DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR made official multiple recently-rumored changes on Tuesday afternoon, announcing the schedules for their three national touring series and revealing a major shakeup to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff landscape.
Chief among the changes to the 2018 Cup schedule are the addition of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield road course to the 10-race playoff schedule, as well as Richmond Int’l Raceway’s move into the playoffs for the first time and the shift of the annual Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the final weekend of the regular season.
RELATED: Charlotte ‘Roval’ Becomes First New Cup Venue In Six Years
In addition, Chicagoland Speedway’s race weekend will move from the opening weekend of the playoffs back to its original midsummer date, preceding the traditional Firecracker weekend at Daytona Int’l Speedway on July 7.
Those two dates will mark the 2018 debut for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage.
Other shifts in scheduling include the move of the milestone 60th annual Daytona 500 back to President’s Day weekend, this year coming on Feb. 18, as well as the return of Richmond Int’l Raceway’s spring date to a Saturday night affair on April 21.
With all of the shakeups, Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s new second date will open the Cup playoffs on Sept. 16, while the CMS road course will serve as the first-round elimination site on Sept. 30.
“Fan feedback was a major driver in developing these schedules, and we worked very closely with the industry to set the stage for an exciting 2018 season,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “This season has delivered more dramatic moments to fans, and with the adjustments to the 2018 schedules we’re in a great position to build upon that success.”
Also of note, the annual Clash at Daytona — featuring pole award winners from the previous season — will become a scheduled doubleheader with Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying, with both events set for Sunday, Feb. 11.
RELATED: Daytona Restores Clash’s Sunday Tradition
Early changes to the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule include the move of the spring Richmond race back to Friday night, April 20, while Indianapolis moves to Sept. 8 as a part of Brickyard 400 weekend.
In regards to the XFINITY playoffs, the first round of championship contention opens at Richmond on Sept. 21 and is followed by stops at Charlotte’s road course and Dover. Round 2 for the XFINITY series features traditional playoff races at Kansas, Texas and Phoenix.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs get a revamp as well, with the removal of their annual September race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
As such, the Trucks will conclude their regular season with Bristol’s Wednesday night show in mid-August, followed by an opening round featuring the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park road course, Las Vegas and an elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway.
The Trucks also join the NASCAR Goes West initiative, heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2 as part of a tripleheader weekend.
Full schedules for all three of NASCAR’s national touring series can be viewed by clicking below.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: editor@racechaseronline.com
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
Follow RCO on Twitter: @RaceChaserNews
