NASCAR looks to release the 2023 Cup schedule in six to eight weeks, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell said Wednesday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“Working on some exciting things,” he said about next year’s schedule. “Hopefully, something to announce in the next six to eight weeks in terms of where we’re going to be, and then we’ll be off and running for ’23, and we’ll continue to evolve for ’24 and beyond.”
O’Donnell said officials hope to have “one big event” added to the schedule for next season but didn’t provide any details.
O’Donnell said that series officials have heard comments about the need to rotate the All-Star Race, which has been held the past two years at Texas Motor Speedway.
“We have moved that around a little bit,” he said. “We’d like to continue to do that for next year. So that is certainly something we’re discussing with (Speedway Motorsports).”
Three dates for next season are already known:
- The Busch Light Clash returns to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 5.
- The Daytona 500 will be Feb. 19.
- The season again will end at Phoenix Raceway. The Cup title race will be Nov. 5.
O’Donnell also was asked about the inaugural Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway earlier this month.
“As you look at the Northwest, that has been an area we’ve been eager to get back to,” he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Had some good dialogue with Portland. I thought they did a terrific job in terms of what they were faced with with the weather.
“Certainly a challenge for the teams in terms of that’s a long haul out there for the Xfinity race teams. We’re working with them to see if we can maybe pair up Portland with another West Coast race, so they can keep their equipment out there. Certainly some learnings for us with the industry.
“All in all, I thought it was great. I’d love to be back there and see the sun shining in Portland and continue to focus on the Northwest because that is a big area for us in the future.”