The NASCAR Cup Series is cruising into its diamond anniversary.
Stock car racing’s top racing organization has continued to evolve over the past 75 years and 2023 was no different.
Among the most significant alterations to the upcoming season, Cup competition returns to an old-school track, and street racing will debut.
Here is a look at the changes from the Cup Series’ 36-race schedule:
The future is bright. 💡 #AllStarRace pic.twitter.com/s579bMxvKx
— North Wilkesboro Speedway (@NWBSpeedway) January 26, 2023
North Wilkesboro Returns with Junior’s Help
As much as things change in NASCAR, the more things remain the same.
Or come back into fashion.
Welcome back, North Wilkesboro Speedway, which first hosted NASCAR in 1949.
The new site for the All-Star Race on May 21, the nearly forgotten track in Wilkes County, N.C., is scheduled to host a Cup weekend for the first time since 1996.
Fans can thank Dale Earnhardt Jr. For playing a pivotal role in NASCAR returning to the .625-mile track, which was dotted with overgrown weeds just three years ago. The Hall of Fame driver lobbied industry officials for years to coordinate improvements and get it back on the schedule.
Earnhardt competed in Late Models at North Wilkesboro during the 1990s and watched his late father race at the venue when he was growing up.
NEXT WEEKEND, @NASCAR IS BACK AT THE LA COLISEUM FOR THE CLASH! #NASCAR #BuschLightClash pic.twitter.com/GYjMpUCodo
— Taylor #GlimmerGang (@TaylorBMcardle) January 30, 2023
The Clash Returns After Strong TV Ratings
Hoping to capitalize on last year’s highly-watched season-opening event, The Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum returns for an encore Sunday.
The small track created bumper-car-like action and was a big marketing success.
Last season, FOX registered a 2.3 rating (4.28 million viewers), marking the event’s highest rating since 2016.
The thought of @NASCAR racing on a street course in Chicago isn’t all that far fetched.
In 1985 and 1986, the sanctioning body was building a prototype car for a possible Left-Right Series that would run on road and street courses.
Among the test drivers? Dale Earnhardt. pic.twitter.com/anIntZKWp8
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 19, 2022
Street Skids in Chicago
The streets of Chicago will turn into a race course on July 2 as NASCAR enters the city limits.
The Cup Series’ first street course will feature 12 turns, integrating several downtown sections, including Lake Shore Dr., Michigan Ave., and Columbus Dr.
Road America will drop off the NASCAR Cup schedule next season to make room for Chicago, but the series is not ruling out returning to Elkhart Lake further down the road. https://t.co/FQWOD4tPWL
— RACER (@RACERmag) July 19, 2022
Pit Stops
- Road America was dropped from the Cup Series schedule.
- For the first time since 2004, Texas Motor Speedway will only stage one Cup weekend.
- Richmond Raceway will host its race on July 30, swapping race dates with Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Aug. 13).
- The spring race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, April 16. For the past two years, the event was designed as a Saturday night event.
- The Feb. 26 event at Auto Club Speedway will mark the final race on the original two-mile oval. The track will be transformed into a half-mile, high-banked oval.
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