NASCAR Schedule 2017: Sprint Cup and Xfinity Race Dates and Tracks Announced
NASCAR announced the 2017 schedules for both the Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series on Thursday.
Dustin Long of NBC Sports passed along the new Sprint Cup schedule, which features a handful of changes, including Kansas Speedway becoming the last race of the Chase's second round. Long also provided next season's Xfinity slate.
Here's a look at how the Sprint Cup schedule shapes up for 2017:
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| 2/18 | Daytona International Speedway (Unlimited) |
| 2/19 | Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying) |
| 2/23 | Daytona International Speedway (Duel) |
| 2/26 | Daytona 500 |
| 3/5 | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| 3/12 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
| 3/19 | Phoenix International Raceway |
| 3/26 | Auto Club Speedway |
| 4/2 | Martinsville Speedway |
| 4/9 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| 4/23 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| 4/30 | Richmond International Raceway |
| 5/7 | Talladega Superspeedway |
| 5/13 | Kansas Speedway |
| 5/20 | Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR All-Star Race) |
| 5/28 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| 6/4 | Dover International Speedway |
| 6/11 | Pocono Raceway |
| 6/18 | Michigan International Speedway |
| 6/25 | Sonoma Raceway |
| 7/1 | Daytona International Speedway |
| 7/8 | Kentucky Speedway |
| 7/16 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
| 7/23 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| 7/30 | Pocono Raceway |
| 8/6 | Watkins Glen International |
| 8/13 | Michigan International Speedway |
| 8/19 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| 9/3 | Darlington Raceway |
| 9/9 | Richmond International Raceway |
| 9/17 | Chicagoland Speedway |
| 9/24 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
| 10/1 | Dover International Speedway |
| 10/7 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| 10/15 | Talladega Superspeedway |
| 10/22 | Kansas Speedway |
| 10/29 | Martinsville Speedway |
| 11/5 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| 11/12 | Phoenix International Raceway |
| 11/19 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
And here are the dates for next year's Xfinity campaign:
| 2/25 | Daytona International Speedway |
| 3/4 | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| 3/11 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
| 3/18 | Phoenix International Raceway |
| 3/25 | Auto Club Speedway |
| 4/8 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| 4/22 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| 4/29 | Richmond International Raceway |
| 5/6 | Talladega Superspeedway |
| 5/27 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| 6/3 | Dover International Speedway |
| 6/10 | Pocono Raceway |
| 6/17 | Michigan International Speedway |
| 6/24 | Iowa Speedway |
| 6/30 | Daytona International Speedway |
| 7/7 | Kentucky Speedway |
| 7/15 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
| 7/22 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| 7/29 | Iowa Speedway |
| 8/5 | Watkins Glen International |
| 8/12 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
| 8/18 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| 8/26 | Road America |
| 9/2 | Darlington Raceway |
| 9/8 | Richmond International Raceway |
| 9/16 | Chicagoland Speedway |
| 9/23 | Kentucky Speedway |
| 9/30 | Dover International Speedway |
| 10/6 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| 10/21 | Kansas Speedway |
| 11/4 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| 11/11 | Phoenix International Raceway |
| 11/18 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
The release of next year's complete schedule came much earlier than usual. NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell attributed that to the "collaborative spirit" across the industry, per NASCAR.com:
"Announcing the 2017 national series schedules this early in the season is another example of the collaborative spirit across the NASCAR industry. It is an exciting time in NASCAR, with some of the most intriguing racing we've seen in years. With the 2017 schedule solidified, the industry can now concentrate on the remainder of this season, while planning for the future much earlier than in previous years.
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Kansas Speedway's move into a more prominent Chase role comes after a switch with Talladega Superspeedway, which shifts up one week for its fall race in 2017.
More changes include Texas Motor Speedway moving from a Saturday race to a Sunday race in the spring, Dover International Speedway moving behind Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600, and Michigan International Speedway returning to August.
Changing the Dover placement means All-Star weekend will now come after the 11th race in a 36-race schedule. While that seems a bit early, the options are limited without completely overhauling the dates since Charlotte hosts two straight weeks of action.
Otherwise, everything falls into place pretty much in line with the current season. The Daytona 500 will kick off the 2017 season on Feb. 26, and Homestead-Miami Speedway once again gets the honor of crowning the Chase champion in the finale on Nov. 19.
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