If you’re a fan of Dover International Speedway, start making your plans for next season’s Sprint Cup races.
The track announced Wednesday that NASCAR will return to the Monster Mile for two tripleheader race weekends.
The first weekend will be May 13-15, 2016, and will feature all three NASCAR pro series: the Camping World Truck Series (Friday, May 13), Xfinity Series (Saturday, May 14) and Sprint Cup Series (Sunday, May 15).
The other big weekend will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2016, with a K&N Pro Series East race (Friday, Sept. 30), Xfinity Series (Saturday, Oct. 1) and the AAA 400 Sprint Cup race (Sunday, Oct. 2).
The AAA 400 will return to its regular spot as the last race of the first round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, meaning the first four drivers in the 16-driver Chase field will be eliminated after that race.
“We’re excited that NASCAR is returning to Dover for six races in 2016,” Dover International Speedway president/CEO Michael Tatoian said in a media release. “We’re proud to have one of the most unique venues in motorsports and we’re pleased that the Monster Mile once again has a prominent place in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.”
Here are 2016 race dates announced by tracks so far:
Feb. 21 — Daytona 500
Feb. 28 -- Atlanta
March 6 — Las Vegas
March 13 – Phoenix
March 20 — Fontana, Calif.
March 27 – Easter (off weekend)
April 9 – Texas
May 21 — Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte
May 15 -- Dover
May 29 — Charlotte
June 5 – Pocono
June 12 – Michigan
July 2 — Daytona
July 9 — Kentucky
July 31 – Pocono
Aug. 28 – Michigan
Sept. 18 – Chicagoland (first race in Chase)
Oct. 2 – Dover
Nov. 6 – Texas
Bristol Motor Speedway states on its site that its spring date will be in April 2016. Its night race again will be in August.
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