Finales in focus: Title race, regular-season clincher on the move

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Staff Report

The championship race in the NASCAR Cup Series season is moving tracks for the first time since the 2002 season. The regular-season finale to lock into the NASCAR Playoffs field gets a brand-new venue, too.

The location changes to those two premier races are perhaps the most impactful moves on a 2020 schedule full of them – ISM Raceway in Phoenix will host the NASCAR Cup Series championship race Nov. 8, 2020, and the regular season will conclude at historic Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29, 2020.

The move to Phoenix marks just the third time since 1986 that the season-ending race has moved tracks. The NASCAR Cup Series season has concluded at Homestead-Miami Speedway since 2002, and will do so again in 2019 before moving to ISM Raceway for 2020. Before that, the season ended at Atlanta Motor Speedway from 1987-2001; the 2001 season technically had its final race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which was postponed after 9/11.

Unlike Miami and Atlanta, two intermediate tracks, Phoenix is a 1-mile oval. It’s known for close-quarters racing and nail-biting restarts. ISM Raceway recently completed a $178 million renovation project designed to improve the at-track fan experience, and one which included a reconfiguration for the track’s start/finish line.

ISM Raceway has hosted the Round of 8 finale since the introduction of the NASCAR Playoffs elimination format in 2014, and it has served as the penultimate race of the season every year since 2005. Now, it’ll serve as host to the NASCAR Cup Series championship race for 2020.

PHOTOS: Major changes coming to 2020 season

Meanwhile, the World Center of Racing brings incredible intrigue to the regular-season finale. In the postseason era, the regular season previously has ended at Richmond Raceway (2003-2017) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2018-19).

Drivers could see their postseason standings improve — or falter — at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, which historically has held its second race of the year on Independence Day weekend and has had a number of underdog victories in its fabled history.

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Brad Norman

NASCAR unveiled a retooled 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule on Tuesday, releasing a 36-race slate that includes a reimagined Playoffs and new locations for both the Championship Race and the regular-season finale among several other changes.

For the first time since 2002, the premier series finale will have a new host track – the 1-mile ISM Raceway at Phoenix, which recently completed a $178 million renovation project designed to improve the fan experience, and one which included a reconfiguration for the track’s start/finish line.

ISM Raceway has hosted the Round of 8 finale since the introduction of the NASCAR Playoffs elimination format in 2014, and it has served as the penultimate race of the season every year since 2005.

To get to the title race in Phoenix, though, NASCAR Cup Series drivers must navigate a 10-race postseason that will see short tracks and a road course host the elimination races.

The Playoffs will open Sept. 6 at historic Darlington Raceway, whose throwback weekend has become a staple of late summer. The opening round ends at Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights, with one of the most anticipated races of the year moving from its traditional August date to Sept. 19.

The Charlotte road course remains an elimination race after its thrilling debut last year, but in the Round of 12 instead of the Round of 16. With ISM Raceway moving to the championship race, the vacancy for the Round of 8 finale slides to Martinsville Speedway. The shortest and oldest track on the NASCAR circuit has a history of producing plenty of drama in its previous high-stakes Playoffs races, something sure to amp up even more with drivers having just one final chance to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.

“The fans and the industry as a whole have been vocal about the desire for sweeping changes to the schedule, and the 2020 slate is a reflection of our efforts to execute against that feedback,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “These changes are the result of unprecedented consensus-building with our race tracks and broadcast partners; something we look to continue into 2021 and beyond.”

MORE: Daytona brings ultimate wild-card

Before the postseason, the Playoffs field will be fully set and finalized in the new-look regular-season finale at historic Daytona International Speedway, a race sure to throw a dash of unpredictability into the postseason picture.

Known for close-quarters racing and dramatic finishes during its second race of the season under the lights, the World Center of Racing has had a number of underdog winners in its history. Drivers could see their postseason standings drastically improve — or falter — at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in a prime-time Saturday night race on Aug. 29.

RELATED: Playoffs rebuilt for 2020

“Quite fittingly, the birthplace of NASCAR will host the bookend races to the 2020 regular season,” O’Donnell said. “Racing in Daytona – particularly in the summer under the lights – never fails in delivering intense and unpredictable action. There’s no question this venue will create some incredible drama as drivers make one last push for a playoff spot.”

Other notable changes to the 2020 schedule are:

• A summer stretch includes a doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway that will see back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series races on the same weekend. The first such instance in the NASCAR modern era, this doubleheader on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, also ensures the season ends one week earlier on Nov. 8.

RELATED: More on doubleheader weekend

Additional summer changes include a Cup Series race on Father’s Day, which recently has been an off weekend for the premier series. Chicagoland Speedway hosts the event, the first in the NBC portion of the schedule. With the Daytona summer race moving to the end of the regular season, Indianapolis Motor Speedway will serve as host of the July 4th weekend, a cornerstone on the NASCAR schedule. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, July 5.

“We enjoyed collaborating with NASCAR and their track partners to create what we think will be our most exciting schedule yet in 2020,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “From the iconic Bristol night race becoming part of the Playoffs, to the new home of the Championship Race at the thrilling ISM Raceway, we believe this innovative schedule will be a benefit to everyone in the industry, and, most importantly, the fans.”

• Hosting the Round of 8 finale isn’t the only change for Martinsville Speedway. The .526-mile track will host its first NASCAR national series race under the facility’s newly installed lights on Mother’s Day weekend, May 9, 2020.

MORE: Lights coming on at Martinsville

• Previously the host of the finale, Homestead-Miami Speedway’s race is slated for March 22, 2020, in the early portion of the regular season. The 1.5-mile track with variable banking produces some of the best racing all year.

• NASCAR goes West earlier this year, with the three-race West Coast swing starting immediately after the season-opening Daytona 500, with Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosting the second race of the season, followed by Auto Club Speedway and ISM Raceway.

• The four final races of the regular season are designed to test the mettle of NASCAR’s top drivers on a variety of courses. That four-race slate includes a wide 2-mile oval (Michigan), a road course (Watkins Glen), a fast, 1-mile concrete track (Dover) and a 2.5-mile superspeedway (Daytona).

“It was a tremendous collaborative effort,” said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports EVP Programming, Live Operations and Research. “Working with NASCAR to offer race fans the most compelling schedule requires a fine balance between honoring tradition, while at the same time, looking for places to add energy to the race schedule for the fans and viewers, and we believe that was accomplished for the 2020 season.”

The full NASCAR Cup Series schedule for 2020:

Date	Track
Sunday, Feb. 9	The Clash
Thursday, Feb. 13	Duels at Daytona
Sunday, Feb. 16	Daytona 500
Sunday, Feb. 23	Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 1	Auto Club Speedway
Sunday, March 8	ISM Raceway
Sunday, March 15	Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 22	Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sunday, March 29	Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, April 5	Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, April 12	OFF
Sunday, April 19	Richmond Raceway
Sunday, April 26	Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, May 3	Dover International Speedway
Saturday, May 9	Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, May 16	All-Star Race at Charlotte
Sunday, May 24	Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 31	Kansas Speedway
Sunday, June 7	Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, June 14	Sonoma Raceway
Sunday, June 21	Chicagoland Speedway
Saturday, June 27	Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 28	Pocono Raceway
Sunday, July 5	Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 11	Kentucky Speedway
Sunday, July 19	New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sunday, July 26	OFF
Sunday, Aug. 2	OFF
Sunday, Aug. 9	Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, Aug. 16	Watkins Glen International
Sunday, Aug. 23	Dover International Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 29	Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 6	Darlington Raceway
Saturday, Sept. 12	Richmond Raceway
Saturday, Sept. 19	Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 27	Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 4	Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, Oct. 11	Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 18	Kansas Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 25	Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, Nov. 1	Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, Nov. 8	ISM Raceway

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Staff Report

Let’s race two.

At Pocono Raceway, NASCAR Cup Series drivers will do just that in 2020 for the first time in NASCAR’s modern era (1972-present).

There will be two NASCAR Cup Series races on consecutive days at the “Tricky Triangle,” the first a Saturday affair and the second occurring in the track’s standard Sunday slot. The ability for drivers to clinch Playoffs spots and pad their lead in the standings — or lose significant ground — never has been higher at the 2.5-mile, three-turn track.

The Pocono doubleheader highlights a new summer stretch of racing.

Chicagoland Speedway remains the first race for NBC Sports Group, but the 1.5-mile facility will host that event on Father’s Day, one week after FOX signs off from Sonoma. Father’s Day has been an open NASCAR Cup Series race day recently, but drivers are sure to place an even greater emphasis on winning with their kids in tow and watching.

Another tradition continues with the passing of the baton from one iconic race track to another during the July 4th weekend. Indianapolis Motor Speedway moves to the cornerstone spot on the NASCAR schedule, which previously was occupied by Daytona International Speedway. Daytona will instead host the regular-season finale on Aug. 29.

PHOTOS: Overview of major changes for 2020

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Staff Report

Let there be lights.

At Martinsville Speedway, they’ll flicker on during Mother’s Day weekend for the first-ever NASCAR national series night race at the .526-mile track. Yes, we’re going night racing at Martinsville, which was on the 1949 premier series schedule in NASCAR’s first season and has stayed there ever since.

A $5 million initiative to install an LED lighting system was completed in 2017, and was turned on during that season’s Playoffs as the race stretched into dusk. But never has a race been scheduled to start under the lights until next year in May.

“That was huge,” driver Kurt Busch said at the time. “For us (drivers), short-track racing was our start at a Saturday night bullring. A flat track like Martinsville with heavy braking under the lights, it was really cool to see all of that come together.”

Now, they’ll turn on for the entirety of the race – and on the Saturday night before Mother’s Day, May 9, 2020.

PHOTOS: Major changes for 2020 schedule

Keeping with the theme of moving dates and big-time racing, the Martinsville fall race will move from the opening race of the Round of 8 to the elimination race in the Round of 8.

Those vying for a Championship 4 spot at ISM Raceway in 2020 – ISM replaces Homestead-Miami Speedway as the location for the championship race next year – will have to earn it at one of the most technical tracks on the circuit on Nov. 1, 2020.

Posted on March 26, 2019March 26, 2019 by Staff Report

A retooled NASCAR Playoffs schedule is among the highlights of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule release, with changes to all three elimination races serving as the capstone of a rebuilt postseason.

Bristol Motor Speedway, the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course and Martinsville Speedway — tracks known for producing plenty of fireworks, flared tempers and dented sheet metal — will serve as hosts for the final events in the Round of 16, Round of 12 and Round of 8, respectively.

Below is a look at the 2020 Playoffs breakdown, with the champion being decided at ISM Raceway in Phoenix:

ROUND OF 16

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs open Sept. 6 at historic Darlington Raceway, which returns to the postseason for the first time since 2004. The NASCAR throwback program that has made Darlington one of the must-watch events of the year gets some added mojo, turning the crown jewel Southern 500 into a postseason event.

From there, the series heads to Richmond Raceway for a Saturday night race. It will be Richmond’s third consecutive year hosting a playoff race.

This round ends under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway as the much-anticipated Bristol Night Race moves from its historic August date to this high-stakes elimination position, where four drivers will leave Thunder Valley out of the postseason. The necessity of tight racing, plus the opportunity to move cars out of the way on the high-banked, .533-mile oval, should make for an explosive end to the opening round.

ROUND OF 12

Las Vegas Motor Speedway remains in the Playoffs, just in a new spot. Instead of serving as the opening race for the entire postseason, Sin City will play host to the Round of 12 opener. Moving this postseason race three weeks later should make for a cooler race weekend in Las Vegas as well.

Always unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway follows Las Vegas, keeping its middle spot in the Round of 12.

The Charlotte road course, which hosted a dramatic debut with an all-timer of a finish in 2018, closes the Round of 12. As the elimination race in the Round of 16 last year, the high-stakes atmosphere led to a finish that saw Jimmie Johnson overdrive the final turn, taking out both himself and race leader Martin Truex Jr. Ryan Blaney snuck by to win the race, and Johnson was eliminated from the postseason.

ROUND OF 8

For the first time in the history of the elimination-style format, Kansas Speedway moves to the Round of 8, taking the opening spot in the three-race series. The opener, in fact, takes place at Kansas. Texas Motor Speedway keeps its same spot on the slate as the middle race in the Round of 8. That gives the Round of 8 two consecutive 1.5-mile tracks.

RELATED: Martinsville on the move

Martinsville Speedway, which has hosted some of the most memorable moments in NASCAR Playoffs history, is the Round of 8 elimination race. Yes, the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit — which in recent years has given us “We’re going to Homestead!” and “He ain’t winning the damn war” — moves to the all-important final race before the Championship 4 field is set for the Championship Race in the desert.

Posted on March 26, 2019April 1, 2021 by Staff Report

Racing has gone through quite a few changes since Danny Edwards won his first late model championship at Virginia’s Langley Speedway in 1989.

Technology has made it so getting parts for cars is as easy as making a quick phone call, whereas 30 years ago Edwards said most parts he would have to build or make himself. There’s also much more engineering involved in the building of the cars.

Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway, a 0.396-mile slightly banked asphalt oval in Hampton, Virginia, has also seen its share of changes, from remodels to repaves, the addition of concrete barriers, skyboxes and grandstands.

Langley Speedway | Facebook | Twitter

But one thing that hasn’t changed in the last three decades is Edwards’s ability to win.

Edwards won his sixth championship at Langley last year, 29 years after winning his first. The championship puts him one away from driver Phil Warren, who holds the record with seven titles.

While some competitors shy away from talking about going for records, Edwards embraces the idea fully. He said the track record will be on his mind every race this season.

“Obviously that’s kind of what we do it for,” he said. “We do it to win races and we do it to win championships, and to have fun as well. We don’t do it for a living. It’s not our full-time job. That puts us at a little bit of a disadvantage to the guys that do. The guys that have the time to spend working on their cars day-in and day-out as a full-time job. It gives them a little advantage there, but we still have the passion and want to go out there and be competitive and win races and ultimately win championships.”

Going into 2018, Edwards and his brother, Greg, were tied with five titles each before Danny Edwards, now 51 years old, was able to break the tiebreaker.

Greg will likely be his brother’s biggest competition on the track this season, with both racing out of the same garage with that record on their minds.

“It’s going to be a tough year. My brother, Greg, is always in the points and he’s a tough competitor. It’s going to be a tough road this year,” Edwards said.

Edwards began racing motocross dirt bikes as a teenager, but got the opportunity to drive a street stock car sponsored by his dad’s company in 1984, and moved up to a late model three years later. He tried to make racing a full-time job for about three years in the 1990s, running 10 races in what is now NASCAR’s Xfinity Series. Eventually he made his way back to his home track, and has been a staple there in the late model division ever since.

Danny Edwards Racing Reference | Danny Edwards Racing Facebook

The one thing Edwards said hasn’t changed that time is on the track.

“As far as the racing, it’s always racing,” he said. “Things look different, cars look a little different. The racing, through the time, although it has changed it didn’t seem like a huge progression as you’re doing it. It was just year after year things looked a little bit different. Nothing major throughout the years unless you look at it from beginning to end. It’s different but it’s the same.

“The facility and race surface (at Langley) has always been known to be a tough place to race at, and it still is, regardless of how many upgrades and changes that have come around the last 30-plus years.”

And keeping up with his younger competitors hasn’t been an issue for Edwards either. While they may have the benefits of more youthful energy, he has the advantage where it counts.

“It just takes a lot of hard work and effort. The things that I guess I have to my advantage is just the experience,” he said. “The younger guys definitely have the advantage with the youth behind them and energy and stamina and things like that, I try to stay in shape the best I can, but at 51 years old it’s a little tougher. So what we have to do is we try to stay on top of our game and use our experience to benefit us the best and keep going.

“I just keep going and doing what I do, always working on the cars and doing work and trying to stay busy and keep focused, and it’s been successful for us to do that.”

Langley will kick off the 2019 season this Saturday with late models, grand stocks, super trucks, legends and bandeleros.

Langley Speedway Schedule

The short term goal for Edwards is to win the race this weekend and every weekend, or at least run the best he can to get as many points as possible.

He’s hoping he and his team can piggy-back off of the success they saw in their championship run a year ago. If they can, it’ll help their long term goal, and hopefully put a new name in the Langley Speedway record books.

“I’m just excited to get back at it after having a good season last year,” he said. “Just trying to pick up where we left off and hope we’re in good shape to repeat. It’s going to be tough but I feel like we’re in a good position after a successful year last year. If we can just kind of build on that and keep that rolling, that’s what I’m looking forward to.

“Obviously going out and winning the championship is the goal, but for me at least I could never say that’s what we’re going to do. You have to do all the right things and everything has to kind of mesh up and everything has to work out in order for that to happen, so we’re just going to work toward that and hope by the end of the season we’re there.”

Posted on March 26, 2019January 21, 2022 by Staff Report

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is set and will be unveiled today at 4 p.m. ET exclusively on NASCAR’s digital and social media channels.

BOOKMARK: Watch live here!

So set the alarm on your smart phone and book the time off in your Outlook calendar.

WHERE TO WATCH
• NASCAR.com: www.nascar.com
• NASCAR’s Official YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/nascar
• NASCAR’s Twitter handle: http://twitter.com/nascar
• NASCAR’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NASCAR/

Tune in for the official unveil, along with reaction from four-time champion Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Ryan Blaney and reigning Monster Energy Series champion Joey Logano, insight from NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell and analysis from our experts.

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Staff Report

NASCAR Xfinity Series star Christopher Bell grew up racing on dirt. He’s part of a burgeoning group of NASCAR stars known for racing any time, any place, in any discipline.

The Oklahoma native nearly picked up a midget win in his home state last weekend, battling Jonathan Beason in a finish that had plenty of intrigue, speed … and yes, a flip.

Watch the video below to see the photo finish and the aftermath after the cars collided at the start/finish line.

https://twitter.com/SpeedShiftTV/status/1110014385722966016

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Staff Report

NASCAR fined three crew chiefs from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and one from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series for lug nuts not properly installed following the races this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

All four race teams had one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection on Saturday and Sunday.

NASCAR fined crew chiefs from the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team (Danny Stockman Jr.), No. 36 Front Row Motorsports team (Mike Kelley) and No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing team (Tristan Smith) $10,000 apiece for the infraction.

Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 to an 11th-place finish, while Ryan Preece (No. 47) finished 16th and Matt Tifft finished 29th.

Crew chief Ryan Fugle of the race-winning No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota was fined $2,500 in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Posted on March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 by Brad Norman

NASCAR announced Monday in a memo to teams a host of qualifying procedure updates, including additional deterrence measures, for all three NASCAR national series ahead of the upcoming race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

The goal: To create order on pit road and retake control of qualifying following a final round at Auto Club Speedway in which all 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers failed to make it to the start/finish line in time to log an official lap.

Starting at Texas, any driver that does not take a lap in any of the qualifying rounds will have all previously posted times in the session disallowed – which means instead of falling back on the previous round’s time, that driver would start the race from the back. Additionally, any driver who blocks pit road — at the judgment of NASCAR – in a way that prohibits other drivers from exiting pit road will incur a penalty, such as disallowing that team’s posted qualifying speed and/or disqualifying that car from additional qualifying rounds.

“The inherent problem (at Auto Club) was obviously everybody waiting to the end, and it being unorderly on the end of pit road with people blocking and playing all kinds of games,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller told NASCAR.com. “So really, we want to retake control and make order out of pit road and the way that drivers leave.

“We want to allow every competitor the chance to leave pit road when they want to leave and not be at the mercy of somebody else.”

Starting at Texas, vehicles not immediately making a qualifying attempt will be staged in a track-specific area designated by NASCAR. Once a vehicle leaves the area, it must continue directly onto the race track — it cannot stop at the end of pit road and wait in a gamesmanship play.

The structure of group qualifying will not change — meaning the first of three rounds is 10 minutes, the second round is five minutes and the third and final round is five minutes.

Miller said NASCAR reached this update in collaboration with teams and others in the industry, and there were a few options considered.

One that was not: A return to single-car qualifying at short tracks and intermediates.

“One of the things we wanted to hold true to is not to go back to single-car qualifying,” Miller said. “Single-car qualifying is two things – it’s boring and it’s expensive. It also doesn’t create a good show.

“Anytime we go on the track it should be a show. Certainly, we are in, first and foremost, the racing business. But we’re also in show business. We definitely have to provide our fans with something that’s intriguing to watch and gets them excited about coming back and watching the race.”