While it is exciting that NASCAR will be back in action for the first time in more than two months starting with Sunday’s Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, the start of a seven-race flurry in an 11-day stretch between the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, NASCAR also unveiled the next portion of their revised 2020 schedule on Thursday.
Here are the new races that have been announced:
Saturday, May 30 – Xfinity Series at Bristol (3:30 PM ET)
Sunday, May 31 – Cup Series at Bristol (3:30 PM ET)
Saturday, June 6 – Truck Series at Atlanta (1:00 PM ET)
Saturday, June 6 – Xfinity Series at Atlanta (4:30 PM ET)
Sunday, June 7 – Cup Series at Atlanta (3:00 PM ET)
Wednesday, June 10 – Cup Series at Martinsville (7:00 PM ET)
Saturday, June 13 – Truck Series at Homestead (12:30 PM ET)
Saturday, June 13 – Xfinity Series at Homestead (3:30 PM ET)
Sunday, June 14 – Xfinity Series at Homestead (12:00 PM ET)
Sunday, June 14 – Cup Series at Homestead (3:30 PM ET)
Saturday, June 20 – ARCA at Talladega (2:00 PM ET)
Saturday, June 20 – Xfinity Series at Talladega (5:30 PM ET)
Sunday, June 21 – Cup Series at Talladega (3:00 PM ET)
This is awesome, but the true question is: What happens next?
According to a potential official full schedule that was shared anonymously with TobyChristie.com, which is obviously not set in stone with the fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, It looks like NASCAR has a pretty decent grasp on what is to come.
The potential full-season schedule does not reveal any additional lost races for any other tracks on the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, aside from Sonoma, Chicago and one of Richmond’s dates, which we already knew those tracks would lose a race.
However, the schedule that was shared with us does give us insight into what to expect for the Xfinity and Truck Series schedules.
As you probably detected from the details above, Homestead appears to have gained an additional NASCAR Xfinity Series event, bringing their total for the season to two. Darlington will gain two NXS races for a total of three, Charlotte will gain a NXS race on their oval making a total of two and Kansas would gain a race.
So, who stands to lose out?
Under this potential schedule, Iowa would lose both NXS dates, Chicago, Mid-Ohio and New Hampshire would also lose a NXS race.
The Truck Series would lose dates at Iowa and Chicago, but would add a race at Kansas and, get this, Watkins Glen.
While this is not chiseled into stone (as New York — where Watkins Glen is locates — in particular has been hit hard by the COVID-19 virus) and there more than likely will be more changes to the schedule down the stretch, this schedule provides the most up-to-date look into NASCAR’s thought process going on behind the scenes for the remainder of the 2020 schedule.
