2022 NASCAR schedules: The New and the Familiar

Ever since 2018, NASCAR has been making changes to their season schedules more times than any other form of motorsport in the world, since that time, NASCAR has made schedule changes left and right, from bringing back tracks that are old favorites, to adding brand new tracks, and removing tracks that have been popular for a time or have been too stale for fans and drivers. The three main series of NASCAR (Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series) have undergone many changes to accommodate more marketing plans, bring in new fans, and improve times and dates for races. For next year, they made changes to all three schedules.

In the Cup Series, the schedule revealed that the exhibition race, the Busch Clash, will happen at the famed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 6, 2022. This will mark the first time a football stadium has hosted a racing event in the United States. It will be on a quarter of a mile paved track where the football field sits. The spring Bristol dirt race will be run on Easter, Auto Club Speedway will return after a 1-year absence; Circuit of the Americas (COTA) will be moved up to Mar. 27, 2022 from its May 23 date this year (along with the Trucks and Xfinity races there for that same weekend; World Wide Technology in Madison, Illinois, will make its Cup debut on Jun. 5, 2022; the fall Kansas race and fall Texas race will both move from October races to September races; Homestead-Miami will move from Feb. 28, 2021, to Oct. 23, 2022; and so will the Las Vegas fall race on Oct. 16, 2022.

In the Xfinity Series, NASCAR will return to Portland International Raceway for the first time since the Truck Series raced there in 2000. It will replace Mid-Ohio on its calendar slot on June 4, 2022. It is placed on the same weekend as the Cup Series’ visit to Worldwide Technology Raceway.

And in the Truck Series, NASCAR has included a spring race at Martinsville Speedway for April 7, 2022. The Truck Series will also return to Sonoma Raceway for the first time since 1998 on June 11, 2022. The series will also return to the Knoxville Raceway dirt track on June 18, 2022, moving from this year’s July 9, 2021, date. The series also will make its debut at Mid-Ohio on July 9, 2022, replacing the Xfinity Series racing there. Last but not least, the series will race at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis July 29, 2022. It will be the first time a NASCAR national series has raced there since 2011 for the Xfinity Series (known as the Nationwide Series at that time). Also, the season finales will all be at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4, 5, and 6, 2022.

NASCAR Senior Vice president of strategy and innovation and former driver Ben Kennedy talked about what it was like planning new races for the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. 

“For the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, we loved the idea of being able to deliver new road courses to both schedules and a short track for the Camping World Trucks while still returning to our traditional venues and the new tracks we introduced in 2021,” Kennedy told NASCAR.com. “Not only do these changes continue to deliver on what our fans are asking for, but we feel they will create even more drama and intensity as drivers battle to win championships at Phoenix Raceway in November.” 

Only time will tell if these new schedule plans will pay off for success and if the drivers can conquer their challenges.