NASCAR adds twists, turns to Cup schedule for 2018
Responding to input from the industry and fans, NASCAR altered its postseason venues and makeup for 2018 as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule was released Tuesday.
The changes could freshen the long slog to the postseason and the playoffs themselves.
But they also created unknowns by thrusting Indianapolis Motor Speedway, scene of a much-maligned recent racing product, into a highly scrutinized portion of the season, and new, unutilized Charlotte Motor Speedway road course into the playoffs. Among the changes:
uRichmond International Raceway’s fall date will shift from the regular-season finale, moving the short track to the second race of the opening round of the 10race playoffs, on Sept. 22. RIR’s spring date will move back to Saturday night after a lackluster attendance draw at a competitive race on a Sunday this April.
“It’s clear night racing at Richmond is where we need to be,” NASCAR senior vice president of racing Jim Cassidy said in a teleconference.
uLas Vegas Motor Speedway’s
new second race date — after Speedway Motorsports Inc. stripped a date from New Hampshire — will open the playoffs Sept. 16.
uIndianapolis Motor Speedway’s date will move from late July to Sept. 9 as the end of the 26-race regular season. NASCAR has attempted various aerodynamic fixes at the mostly flat 2.5mile venue, but the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in March, is “really suffering as far as the show and how entertaining I think it is to watch.” Xfinity Series cars will use restrictor plates there this season, and speculation has flour- ished about the IMS road course being used for Cup.
Cassidy, though, said he was not concerned about a lackluster season-ending race impeding momentum into the postseason.
“I would say that we’re going to always continue to work on the competition piece,” Cassidy said. “We’re certainly not going to make a call that is going to blunt the momentum. Contrarily, we look at Indianapolis as a longtime partner, as a key player in our season, and we were happy that they were open to looking at moving a little bit later in the calendar and even more pleased we could find a
significant spot.”
uTraditional playoff-opener Chicagoland Speedway will have its date moved to July 1, preceding the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
uCharlotte Motor Speedway’s Sept. 30 playoff race will move from the 1.5-mile oval to the socalled “roval” road course, a 13turn, 2.4-mile course that will include portions of the oval track. That elimination race will mark the first use of a non-oval in the playoffs. Regular-season road course events are held at Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway.
“We looked at a lot of considerations across the board,” Cassidy said. “Variety and the opportunity to add an additional road course was where we landed.”
2018 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Feb. 11: Daytona International Speedway (Clash/Daytona 500 qualifying) Feb. 15: Daytona International Speedway (Duel) Feb. 18: Daytona 500 Feb. 25: Atlanta Motor Speedway March 4: Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 11: Phoenix Raceway March 18: Auto Club Speedway March 25: Martinsville Speedway April 8: Texas Motor Speedway April 15: Bristol Motor Speedway April 21: Richmond International Raceway April 29: Talladega Superspeedway May 6: Dover International Speedway May 12: Kansas Speedway May 19: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Monster Energy All-Star Race) May 27: Charlotte Motor Speedway June 3: Pocono Raceway June 10: Michigan International Speedway June 24: Sonoma Raceway July 1: Chicagoland Speedway July 7: Daytona International Speedway July 14: Kentucky Speedway July 22: New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 29: Pocono Raceway Aug. 5: Watkins Glen International Aug. 12: Michigan International Speedway Aug. 18: Bristol Motor Speedway Sept. 2: Darlington Raceway Sept. 9: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sept. 16: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 22: Richmond International Raceway Sept. 30: Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 7: Dover International Speedway Oct. 14: Talladega Superspeedway Oct. 21: Kansas Speedway Oct. 28: Martinsville Speedway Nov. 4: Texas Motor Speedway Nov. 11: Phoenix Raceway Nov. 18: Homestead-Miami Speedway