Mid-Ohio joins NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule in 2013

Scott Dixon of New Zealand, drives the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda ahead of the field during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio on August 5, 2012 in Lexington, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Scott Dixon of New Zealand, drives the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda ahead of the field during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio on August 5, 2012 in Lexington, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

NASCAR announced the 2013 schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Tuesday, a lineup that includes a trip to the 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course Mid-Ohio for the first time in series history.

The inclusion of the Lexington, Ohio, track marks the return of NASCAR national series racing to Ohio, the home state of the series’ entitlement sponsor, Nationwide Insurance. The NASCAR Nationwide Series will visit the track on August 17.

“With Mid-Ohio on the schedule, the NASCAR Nationwide Series has another opportunity to lead the way at a new venue,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operation. “This gives us the opportunity to bring the series’ signature side-by-side racing to a new fan base, and build enthusiasm among race fans that have yet to experience the unparalleled experience of attending a NASCAR event.”

As normal, the 33-race schedule will begin at Daytona International Speedway on February 23 and finish up at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16. The series will visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second consecutive year on July 27.

The Kentucky race on June 28 is the qualifying event for the 2013 “Dash 4 Cash” bonus program. The subsequent four races make up the 2013 “Dash 4 Cash” events: Daytona (July 5), New Hampshire (July 13), Chicagoland (July 21) and Indianapolis.

The complete 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule is below.

2013 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE
Date                 Site
2/23                 Daytona International Speedway
3/2                  Phoenix International Raceway
3/9                  Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/16                 Bristol Motor Speedway
3/23                 Auto Club Speedway
4/12                 Texas Motor Speedway
4/26                 Richmond International Raceway
5/4                  Talladega Superspeedway
5/10                 Darlington Raceway
5/25                 Charlotte Motor Speedway
6/1                  Dover International Speedway
6/8                  Iowa Speedway
6/15                 Michigan International Speedway
6/22                 Road America
6/28                 Kentucky Speedway
7/5                  Daytona International Speedway
7/13                 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/21                 Chicagoland Speedway
7/27                 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
8/3                  Iowa Speedway
8/10                 Watkins Glen International
8/17                 Mid-Ohio
8/23                 Bristol Motor Speedway
8/31                 Atlanta Motor Speedway
9/6                  Richmond International Raceway
9/14                 Chicagoland Speedway
9/21                 Kentucky Speedway
9/28                 Dover International Speedway
10/5                 Kansas Speedway
10/11                Charlotte Motor Speedway
11/2                 Texas Motor Speedway
11/9                 Phoenix International Raceway
11/16                Homestead-Miami Speedway

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.