NASCAR Announces 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – NASCAR on Wednesday announced the schedule for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series, a list that covers 39 events in total. The 2022 schedule builds on the steps taken in 2021 by adding more new and dynamic venues to host the first NASCAR series for the first time.

On Tuesday, NASCAR announced that the Clash – NASCAR’s prequel to the Daytona 500 since 1979 – will take place outside of Daytona International Speedway when NASCAR visits the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 6, 2022.

The NASCAR Cup Series will visit another track for the first time when the green flag flies at the World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis on June 5th.

The 1.25 mile asymmetric oval has hosted 21 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races since 1998 and was also part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series program from 1997 to 2010. Many NASCAR legends and champions have visited Victory Lane over the years. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998, 1999), Kevin Harvick (2000, 2001, 2010), Kyle Busch (2009) and Brad Keselowski (2010) scored World Wide Technology Raceway victories early in their careers.

“As we demonstrated last year, we are committed to creating the most dynamic program for our fans, for the long haul,” said Ben Kennedy, senior vice president of strategy and innovation at NASCAR. . “With the addition of unique new venues like the Coliseum and the World Wide Technology Raceway, each in markets with passionate NASCAR fans, we continue to build on bold changes to deliver the best races in the world.

“This latest iteration of the calendar should lend itself to another season filled with drama and great racing on the track, starting with the Daytona 500 and culminating with the NASCAR Championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway.”

In another move – and a nod to recent history – Homestead-Miami Speedway will return to the NASCAR playoff mix. The popular 1.5-mile destination track will be a key location when it hosts the second of three races in the Round of 8 on October 23. Additionally, Texas Motor Speedway (September 25) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 16) swap dates and open Round of 12 and Round of 8, respectively.

Additionally, Kansas Speedway will move up the playoff schedule, becoming the second race of the round of 16 (Sept. 11).

The 2022 season will officially kick off with the Great American Race – the Daytona 500 – at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 live on FOX – an event that will also host the regular season debut of the Next Gen car’s points race. race. The Cup Series will then immediately return west, starting with a stop at Auto Club Speedway on February 27 – the first time NASCAR has visited the 2-mile high-speed oval in nearly two years – followed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 6) and Phoenix Raceway (March 13).

The Bristol Dirt Race returns to the program, this time under the lights of Easter Sunday evening (April 17). The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will also return to Texas Motor Speedway in 2022. The annual event featuring NASCAR’s biggest stars will take place earlier in the season when the festivities begin on May 22.

After a week of natural rest (June 19) following the end of FOX Sports Cup Series coverage, Nashville Superspeedway will again kick off the NBC Sports portion of the schedule on June 26. The action in the City of Music will be immediately followed by another fan favorite, Road America, which will mark the July 4th festivities for the second consecutive season.

Watkins Glen International will host the penultimate race of the regular season (August 21) followed by an intense regular season final in the spotlight at Daytona International Speedway (August 27) – two separate tracks but equally crucial in determining the NASCAR playoffs. field.

As previously announced, Phoenix Raceway will host the NASCAR Championship Weekend for the third year in a row, November 4-6.

Start times and specific networks will be announced at a later date, as will the 2022 times for the NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Below is the full 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule (playoff races in bold):

2022 NASCAR CUP SERIES CALENDAR