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Bristol adding Saturday Night Thunder iRacing event for non-Cup drivers

By Jerry BonkowskiApr 1, 2020, 2:08 PM EDT
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More NASCAR racers are jumping into the iRacing pool starting this weekend at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Food City Showdown (1 p.m. ET on FOX and FS1) will continue to feature current and former NASCAR Cup drivers. There will be will two heat races to set the lineup for that afternoon’s main event. Those heat races will be televised by FOX, FS1 and the Fox Sports App.

Being added to the weekend menu is a Saturday night race – Saturday Night Thunder – that will feature drivers from the NASCAR Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, as well as the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and ARCA.

All drivers in Saturday night’s event – which will be streamed on eNASCAR.com – will compete in ARCA Menards Series cars. The format will be true short track racing with multiple heat races leading up to the evening’s main event.

No drivers from Saturday night’s race will advance to Sunday’s action.

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NASCAR weekend scheduled at Atlanta postponed

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By Jerry BonkowskiMar 13, 2020, 9:30 AM EDT
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UPDATE: At 11:38 a.m. ET Friday, NASCAR announced it is postponing the Atlanta race weekend and next weekend’s races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Previous post follows.

While fans will be prohibited from attending any of this weekend’s action at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to concerns about COVID-19, NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck series teams will continue with a business-as-usual approach in terms of preparation and racing.

Today will see all three series take part in two practice sessions apiece. Qualifying for all three series takes place Saturday, with the Xfinity and Truck series holding their races. Cup teams race Sunday.

For Friday, wunderground.com forecasts a high of 71 degrees and a 50% chance of rain.

Here is today’s schedule with TV and radio info:

(All times are Eastern)

11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. – Truck garage open

11:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Xfinity garage open

12:30 – 9 p.m. – Cup garage open

1:35 – 2:25 p.m. – Truck practice (no TV)

2:35 – 3:25 p.m. – Xfinity practice (FS1)

3:35 – 4:25 p.m. – Cup practice (FS1)

4:32 – 4:57 p.m. – Final Truck practice (FS1)

5:02 – 5:27 p.m. – Final Xfinity practice (FS1)

5:35 – 6:25 p.m. – Final Cup practice (FS1)

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Jeffrey Earnhardt rejoins JD Motorsports for part-time Xfinity ride

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By Jerry BonkowskiFeb 7, 2020, 11:27 AM EST
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Jeffrey Earnhardt will reunite with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller (JDM) this season, the team announced Friday.

Earnhardt is scheduled to drive at least 12 races for JDM in the Xfinity Series, with the prospect of more starts depending upon additional sponsorship being secured.

“I am really thankful to Johnny Davis and the JD Motorsports with Gary Keller team for having me onboard this season,” Earnhardt said in a media release. “These guys work hard every week and they’ve demonstrated the ability and desire to compete. I am looking forward to getting back on track this season!”

Earnhardt previously drove for JDM in a full-season Xfinity effort in 2014, finishing 18th in the final standings.

Earnhardt competed in just seven Xfinity races last season for both XCI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, including a third-place finish for the latter in the spring race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also recorded three other top 10 finishes.

The grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt also made one NASCAR Cup Series start in the spring race at Talladega last season for XCI Racing.

Earnhardt will not race in the Xfinity season-opening race at Daytona on Feb. 15. Rather, his first start will come at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 14.

The team said Earnhardt’s car number and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

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NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck schedules for 2020

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By Jerry BonkowskiNov 30, 2019, 8:00 AM EST
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With Thanksgiving now behind us, it’s time to start thinking about the 2020 NASCAR seasons, right?

Well, okay, we still have Christmas and New Years Eve/Day first, but it’s never too early to start thinking about how the 2020 NASCAR seasons in Cup, Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks series look like.

There will be some interesting changes to the 2020 schedule, including:

  • Miami moves from the end of the season to March 22 for the Cup Series
  • The first Cup race under the lights at Martinsville (May 9, 8 p.m. ET)
  • The first weekend doubleheader for Cup, which occurs at Pocono (June 27 at 3 p.m. ET and June 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET)
  • The Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis will be held July 5
  • Daytona International Speedway’s summer races shifts to August 29 to be the final Cup race of the regular season.

And there’ll be a new site for the championship races for all three series — ISM Raceway near Phoenix from Nov. 6-8.

NBC will air Cup races at Indianapolis (July 5), Daytona (Aug. 29), Talladega (Oct. 4), Charlotte Roval (Oct. 11), Kansas (Oct. 18), Martinsville (Nov. 1) and ISM Raceway near Phoenix (Nov. 8).

Here’s how the schedule for all three series looks for 2020:

2020 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

Date Location Network Start Time Radio
Sun., Feb. 9 DAYTONA 500 Qualifying FOX 12:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Feb. 9 Advance Auto Parts Clash FS1 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Thurs., Feb. 13 Gander RV Duel at DAYTONA FS1 7:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Feb. 16 DAYTONA 500 FOX 2:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Feb. 23 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX 3:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Mar. 1 Auto Club Speedway FOX 3:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Mar. 8 ISM Raceway FOX 3:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Mar. 15 Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX 2:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Mar. 22 Homestead-Miami Speedway FOX 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Mar. 29 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 2:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Apr. 5 Bristol Motor Speedway FS1 2:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Apr. 19 Richmond Raceway FOX 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Apr. 26 Talladega Superspeedway FOX 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., May 3 Dover International Speedway FS1 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 9 Martinsville Speedway FS1 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 16 All-Star Open FS1 7:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 16 All-Star Race FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., May 24 Charlotte Motor Speedway FOX 6:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., May 31 Kansas Speedway FS1 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jun. 7 Michigan International Speedway FS1 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jun. 14 Sonoma Raceway FS1 3:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jun. 21 Chicagoland Speedway NBCSN 2:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jun. 27 Pocono Raceway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jun. 28 Pocono Raceway NBCSN 3:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jul. 5 Indianapolis Motor Speedway NBC 3:30 p.m. IMS/SiriusXM
Sat., Jul. 11 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jul. 19 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Aug. 9 Michigan International Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Aug. 16 Watkins Glen International NBCSN 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Aug. 23 Dover International Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 29 Daytona International Speedway NBC 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Sept. 6 Darlington Raceway NBCSN 6:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Sept. 12 Richmond Raceway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Sept. 19 Bristol Motor Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Sept. 27 Las Vegas Motor Speedway NBCSN 7:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Oct. 4 Talladega Superspeedway NBC 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Oct. 11 Charlotte Motor Speedway NBC 2:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Oct. 18 Kansas Speedway NBC 2:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Oct. 25 Texas Motor Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Nov. 1 Martinsville Speedway NBC 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Nov. 8 ISM Raceway NBC 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM

 

2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Schedule

Date Location Network Start Time Radio
Sat., Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway FS1 2:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Feb. 22 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FS1 4:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Feb. 29 Auto Club Speedway FS1 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Mar. 7 ISM Raceway FS1 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Mar. 14 Atlanta Motor Speedway FS1 4:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Mar. 21 Homestead-Miami Speedway FS1 3:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Mar. 28 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 1:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Apr. 4 Bristol Motor Speedway FS1 1:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Apr. 25 Talladega Superspeedway FS1 1:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 2 Dover International Speedway FS1 1:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 23 Charlotte Motor Speedway FS1 1:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 30 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course FS1 1:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jun. 6 Michigan International Speedway FS1 1:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jun. 13 Iowa Speedway FS1 8:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jun. 20 Chicagoland Speedway NBCSN 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Jun. 28 Pocono Raceway NBCSN 12:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jul. 4 Indianapolis Motor Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. IMS/SiriusXM
Fri., Jul. 10 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jul. 18 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NBCSN 3:00 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 1 Iowa Speedway CNBC 2:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 8 Road America CNBC 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 15 Watkins Glen International NBCSN 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 22 Dover International Speedway NBCSN 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Aug. 28 Daytona International Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Sept. 5 Darlington Raceway NBC 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Sept. 11 Richmond Raceway NBCSN 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Sept. 18 Bristol Motor Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Sept. 26 Las Vegas Motor Speedway NBCSN 7:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Oct. 10 Charlotte Motor Speedway NBC 3:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Oct. 17 Kansas Speedway NBC 3:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Oct. 24 Texas Motor Speedway NBC 3:30 p.m. PRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Oct. 31 Martinsville Speedway NBCSN 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Nov. 7 ISM Raceway NBCSN 4:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM

 

2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Schedule

Date Location Network Start Tim Radio
Fri., Feb. 14 Daytona International Speedway FS1 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Feb. 21 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Mar. 14 Atlanta Motor Speedway FS1 1:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Mar. 20 Homestead-Miami Speedway FS1 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Mar. 27 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Apr. 18 Richmond Raceway FS1 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., May 1 Dover International Speedway FS1 5:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., May 15 Charlotte Motor Speedway FS1 8:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., May 30 Kansas Speedway FS1 8:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Jun. 5 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Jun. 12 Iowa Speedway FS1 8:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Jun. 19 Chicagoland Speedway FS1 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Jun. 27 Pocono Raceway FS1 12:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Thurs., Jul. 9 Kentucky Speedway FS1 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Thurs., Jul. 30 Eldora Speedway FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Aug. 8 Michigan International Speedway FS1 1:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Aug. 21 World Wide Technology Raceway

at Gateway

 FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sun., Sept. 6 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park FS1 2:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Thurs., Sept. 17 Bristol Motor Speedway FS1 7:30 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Sept. 25 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FS1 9:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Sat., Oct. 3 Talladega Superspeedway FS1 1:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Oct. 30 Martinsville Speedway FS1 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM
Fri., Nov. 6 ISM Raceway FS1 8:00 p.m. MRN/SiriusXM

 

Pocono reveals race lengths for 2020 Cup doubleheader

By Jerry BonkowskiOct 29, 2019, 3:27 PM EDT
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Pocono Raceway announced Tuesday the lengths for its NASCAR Cup doubleheader weekend in June.

The June 27 Cup race will be a 325 miles/130 laps.

The June 28 Cup race will be 350 miles/140 laps.

The Cup races will be shown by NBC Sports.

This marks the first time in NASCAR history that the Cup Series has held back-to-back races at the same track and on the same weekend. Prior to the change for next year, the 2.5-mile track had held Cup races on two different weekends in the same year from 1982-2019.

Also taking part in the weekend will be the ARCA Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Here’s the weekend schedule:

Thursday, June 25

– ARCA Menards Series practice and qualifying (times TBA)

– ARCA General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 race (80 laps / 200 miles) – at 4:15 p.m. ET

Friday, June 26

– Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice and qualifying (times TBA)

– Two NASCAR Cup practices (times TBA)

Saturday, June 27

– Xfinity Series practice (time TBA)

– NASCAR Cup qualifying (time TBA)

– NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race (60 laps / 150 miles) – 12 p.m. ET.

– NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 1 (130 laps / 325 miles) – 3 p.m. ET.

– NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race (60 Laps / 150 Miles)

Sunday, June 28

– Xfinity Series qualifying (time TBA)

– Pocono Green 225 Xfinity Series race (90 laps / 225 miles) – 12 p.m. ET.

– NASCAR Cup 350-mile race No. 2 (140 laps / 350 miles – there will be no qualifying; the starting lineup will be set by inverting the lead-lap finishers from Saturday’s Cup race) – 3:30 p.m. ET.