The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will again feature 36 point races but several notable changes were announced by the organizing body on Tuesday, including the restoration of a popular date.
NASCAR announces 2015 Sprint Cup schedule
Several changes highlight next year’s schedule.
Chris Trotman
For the first time in 12 years, Darlington Raceway will run on its traditional Labor Day weekend slot, a position NASCAR’s oldest speedway held from 1950 to 2003. Despite much criticism from fans, NASCAR transferred Darlington’s date to Auto Club Speedway (Calif.) in 2004, then to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2009.
The 2015 Southern 500 at Darlington is Sept. 6.
But to avoid a conflict with college football, Atlanta has been moved off Labor Day weekend and is now the second race on the Sprint Cup schedule (March 1), following the season-opening Daytona 500.
Phoenix International Raceway, which had been the No. 2 race since 2011, moves to mid-March. The one-mile track assumes the spot once occupied by Bristol Motor Speedway’s annual sprint date, and will be the middle portion of a West Coast swing featuring races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ACS.
The first of two races at Bristol is April 19. Tracks officials have long sought to have their spring race later in the year due to frequent inclement weather, and this season’s race featured two lengthy delays due to rain.
The 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races remains unchanged. For the fifth consecutive year NASCAR’s playoffs will open Sept. 20 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Other 2015 schedule changes of note:
- As customary, the season will open with the Daytona 500, which will be held Feb. 22
- Daytona’s annual Fourth of July weekend race is not Saturday, but Sunday night, July 5
- Kentucky Speedway moves from one week before the annual July Daytona race until one week after
- The fall races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway will flip
- Teams will be given an extra off week with three byes incorporated into the schedule (April 5, June 21, Aug. 30)
2015 Sprint Cup schedule
| Date | Venue | TV/Radio Coverage |
| 2/14 | Daytona International Speedway (Sprint Unlimited)* | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 2/19 | Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 qualifying races)* | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 2/22 | Daytona 500 | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 3/1 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | FOX, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 3/8 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | FOX, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 3/15 | Phoenix International Raceway | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 3/22 | Auto Club Speedway | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 3/29 | Martinsville Speedway | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 4/11 | Texas Motor Speedway | FOX, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 4/19 | Bristol Motor Speedway | FOX, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 4/25 | Richmond International Raceway | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 5/3 | Talladega Superspeedway | FOX, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 5/9 | Kansas Speedway | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 5/16 | Charlotte Motor Speedway* (NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 5/24 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | FOX, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 5/31 | Dover International Speedway | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 6/7 | Pocono Raceway | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 6/14 | Michigan International Speedway | FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 6/28 | Sonoma Raceway | FOX Sports 1, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 7/5 | Daytona International Speedway | NBC, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 7/11 | Kentucky Speedway | NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 7/19 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 7/26 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | NBCSN, IMS, SiriusXM |
| 8/2 | Pocono Raceway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 8/9 | Watkins Glen International | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 8/16 | Michigan International Speedway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 8/22 | Bristol Motor Speedway | NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 9/6 | Darlington Raceway | NBC, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 9/12 | Richmond International Raceway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 9/20 | Chicagoland Speedway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 9/27 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 10/4 | Dover International Speedway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 10/10 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | NBC, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 10/18 | Kansas Speedway | NBC, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 10/25 | Talladega Superspeedway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 11/1 | Martinsville Speedway | NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 11/8 | Texas Motor Speedway | NBC, PRN, SiriusXM |
| 11/15 | Phoenix International Raceway | NBC, MRN, SiriusXM |
| 11/22 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | NBC, MRN, SiriusXM |
*Non-points race
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