Jayski's® NASCAR Sprint Cup News (2024)

NASCAR announces 2016 Sprint Cup schedule; reaches 5 year agreement with tracks: NASCAR announced agreements with 23 tracks to field NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for the next five years. Additionally, 24 tracks will host NASCAR XFINITY Series races through 2020.
NASCAR also announced its 2016 schedule for both of these national series. The schedule and actual placement of the dates within each given season's schedule beyond 2016 will be part of the on-going discussions between NASCAR and the tracks. Details are being finalized for the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule to be announced at a later time.
"NASCAR and the tracks take seriously our collective responsibility to the fans and each stakeholder to ensure the sport is healthy, strong and growing, so we can deliver great racing to the fans for many decades to come," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "The live event experience always will be important to creating a lifetime fan in NASCAR. Among the goals that we set out to accomplish with our track partners was to provide consistency for race fans and the industry stakeholders. We feel like we have a nice balance of that for 2016. The stability of five-year agreements positions us well to deliver fans with schedules as early as possible over the next several years. This is a new approach for our industry, and one that benefits everyone: fans, tracks, teams, drivers, OEMs, media and partners."
NASCAR will kick off the 2016 season against the new backdrop of a completely reimagined Daytona International Speedway. DAYTONA Rising, the speedway's $400 million redevelopment project, will be complete when both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series launch at Daytona Speedweeks. The 2016 DAYTONA 500 will be held on February 21 and will air live on FOX. After the DAYTONA 500, NASCAR events will be held the following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Both series then will travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway for the return of NASCAR Goes West.(NASCAR), see the complete Sprint Cup schedule on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule page and XFINITY on the 2016 Xfinity Series Schedule page.(10-26-2015)

Dover announces 2016 race dates: Dover International Speedway officials have announced that NASCAR will return to the Monster Mile in 2016 for two tripleheader weekends on May 13-15 and Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The May 13-15, 2016 weekend will feature a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, May 13; a NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, May 14; and a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, May 15. The Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2016 weekend will feature a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30; a NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1; and the "AAA 400" NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 2. The "AAA 400" on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 will again be the third race of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and feature the first four eliminations in the 16-driver field. It will be the third straight year that the Monster Mile will host the first elimination race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff. Tickets are on sale now for the May 13-15 NASCAR tripleheader weekend and deposits of as low as 10% can be made on tickets for the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 races.(Dover Speedway)(10-21-2015)

Atlanta announces 2016 race date; "Perfect Weather Guarantee": NASCAR racing will make its thunderous return to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2016 with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Weekend Feb. 26-28. The Speedway today announced several great new benefits for fans attending the weekend event. The 2016 NASCAR Weekend has become more affordable and fan-friendly than ever. The majority of grandstand seat prices have been reduced, and no ticket to the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is priced at more than $99, with seats starting as low as $39. The new ticket prices represent an overall average reduction of 15 percent from previous levels. Along with reduced ticket prices, Atlanta Motor Speedway has introduced a "Perfect Race Weather Guarantee." The all-new policy offers fans options in the event that inclement weather prevents them from attending the race. If the daytime high temperature in Hampton, Georgia on Saturday or Sunday of race weekend fails to reach at least 50 degrees as observed by the National Weather Service, or if weather issues postpone the day's activities to a different day and fans are unable to attend on the rescheduled date, fans who do not enter the admission gates on the day the event is held will receive an account credit for the full price of their tickets. Credits can be applied to any future AMS event or events in 2016 or the 2017 NASCAR Weekend. Also new in 2016, Atlanta Motor Speedway is rolling out the ultra-affordable "Good," "Better" and "Best" ticket packages that offer unbeatable weekend deals. Another fan-favorite experience available now is the Champions Suite, which offers an indoor, climate-controlled atmosphere, a pre-race pit pass, individual reserved seating, TVs, dedicated restrooms, a delicious food and beverage buffet and much more.(AMS)(10-13-2015)

Texas Motor Speedway Announces 2016 Racing Schedule: Texas Motor Speedway will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016 by continuing to hold the distinction as the only motorsports venue that has hosted all three top-tier NASCAR Series and the Verizon IndyCar Series since its inception. The 2016 schedule will feature two races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series to go along with the only stop in Texas for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Duck Commander 500 NASCAR doubleheader in April and AAA Texas 500 NASCAR tripleheader in November will sandwich the traditional INDYCAR/NASCAR doubleheader in June.
The season will open April 7-9 with the Duck Commander 500 weekend featuring the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series. The weekend is highlighted by qualifying for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series as well as the XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday, April 8, and the first Saturday night race of the Sprint Cup season with the Duck Commander 500 on April 9.
The Firestone 600 enjoys its 20th anniversary as an INDYCAR/NASCAR combination event dating to Texas Motor Speedway's inaugural year in 1997 when it returns June 9-11. The weekend features qualifying day for the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday, June 10, that will be followed that evening by the running of the Camping World Truck Series Rattlesnake 400. The Firestone 600, the weekend's marquee event known as "America's Original Nighttime IndyCar Race," will run on Saturday, June 11.
The Texas Motor Speedway racing season concludes Nov. 3-6 with a NASCAR tripleheader that includes a pivotal Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in the Eliminator Round of the playoff-style format. The AAA Texas 500, set for Sunday, Nov. 6, will be the middle event of the three-race segment (Martinsville and Phoenix are the other races) that will determine the four drivers of the eight remaining in championship contention that will earn the right to vie for the Sprint Cup Series crown at the season finale in Homestead.
The race weekend also features Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series qualifying followed by the Camping World Truck Series Longhorn 350 race on Friday, Nov. 4., and XFINITY Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge qualifying and race on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Season tickets go on sale beginning Monday, Nov. 2, and start as low as $199 for adults and $139 for children 12 and under. Individual tickets for the Duck Commander 500 and Firestone 600 weekends go on sale Feb. 12 and the on-sale date for the 2016 AAA Texas 500 weekend will be announced at a later date. For more information, contact the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(10-3-2015)

Phoenix announces Sprint race date; tickets on sale Tickets for the Camping World 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend, scheduled for March 11-13, 2016 at Phoenix International Raceway, go on sale Friday, Oct. 2. Tickets start at just $25 and may be purchased by visiting PhoenixRaceway.com or by calling 866-408-RACE (7223). For the second-consecutive season, PIR's Spring race date coincides with Spring Break for nearly every school district and college in Arizona, making the Camping World 500 an ideal entertainment destination. Additionally, the race weekend will take place during Major League Baseball's Spring Training season. The Cactus League will once again feature 15 MLB teams across the Valley of the Sun. Headlining the race weekend, the Camping World 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will take place on Sunday, March 13, 2016. The race will again be a part of NASCAR's "West Coast Swing," in which America's premier racing series will compete in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles in consecutive weeks. The Camping World 500 event weekend also features the Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, March 12 and Gatorade Pole Qualifying for the Camping World 500 on Friday, March 11.(PIR)(10-2-2015)

Chicagoland Speedway will remain first Chase race in 2016: Chicagoland Speedway announced that they will once again host the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2016. The September 15-18 weekend will feature all three of NASCAR's premier series, with the addition of the ARCA Racing Series on Thursday night. For the sixth consecutive season, Chicagoland Speedway will kick off the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Sept. 15-18, with four consecutive days of action packed racing. As the entire "Chase Week" line up of activities in and around the Chicago area continues to grow year after year, the addition of the ARCA Racing Series on Thursday night under the lights will provide guests an even more action-packed, full week experience. The 2016 season will also mark the 15th Anniversary celebration of Chicagoland Speedway. Plans are underway to deliver an amazing lineup of event content and year-round programming for our fans to enjoy as part of this special celebration. Details will be shared throughout the coming months on events and activities tied to this milestone anniversary event. Tickets will go on-sale Monday, October 5 for the 2016 Season.(Chicagoland Speedway)(9-29-2015)

Pocono announces 2016 race dates; addition of XFINITY race: Pocono Raceway will host two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends in 2016. The Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 race weekend from June 3-5, will feature the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the inaugural 250-mile NASCAR XFINITY Series race and the Pocono 200 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards race. The Pennsylvania 400 race weekend from July 29 - 31, will feature the Pennsylvania 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Pocono Mountains 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Modspace 125 ARCA race. The newest addition to Pocono Raceway's 2016 NASCAR schedule is the NASCAR XFINITY Series race scheduled for Saturday, June 4. This race will be the first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held at the 2.5-mile, triangular-shaped track and the first time NASCAR's second-tier series has raced in Pennsylvania since 2004 (Nazareth Speedway). "We are thrilled to bring the NASCAR XFINITY Series to Pocono Raceway," said Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President/CEO. "The fans have been asking for this to happen for several years and we are excited to share the good news with them today. Additionally, we look forward to working with everyone at Comcast, who are headquartered 90 miles south of us in Philadelphia, for next summer's inaugural race."
"From day one we've been focused on enhancing the way fans experience NASCAR and highlighting the competition and youth in the Xfinity Series," said Matt Lederer, director of Sports Brand Marketing for Comcast. "The addition of an event at Pocono Raceway in our home state of Pennsylvania will help carry the momentum built in the first year of our partnership into 2016."(Pocono Raceway)(9-29-2015)

Kentucky expects same date on next year's schedule: If there are major shakeups to next year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, a shift in date for the Kentucky Speedway won't likely be among them. Officials at the Sparta, Ky., track anticipate the Quaker State 400 again running in 2016 on the second Saturday night in July, one week after NASCAR's stop at Daytona. "We are expecting to be on the same weekend next year," Kentucky Speedway's general manager, Mark Simendinger, said Monday. "I'd be very surprised if we aren't. Nothing's official until it's official, but that's what we're all planning on." NASCAR has taken longer this year to release the upcoming slate. By the end of August 2014, the 2015 schedule was out.(Louisville Courier-Journal)(9-22-2015)

Richmond spring could be moved to Sunday UPDATE2: International Speedway Corp., is exploring the possibility of moving the start of the spring Richmond race from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, an ISC official told NBC Sports. "I'm not going to say seriously, but we are exploring it,'' said Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, who also oversees Richmond International Raceway and Darlington Raceway for International Speedway Corp. "We're always entertaining whatever can make our events better for the broadcasters, for the fans and for the competitors and that's part of it.'' There are other considerations. ISC, as part of its typical post-event critique, is examining how far Richmond's ticket holders travel to attend that race. "If we run Saturday night, there are so many fans that are not staying there or not staying on property or not staying in the region and they drive back home in the middle of the night,'' Campbell said. "How many that is versus if we did it Sunday and they could leave right after the race and drive home - that's things we need to look at and do some questioning with our fanbase.''(NBC Sports)(5-4-2015)
UPDATE: Although NASCAR is still likely weeks away from announcing the entire 2016 Cup series schedule, sources familiar with the scheduling process said the spring race at Richmond International Raceway will take place on a Sunday afternoon next season instead of Saturday night. RIR president Dennis Bickmeier confirmed on Friday that the track had put in a request to NASCAR to change its spring race date to a day event. "Now, we're just going through their process," Bickmeier said. "We'll see what comes out on the other end." The change in date will also return the Richmond spring race weekend to a more traditional three-day event, which also opens up the possibility for more extensive off-track experiences for fans on property.(Motorsport)(9-12-2015)
UPDATE2: Richmond International Raceway has asked NASCAR to move the track's spring race from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell, who also oversees RIR and Darlington Speedway in the chain of command for the International Speedway Corp., confirmed Saturday that RIR has asked for the move to day racing for its first of two races each season. Campbell said RIR President Dennis Bickmeier recently asked for the change after getting feedback from fans and discussing the possibility with Campbell. Campbell said NASCAR has not responded to the request. He said the change may be an easy decision for NASCAR, but "there are a lot of moving parts. Right now, the 2016 schedule isn't out. We have to see that, too." RIR has scheduled two Saturday night races - the only track with a pair of prime-time events - since 1998. Campbell said moving RIR's first race to Sunday daytime "helps differentiate the two races from each other."The annual September event has its own cachet as the final race before NASCAR's postseason Chase for the Sprint Cup begins. "This is a big event on its own," Campbell said. "Putting the spring race in the daytime would help it stand out as something special on its own."(Richmond Times Dispatch)(9-14-2015)

LVMS to sell single-day tickets for 2016 NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering single-day tickets to the three days of NASCAR events culminating in the Kobalt 400 race in 2016. Tickets each day of the NASCAR Weekend go on sale Monday, Sept. 14. The scheduled includes Stratosphere Pole Day on March 4, Boyd Gaming 300 on March 5, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, Kobalt 400, on March 6, 2016. Tickets for RV parking, the Neon Garage, Lucky 7 preferred parking, driver introductions and bus passes are available at lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster. LVMS noted the track saw a strong ticket-renewal season for all of the events of Las Vegas' NASCAR Weekend.(KVVU)(9-9-2015)

No Cup race planned for Iowa: "It is not being discussed," Jimmy Small, Iowa Speedway President said. "I've never had a single conversation alluding to that possibility." The question of when is Iowa Speedway going to hold a NASCAR Sprint Cup race came bubbling back to the top over the weekend following the Speedway's final race weekend of the 2015 season. There was quite the buzz on social media from NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Saturday night. Those drivers took to Twitter after watching Ryan Blaney and the rest of the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers compete in the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. "We got a great race on Saturday night - which is no different than almost every race here - and all the (Sprint Cup) drivers were watching it. They want to race here. Our fans want that (Sprint Cup) race here. We want what our fans want, so obviously, we are in support of it," Small said Tuesday afternoon. Those tweeted comments from drivers set off threads on each one's Twitter accounts. All talking up Iowa Speedway in Newton and the caliber of racing produced by the 7/8-mile track, plus which currect Sprint Cup race moved from a track to make room for Iowa. Small said there is no realistic consideration being given to bringing a Sprint Cup race to Iowa. Small said he is going to Daytona next week to wrap up the final plans for Iowa Speedway's 2016 season. "It is not a part of our 2016 schedule, but who's to say about the future. NASCAR and IndyCar do all of their scheduling on an annual basis," Small said. "They have to because they go into major markets and want to avoid huge conflicts with other sporting and non-sporting events across the country." Small was named Iowa Speedway president a month after the France family announced NASCAR purchased the race track in November 2013. The 29-year-old Small took the reins of a race track for the first time in his career with NASCAR. Small said he and NASCAR were very clear from the beginning that a Sprint Cup race was not part of the plan for Iowa Speedway. He said this investment was made by NASCAR because the Speedway was a great facility. A year ago in his mid-season state of the sport address at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR chairman/CEO Brian France said Iowa Speedway was not on the radar for a Sprint Cup race. "On Iowa, we don't have plans for a Cup date there," France said. "We're working with the state representatives and others to help us build racing in Iowa to the highest level that we can. They're doing a great job with us, and we couldn't be more pleased with the entire effort that the communities have made in and around Iowa."(Newton Daily News)(8-5-2015)

NASCAR is considering more road courses for Sprint Cup: While there's no timetable as to when fans will see a new circuit on the schedule, the possibility is on NASCAR's radar. Sunday's event at Sonoma Raceway was further proof that NASCAR's best racing is currently on road courses. But the question remains, if road courses provide some of the best venues for stock car racing why hasn't NASCAR added more to the schedule or even considered a circuit for the Chase to the Sprint Cup? "It is something that is being considered maybe more so for a longer term basis," NASCAR executive vice president Steve O'Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday. "Obviously, the schedule is full at this point but we've really evolved and when you look at the road course action, it's almost on par with short tracks. These cars at the end of a race really look like they've been beat up and guys are getting out there and really getting after it to where I think we're putting on the best road racing in the world. It used to be where you used to bring in three to four ringers and they would finish in the top 10. Now our guys are consistently finishing up front and have proven to be the best in the world. So we really like the progress that's been made. It's certainly exciting. We share in the fans' excitement, for sure. But the teams also like the ability to have those two opportunities to win a race and achieve that spot in the Chase." O'Donnell would not put a timeline on when fans could expect a road course race in the Chase or an additional circuit on the schedule. While he acknowledge there had been "general dialogue" with Sonoma Raceway regarding the possibility of moving the Toyota/Save Mart 350 into the playoffs, O'Donnell added that the current date for the race is "really a home run for the series". Plus, track president Steve Page has been adamant that he doesn't wish to go up against the NFL. "It's really a balance for us," O'Donnell reiterated. "But it's something that we're looking at." As for expanding the 36-race schedule O'Donnell says the current number "is right for the series at this point".(Motorsport)(7-1-2015)

AMS files request for new NASCAR race date: After losing its Labor Day race date and being moved to the second race of the season, Ed Clark, president of Atlanta Motor Speedway, confirmed he has filed a formal request as part of NASCAR's schedule realignment process to move its race date to a different spot on the schedule. "Ideally, I'd like to be later and we've talked about that," Clark told Kickin' the Tires. "But I am not somebody who advocates somebody who has a good date giving up their date just to help me. It needs to be good for whatever you do. In an ideal world, I would love to see them go to the West Coast and come back to us. The way it works, they (NASCAR) send all the tracks a letter saying, 'if you desire to change your date, we need to have a formal request back" so, I did that. I didn't ask for a specific date. I just asked NASCAR to look at it. Marcus (Smith, general manager) and Bruton (Smith, CEO) pretty much handle all of that but they knew I was doing it." Clark said from a selfish standpoint he wants his track's race in a better place on the schedule. Once that happens, he said he hopes they can stick with that date to build momentum but there is no way he would want any track operator to lose a date they like. "I've always said that if I could handpick my dates, I would run the last week of April and the last week of September," Clark said. "They are beautiful weather conditions there. But we are roughly 120 miles from Talladega and you can't get those two events close together. If it was all done in a vacuum, I would never in a million years advocate taking somebody's date that they are happy with just to help us. If there was a win-win situation then, yeah, it would make sense." In the days following the Atlanta race weekend [March 1st], there was speculation and jokes the track was in a downward spiral. Speculation by some was it might lose its lone Sprint Cup Series date because of poor attendance - that caused Clark to bristle. He said Atlanta coming off the schedule has not been discussed. "Anything is a possibility but there has been no talk of it," Clark said. "And I can't see NASCAR pulling out of a traditional market, you know, that was one of the markets that built NASCAR and has so many sponsors headquartered there. There's a bunch."(Kickin' the Tires)(5-17-2015)

Richmond spring could be moved to Sunday: International Speedway Corp., is exploring the possibility of moving the start of the spring Richmond race from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, an ISC official told NBC Sports. "I'm not going to say seriously, but we are exploring it,'' said Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, who also oversees Richmond International Raceway and Darlington Raceway for International Speedway Corp. "We're always entertaining whatever can make our events better for the broadcasters, for the fans and for the competitors and that's part of it.'' There are other considerations. ISC, as part of its typical post-event critique, is examining how far Richmond's ticket holders travel to attend that race. "If we run Saturday night, there are so many fans that are not staying there or not staying on property or not staying in the region and they drive back home in the middle of the night,'' Campbell said. "How many that is versus if we did it Sunday and they could leave right after the race and drive home - that's things we need to look at and do some questioning with our fanbase.''(NBC Sports)(5-4-2015)