drivers in the standings are still looking for that first victory of the season to send them into title contention on a high note.

Hill (Kansas), Grant Enfinger (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway), Creed (Kentucky Speedway) and now Crafton (Kansas) are the only series regulars with victories. Meaning six of the 10 playoff positions will be filled based on points standings unless a new – championship eligible driver – wins over the next six races.

Former series champion Brett Moffitt is among those seemingly secure in the championship standings but still looking for a victory guarantee. His two wins at Michigan (2016 and 2018) make him the winningest driver in Friday night’s field. He has finished in the top five in three of his four Michigan starts. He is fifth in the points standings.

Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 ThorSport Ford, can also be counted among the highly motivated this weekend. His eight top-10 finishes this season are second only to Hill’s nine. The 23-year old Kentucky native has a pair of top-10 finishes at Michigan, including a best of sixth place twice (2016 and 2018). He was 23rd last year.

Posted on by Staff Report

The starting lineup for Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway (4 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — the first of two races at the 2-mile track — has been set.

Joey Logano will start from the pole position, while Denny Hamlin will start alongside him on the the front row for the 156-lap, 312-mile race.

RELATED: Point standings after New Hampshire | Weekend schedule for Michigan

The lineup for the race was determined by a random draw, with NBC Sports announcing the results online. The parameters for the draw were as follows:

  • Positions 1-12 determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-39: will be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points

Starting next week, a new lineup formula will be in effect.

Here is a look at the full lineup:

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
2 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
3 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
4 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske
6 Alex Bowman 88 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
8 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Clint Bowyer 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
10 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
12 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
14 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
15 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing
16 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
17 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
19 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
20 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
21 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
22 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
23 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
24 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
25 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
26 JJ Yeley 27 Rick Ware Racing
27 Brennan Poole 15 Premium Motorsports
28 James Davison 51 Petty Ware Raicng
29 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
30 Reed Sorenson 74 Spire Motorsports
31 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
32 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
33 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing
34 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
35 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
36 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
37 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
39 Joey Gase 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR officials announced Thursday that all three national series will use a ‘choose rule’ for restarts except at road courses and the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega. The procedure will be in place starting with Cup Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events scheduled this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

The rule was first used at the national series level in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on July 15. The first points-paying Cup Series race for the restart procedure will be Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (4 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM), the first of two events in a Cup Series weekend doubleheader at the 2-mile Michigan track.

RELATED: New lineup formula revealed | What is the choose rule?

The ‘choose rule’ procedure — which had previously been limited to local and weekly racing competition — offers a strategy play that gives drivers the option to start on either the inside or outside lane in a double-file restart. Drivers can opt for the preferred groove or make a bid for track position in the non-preferred lane.

In Bristol’s All-Star event, race officials painted an orange “V” and box as a designated commitment point not far from the start-finish line on the track’s frontstretch. Competition officials indicated that the same marking will be used at Michigan and beyond.

“It will essentially look the same,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “There will be a few subtle differences to handle wave-arounds and free passes and a full field of cars, which we didn’t have at the All-Star event. But it will look very much the same. It will be exactly the same up front, but just some subtleties to handle wave-around, free pass and things like that.”

RELATED: NASCAR sets remaining 2020 schedule

The rules will be in effect for all the remaining events except for the road courses/rovals and Daytona and Talladega, two superspeedways where aerodynamic drafting is most prominent. Miller said the reasons for excluding the ‘choose rule’ process from those venues differ.

“There’s a couple of differences for each one of them,” Miller said. “For superspeedways, as we have all seen in the past, teamwork is kind of a key thing, whether that be between cars of the same manufacturer or cars of the same team, and if we have the choose rule there, we would just sort of be enabling them to get together much easier on a restart, and we feel like it’s probably much better to have that happen organically with a standard starting procedure.

“Road courses are a little bit different situation. We will get the field to choose at the call from the tower of ‘one to go,’ and we do that sometimes at remote locations on a road course so we can get back to green quicker, and we wouldn’t have the ability to sort of manage the choose with the remote ‘one to go’ location, so we won’t be able to manage that so we opted out on the road courses.”

As with the All-Star Race, if a driver fails to commit to a lane before the painted box or change lanes after the mark, the driver would be penalized by restarting at the tail end of the longest line. The choose rule will also not be in effect for the initial start of each race.

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR officials announced Thursday that starting lineups and pit-stall selection will be determined using a competition-based formula, eliminating the random-draw element from all three national series through the end of the season.

The changes are set to take effect for the NASCAR tripleheader weekend scheduled Aug. 15-16 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

The formula will use three performance metrics, which will be weighted and averaged to determine the lineup and pit selection order:

  • Finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%)
  • Ranking in team owner points standings (35%)
  • Fastest lap from the previous race (15%)

The competition-based formula will also bring with it the awarding of the Busch Pole Award in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Cometic Gaskets Pole Award in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Since NASCAR returned to racing in May after a two-month shutdown because of the COVID-19 outbreak, only one race — the Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 — has been held with qualifying. Competition officials announced July 21 that racing would continue without pre-race practice or qualifying through the end of the year, a measure intended to limit at-track exposure for drivers, crew, safety personnel and officials.

RELATED: Chicane added to Daytona Road Course | NASCAR sets remainder of 2020 schedule 

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set either by random draws according to groups ranked by team owner points or — in the case of consecutive events for a series at the same track — by an inversion of the top 20 finishers from the previous race. Pit stall selection had previously been determined by the finishing order from each series’ most recent race.

Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said the new structure would draw on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

“We kind of consulted the playoff teams and then a few other ones as to what would be the best way to go,” Miller said. “We beat up several different things and feel really good where we landed. We feel like where we landed kind of serves both ends of the field — the perennial front-runners and then the rest of the cars still will have an opportunity to improve their starting spot. We feel like these metrics actually serve the field pretty well.”

RELATED: Choose rule in effect at most races starting at Michigan

Current rules that include the grouped random draw will remain in place for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series events at Michigan International Speedway, plus the Xfinity Series’ Saturday visit to Road America. Miller said competition officials stressed the importance of implementing the new lineup formula before the playoffs began in each series, allowing some time for officials to make tweaks to the system as needed before each circuit decides its championship.

“We want the experience. We want the teams to get used to it,” Miller said. “Anything that we may need to slightly adjust, we would like to have all that fine-tuned by the time we get to the playoffs.”

The points standings for each series are reset at the start of the postseason and again after each round of the playoffs are completed. Therefore, those resets will keep championship-eligible drivers at the front of the field when the starting lineups are calculated in the playoffs.

The new procedure is just the latest shift in what’s been an unprecedented season of adaptation to hold races after the coronavirus outbreak. Competition officials and crew chiefs had previously held virtual meetings by teleconference for the starting lineup draws, and on-track time and team rosters have been streamlined in an effort to restrict the disease’s spread.

“It’s been a heck of an industry-wide cooperative effort to be able to get us here,” Miller said, acknowledging the flexibility of NASCAR’s partners to operate under pandemic conditions. “These changes, especially the lineup one, when we did the random draw thing in the beginning, we looked at that as temporary. I think we all looked at and hoped — had our fingers crossed — that COVID was going to be a short-term thing. Well, it’s turned out to be obviously quite the opposite of that. So leading into the playoffs, it was just apparent to us that the random draw thing had served us well, but the playoffs needed something different, for sure.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR driver Spencer Davis revealed Thursday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Davis will miss Friday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Henry Ford Health System 200 at Michigan International Speedway. He was set to field the No. 11 truck for his Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series team but the team has withdrawn from the event.

Davis is required to meet three criteria — established by NASCAR officials since the sport returned to action in May after the coronavirus outbreak — in order to return. The requirements include two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart, an absence of symptoms and medical clearance from a physician.

Davis has made nine Gander Trucks starts in the series this year with a best finish of 12th in his first start of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 21-year-old has 18 career Gander Trucks starts over the past three years.

Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson became the first NASCAR driver to report a positive coronavirus test on July 3. Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier served as his substitute in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet. Johnson missed one race before being cleared to return.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2020) – NASCAR today announced the final installment of events in the revised 2020 schedule, including the full Playoffs schedule for all three national series.

In the NASCAR Cup Series, all 10 playoff venues and dates will remain intact from the original 2020 schedule, with the postseason kicking off at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 6 (NBCSN, 6 p.m. ET) and culminating with the crowning of a champion for the first time at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, Nov. 8 (NBC, 3 p.m. ET).

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, one new venue, Talladega Superspeedway, has been added as the second race in the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 3 (NBCSN, 4:30 p.m. ET) while Bristol Motor Speedway moves to the regular season finale on Friday, Sept. 18 (NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET). The Playoffs will now begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 26 (NBCSN, 7:30 p.m. ET).

RELATED: Rest of 2020 schedule set for all three national series

The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will visit two new venues during the series’ playoff run – Kansas Speedway on Friday, Oct. 16 (FS1, 7 p.m. ET) and Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 25 (FS1, Noon ET), which is the new date for the race from Texas that was postponed on Friday, March 27. Bristol Motor Speedway will now serve as the Playoffs opener for the Gander Trucks on Thursday, Sept. 17 (FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET). Finally, the Gander Trucks will visit Richmond Raceway on Thursday, Sept. 10 (FS1, 8 p.m. ET) for the regular season finale – fulfilling the race that was originally scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 18.

NASCAR’s modified event procedures and protocols were designed in accordance with public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. NASCAR will determine if fans are allowed entrance to NASCAR events on a market-by-market basis, in accordance with local and state guidelines.

The final installment of the 2020 schedule is as follows. Note: Playoff opening races are in bold type.

Date Track Series Distance Network Start Time (ET)
Sat., Sept. 5 Darlington Xfinity 200 mi NBC 12:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 6 Darlington Gander Trucks 200 mi FS1 2 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 6 Darlington Cup 501 mi NBCSN 6 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 10 Richmond Gander Trucks 187 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 11 Richmond Xfinity 187 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 12 Richmond Xfinity 187 mi NBCSN 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 12 Richmond Cup 300 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 17 Bristol Gander Trucks 107 mi FS1 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 17 Bristol ARCA 107 mi FS1 9:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 18 Bristol Xfinity 160 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 19 Bristol Cup 266 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 25 Las Vegas Gander Trucks 201 mi FS1 9 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 26 Las Vegas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 27 Las Vegas Cup 400 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3 Talladega Gander Trucks 250 mi FS1 1 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3 Talladega Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 4 Talladega Cup 500 mi NBC 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 10 Charlotte Roval Xfinity 155 mi NBC 3:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 11 Charlotte Roval Cup 253 mi NBC 2:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 16 Kansas Gander Trucks 200 mi FS1 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 16 Kansas ARCA 150 mi FS2 10 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 17 Kansas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 3 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 18 Kansas Cup 400 mi NBC 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 24 Texas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 25 Texas Gander Trucks 220 mi FS1 Noon
Sun., Oct. 25 Texas Cup 501 mi NBCSN 3:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 30 Martinsville Gander Trucks 105 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 31 Martinsville Xfinity 131 mi NBC 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 1 Martinsville Cup 263 mi NBC 2 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 6 Phoenix Gander Trucks 150 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 7 Phoenix ARCA West 100 mi TrackPass 2 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 7 Phoenix Xfinity 200 mi NBCSN 5 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 8 Phoenix Cup 312 mi NBC 3 p.m.

The NASCAR Cup Series continues with a pair of races this weekend, Saturday, Aug. 8 and Sunday, Aug. 9, at Michigan International Speedway. Saturday’s race will air live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio while Sunday’s tilt will start at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

*The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races at Darlington (Sept. 6) and Kansas (Oct. 16) have been realigned from Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and Eldora Speedway, respectively. The NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Richmond (Sept. 12) and Talladega (Oct. 3) have been realigned from Michigan and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, respectively.

Schedule times, dates and locations are subject to change.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced the final installment of the 2020 schedule on Thursday, a 30-race stretch for all three national series that starts with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Sept. 5 at Darlington Raceway and ends with the NASCAR Cup Series championship race on Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

The 10-race schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs remains as originally planned, beginning on Sept. 6 at Darlington, but changes have been made to the Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series schedules. 

2020 NASCAR schedules: NASCAR Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series

For the Xfinity Series, a regular-season race on Sept. 12 at Richmond Raceway and a Round of 12 playoff race on Oct. 3 at Talladega Superspeedway have been added — the events are realigned from Michigan International Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, respectively. The Xfinity Series has made Talladega an annual stop on the schedule since 1992, but this year will mark the first time the Alabama track has hosted two races in a given season.

Additionally, the Xfinity Series playoff opener has been moved to Sept. 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Final installment of 2020 schedule announced

In the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, changes include a regular-season race on Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway and the Round of 8 opener on Oct. 16 at Kansas Speedway, with those races realigned from Canadian Tire Motorsports Motorsport Park and Eldora Speedway, respectively. The Gander Trucks playoffs will kick off Sept. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

The addition of Darlington to the Gander Trucks schedule marks the series’ first event at the historic track in more than nine years. The tour has run six times at the South Carolina oval (2001-04; 2010-11).

The final schedule also includes two ARCA Menards Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, plus an ARCA Menards West Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: No practice, qualifying for remainder of 2020 events

“The one fortunate part of this latter part of the season and the playoffs is we were able to keep the original tracks and dates intact when it came to the Cup Series, but definitely they have had to be flexible with integrating some of the other series into those events so that they had a good championship schedule as well,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “It has been again, just like everything else, just a lot of great teamwork between the teams, NASCAR and the venues.”

NASCAR’s modified event procedures and protocols have been finalized in accordance with public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. NASCAR will determine if fans are allowed entrance to NASCAR Cup Series races on a market-by-market basis, in accordance with local and state guidelines.

See the full schedule for all three series below. Playoff openers are bolded. 

Date Track Series Distance Network Start Time (ET)
Sat., Sept. 5 Darlington Xfinity 200 mi NBC 12:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 6 Darlington Gander Trucks 200 mi FS1 2 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 6 Darlington Cup 501 mi NBCSN 6 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 10 Richmond Gander Trucks 187 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 11 Richmond Xfinity 187 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 12 Richmond Xfinity 187 mi NBCSN 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 12 Richmond Cup 300 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 17 Bristol Gander Trucks 107 mi FS1 7:30 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 17 Bristol ARCA Menards 107 mi FS1 9:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 18 Bristol Xfinity 160 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 19 Bristol Cup 266 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 25 Las Vegas Gander Trucks 201 mi FS1 9 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 26 Las Vegas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 27 Las Vegas Cup 400 mi NBCSN 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3 Talladega Gander Trucks 250 mi FS1 1 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3 Talladega Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 4 Talladega Cup 500 mi NBC 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 10 Charlotte Roval Xfinity 155 mi NBC 3:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 11 Charlotte Roval Cup 253 mi NBC 2:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 16 Kansas Gander Trucks 200 mi FS1 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 16 Kansas ARCA Menards 150 mi FS2 10 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 17 Kansas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 3 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 18 Kansas Cup 400 mi NBC 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 24 Texas Xfinity 300 mi NBCSN 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 25 Texas Gander Trucks 220 mi FS1 Noon
Sun., Oct. 25 Texas Cup 501 mi NBCSN 3:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 30 Martinsville Gander Trucks 105 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 31 Martinsville Xfinity 131 mi NBC 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 1 Martinsville Cup 263 mi NBC 2 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 6 Phoenix Gander Trucks 150 mi FS1 8 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 7 Phoenix ARCA Menards West 100 mi TrackPass 2 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 7 Phoenix Xfinity 200 mi NBCSN 5 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 8 Phoenix Cup 312 mi NBC 3 p.m.

 

Posted on by Press Release

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League (eNHPL) Season 2 will come to an epic conclusion on Wednesday, Aug. 19 as both the drivers and teams championship will be decided in one night of intense esports competition. There is a total of $70,000 on the line in the eNHPL Championship Finale for the competitors, with the ultimate driver champion taking home $30,000.

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The full grid of 28 eNHPL drivers will take the flag using ASUS gaming PCs and Fanatec steering wheels for three back-to-back races that will determine the destination of the championships.

Originally planned to be held as an in-person live event, the outbreak of COVID-19 has dictated that the eNHPL Championship Finale will now be held online with all of the drivers racing on the PC version of the newly release NASCAR Heat 5, the video game officially licensed by NASCAR. This marks the first time in series history that all drivers will be competing on the same platform in the same race.

RELATED: More eNASCAR coverage at eNASCAR.com

ASUS has been named as the official gaming hardware of eNASCAR and will provide each of the drivers with ASUS ROG Strix G15CK PC, ASUS ROG Strix PG248 monitor and ASUS ROG Strix GO 2.4 headset for the championship showdown.

Speaking about the new partnership with the eNHPL, Gary Key, Senior Director of Marketing at ASUS commented: “The eNASCAR Heat Pro League is leading the charge in bringing an unparalleled esports experience to race fans and motorsports professionals alike in this thrilling conclusion of the championship series. As the official gaming hardware partner for eNASCAR, ASUS is excited to expand its longstanding gaming legacy by supporting passionate racing fans, talent and dedicated esports communities with the tools they need to compete at their best and win.”

The drivers will also be using the Fanatec ClubSport Steering Wheel, officially licensed by NASCAR, which elevates the driving experience to the next level with its realistic 350 mm diameter.

Thomas Jackermeier, CEO of Fanatec, said: “The eNASCAR Heat Pro League has shown us that no matter what is going on in the world, competitive racing can still continue and prosper. We’re proud to work with Motorsport Games and their community of NASCAR fans, bringing one of the most intense racing series to the global esports stage, culminating in the Championship Finale race later this month. Fanatec will continue to support the series with our NASCAR-licensed products for many years to come.”

The eNASCAR Heat Pro League, a collaboration between Motorsport Games, the Race Teams Alliance and NASCAR, gives esports racers the chance to drive for one of 14 official eNHPL teams.

“It’s been a thrill to watch the eNASCAR Heat Pro League continue to grow in its second season and the championship race will mark yet another key milestone,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer. “Having all 28 eNHPL drivers on track at the same time will be exciting for fans and competitors alike and wouldn’t be possible without ASUS’s incredible products and partnership.”

The eNHPL Championship Finale will be broadcast live online via motorsport.tv, the NASCAR Heat Facebook and Twitch accounts, eNASCAR.com, as well as taped delayed on MAVTV in the USA and on REV TV in Canada.

Heading into the finale, eight drivers have the chance to claim the individual eNHPL championship while the team’s title is still wide open. There will be three races on the night, each with a full grid of 28 drivers. The two lowest-finishing Driver’s Championship contenders will be eliminated from the running at the end of each race, meaning that the final shoot out will be between the four fastest drivers to advance through the first two events. Meanwhile, the Team’s Championship will be determined by points scored across the entire season.

Season 2 began in January with draft qualifying where the teams closely monitored the drivers to make their selection for the year. Once the draft was complete, three segments of three races were held with the top finisher on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One earning a place in the Championship Finale. Two further places were then secured via the Wild Card race.

The drivers competing for the Championship will be:

  • Justin Brooks, JTG Daugherty Throttlers
  • Daniel Buttafuoco, Germain Gaming
  • Maxwell Castro, Chip Ganassi Gaming
  • Slade Gravitt, Wood Brothers Gaming
  • Brandyn Gritton, Stewart-Haas eSports
  • Josh Harbin, Leavine Family Gaming
  • Josh Parker, Gibbs Gaming
  • Brian Tedeschi, Team Penske eSports

The current eNHPL Team standings:

  1. Germain Gaming – 625
  2. JTG Daugherty Throttlers – 563
  3. Wood Brothers Gaming – 551
  4. Stewart-Haas eSports – 522
  5. Chip Ganassi Gaming – 508
  6. Team Penske eSports – 481
  7. Gibbs Gaming – 474
  8. Petty eSports – 457
  9. Leavine Family Gaming – 454
  10. RCR eSports – 448
  11. Roush Fenway Gaming – 441
  12. Hendrick Motorsports GC – 437
  13. JR Motorsports – 395
  14. GoFas Gaming – 384

NASCAR Heat 5 is available now on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X and on PC via Steam. The game delivers the ultimate NASCAR video game experience, with 34 authentic tracks across the country in single player, two-player split screen, and online multiplayer for up to 40 racers.

To stay up to date with the latest news about NASCAR Heat follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.