NASCAR Racing Events – A Seasonal Guide

Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida - 20 February

The Daytona 500 is the 500 mile long season opener in Florida. This race is arguably one of the most important races, the Super Bowl of the NASCAR world. Though it’s just the opening race of the nine month season, it is one of the most highly televised sporting events in the country, with it taking place on the Sunday before the Presidential Day which falls on the third Monday of February.

The track is a relatively small 2.5 miles long, with drivers needing to make 200 laps around to make the 500 miles and finish the race. Winners of this race receive their special recognition, independent from the NASCAR cup series, and can find their careers take off or even find themselves inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Instacart 500 - Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix Arizona - 13 March

The first race at the 1 mile long famous Phoenix track, this race always provides for close drama at the end of events. At a massive 500 laps needed to complete, the record lap time in the cup series, 2:38:28, was set by Tony Stewart in 1999.

Food City Dirt Race - Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt Course), Bristol, Tennessee - 17 April

This event ran on a concrete surface, but this year will be featured on a dirt road. It is one of the most highly acclaimed events in NASCAR; in 2007, it was the first race to host the fifth generation NASCAR premiership race cars.

Geico 500 - Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama - 24 April

The 10th race of the season, this is one of the 5 original “Crown Jewel” events of the season, with the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 (that has been renamed to Verizon and was reduced to 200) and the Word 600 (now called the Coca-Cola 600).

Goodyear 400 - Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina - 8 May

Nicknamed “The Lady in Black”, this egg-shaped track has been troublesome for drivers due to its difficult crests at either end. For a long time it was held on the 10th of May, the Confederate Memorial Day in South Carolina. This was changed to the 8th of May which is mother’s day in the US.

NASCAR All-Star Race - Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas - 22 May

This is a one-off event for sports car fans. Winners from previous championships, winners of events or fan voted drivers are invited to participate in a NASCAR cup series stock car exhibition race, using production model cars that have been modified for racing.

This annual invitational event consists of 6 segments, 1-4 consist of 15 laps, segment 5 will have 30 laps and the final segment is a 10 lap shoot-out. Drivers must also make four tyre pit stops during the fifth segment, either on or before the 20th of the 30 laps.

This standalone event is especially popular because the first place winner receives a prize of $1,000,000 and the fastest pit stop crew will receive $100,000.

A random draw is made for the 21 driver line-up, consisting of 17 fixed racers, and the winner of the NASCAR All-Star Open Race round 1 and round 2, as well as the winner of the final round. The 21st place is awarded to whoever the fans voted for, making for an all-inclusive thrilling race.

Keep the date in mind because the day is sure to be full of dramatic finishes and quick fire laps.

Coca-Cola 600 - Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina - 29 May

Held on Memorial Sunday in the US, it is NASCAR’s longest race at 600 miles. The track conditions change during the event. As it starts at 6:20pm, the first third of the race takes place in sunny conditions, the second third at dusk and finally the third segment is played under lights. The sheer length and the changing conditions make it a challenging race for the drivers to compete in and it often results in big upsets or turn-arounds; it is a tricky race to predict.

Ally 400 - Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee - 26 June

This racing track was closed for a good 36 years before it was finally reintroduced to NASCAR in 2020. Nashville was a fort in the olden days of NASCAR, but for a long time it fell out of the roster. Instead it was used to host the Xfinity Series, that is, what can be regarded as the second division of NASCAR, until it was finally revamped. This short track offers quick paced rounds and plenty of action.

Verizon 200 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course), Speedway, Indiana - 31 July

This event was one of the Crown Jewels, known as the Brickyard 400, the inaugural race being held in 1994. In this first event it drew in crowds of over 250,000 which made it one of NASCARs most highly attended events. This made it one of the highest earning events for NASCAR'S purse.

The nickname Brickyard came from the original roads, which were covered in crushed stone and tar. Hardly a safe track to race over, after several accidents and fatalities it was renovated, covered and repaved with over 3 million bricks. This was later covered in asphalt, and now only one yard strip at the start/finish line has been left, for nostalgic value.

This is one of the few racing tracks that also features a Grand Prix circuit, being used for the US Formula One Grand Prix events.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida - 27 August

This return to the Daytona International Speedway marks the final match of the regular season, in a tense final, where drivers will want to qualify for the upcoming playoffs.

NASCAR Playoffs

The Playoffs will see 16 drivers compete. This includes the driver with the highest point tally, regardless of whether he/she won any of the events. Other drivers qualify automatically if they have any wins in the first 26 races (provided there are no more than 16 winners) in the case where there are not enough drivers, the rest of the places are filled out by who ranks highest in terms of points collected during the season.

Round of 16:

Here the winner(s) of the next three rounds proceeds to the round of 12. The remaining slots are filled by the drivers with the highest scoring points. Each player will have their points reset to 3,000 with any awarded playoff points added.

Southern 500 - Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina - 4 September

Hollywood Casino 400 - Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas - 11 September

Bass Pro Shops Night Race - Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol Tennessee - 17 September

Round of 12:

The second segment in the playoffs, the winner(s) from the next three rounds automatically qualify for the round of 8 with the remaining places awarded to drivers with the highest points. The points are reset for all drivers to 4,000, with the playoff points added.

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive - Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas - 25 September

Yellawood 500 - Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, Alabama - 2 October

Bank of America Roval 400 - Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval), Concord, North Carolina - 9 October

Round of 8:

Working in the same way as the previous two segments, the drivers who qualify for the Championship 4 will have their points reset to 5,000.

South Point 400 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada - 16 October

Dixie Vodka 400 - Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida - 23 October

Xfinity 500 - Martinsville Speedway, RIdgeway, Virginia - 30 October

Championship 4:

The four remaining drivers battle it out for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

Season Finale 500 - Phoenix Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona

The Phoenix Raceway hosts the season finale, an honour that used to belong to the Floridian Homestead Circuit. The leading champions with the most titles are a three way tie between the late Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson, at 7 each. Johnson is still a professional driver and will be hoping to become all-time leading champion with 8 titles, but he will need to overcome drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch, who are looking to increase their title collection.