On the heels of its announcement of moving the Clash from Daytona to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, NASCAR revealed its 2022 NASCAR Cup schedule Wednesday.
Highlights include changes in the Playoff races that move Richmond Raceway out of the final 10 races replacing it with a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the loss of one race at Pocono which hosted a doubleheader this season and replacing that second race the addition of a Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway/Gateway in St. Louis.
The points paying season will begin with the Daytona 500 on Sunday Feb. 20 and end at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 6. The Circuit of The Americas race will be held on Sunday Mar. 27 and the Bristol Dirt Race will return on Sunday Apr. 17, Easter, a holiday which hasn’t had a Cup series race since 1989. The Bristol Dirt Race will also be held at night. With no Olympics, there will be only a single week break, that coming in June after Sonoma.
Darlington will again set the field for the Playoffs, and Bristol will be the elimination race. The All-Star Race will again be held at Texas Motor Speedway and will hold the opening race in the second round of the Playoffs in September. The Charlotte ROVAL will again be the elimination race for round 2 and Martinsville will set the final 4.
“As we demonstrated last year, we are committed to creating the most dynamic schedule for our fans, long term,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “With the addition of new and unique venues like the Coliseum and World Wide Technology Raceway, each in markets with passionate NASCAR fans, we’re continuing to build on bold changes to deliver the best racing in the world.
“This latest iteration of the schedule should lend itself to another season filled with drama and great racing on the track, starting with the DAYTONA 500 and culminating with NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway.”
2022 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
| DATE | Race/Track |
| Sunday, February 6 | Clash (L.A. Memorial Coliseum) |
| Thursday, February 17 | Duel at Daytona |
| Sunday, February 20 | DAYTONA 500 |
| Sunday, February 27 | Auto Club |
| Sunday, March 6 | Las Vegas |
| Sunday, March 13 | Phoenix |
| Sunday, March 20 | Atlanta |
| Sunday, March 27 | COTA |
| Sunday, April 3 | Richmond |
| Saturday, April 9 | Martinsville |
| Sunday, April 17 | Bristol Dirt |
| Sunday, April 24 | Talladega |
| Sunday, May 1 | Dover |
| Sunday, May 8 | Darlington |
| Sunday, May 15 | Kansas |
| Sunday, May 22 | All-Star (Texas) |
| Sunday, May 29 | Charlotte |
| Sunday, June 5 | World Wide Technology Raceway |
| Sunday, June 12 | Sonoma |
| Sunday, June 26 | Nashville Superspeedway |
| Sunday, July 3 | Road America |
| Sunday, July 10 | Atlanta |
| Sunday, July 17 | New Hampshire |
| Sunday, July 24 | Pocono |
| Sunday, July 31 | Indianapolis Road Course |
| Sunday, August 7 | Michigan |
| Sunday, August 14 | Richmond |
| Sunday, August 21 | Watkins Glen |
| Saturday, August 27 | Daytona |
| Sunday, September 4 | Darlington |
| Sunday, September 11 | Kansas |
| Saturday, September 17 | Bristol |
| Sunday, September 25 | Texas |
| Sunday, October 2 | Talladega |
| Sunday, October 9 | Charlotte Roval |
| Sunday, October 16 | Las Vegas |
| Sunday, October 23 | Homestead-Miami |
| Sunday, October 30 | Martinsville |
| Sunday, November 6 | Phoenix |
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.
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