NASCAR have announced next season’s calendar, and although there are no new tracks for 2020, significant changes have been made.
The main change is that the ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona will host the championship race in 2020.
This means that Homestead Miami will not have the honour of ending the championship for the first time since 2001.
Further changes to the calendar include Daytona hosting the regular-season finale, Darlington opening the NASCAR Playoffs and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis being moved to July 4th weekend.
NASCAR’s Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell discussed the influence behind the changes:
“The fans and the industry as a whole have been vocal about the desire for sweeping changes to the schedule, and the 2020 slate is a reflection of our efforts to execute against that feedback.”
BIG CHANGES to the 2020 @NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
Here's the full list. Which change is the most intriguing? #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/gZA2RJCbf0
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 26, 2019
Shortly after the announcement was made, four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon gave his thoughts on the new-look calendar:
“There’s been a lot of discussions and rumours about significant changes happening to the schedule in 2021.”
“[But] I’ll tell you what, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far and to be able to take the excitement of the Daytona 500, take that out west, finish the west coast swing, it’s a great time for the fans out there.”
The 2020 schedule has received a mixed response from NASCAR’s fan-base, with some welcoming the changes while others believe that the sport’s organisers are ruining its traditions and heritage.
What are your thought on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Schedule? Let us know in the comments!
