NASCAR Releases 2022 Cup Schedule

NASCAR released its 2022 Cup Series schedule Wednesday morning, adding World Wide Technology Raceway to its premier circuit.

The 1.25-mile oval, which has held NASCAR national series races since 1997 with the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, will make its Cup debut Sunday, June 5, 2022.

The track, which is located in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis, also has been the host of the NTT IndyCar Series for the past six seasons.

The Cup Series schedule will remain at 36 races with Pocono Raceway losing a race after playing host to two annual events from 1982-2021 (the last two years as a weekend doubleheader).

The 2022 season will open Feb. 20 with the Daytona 500, two weeks after the exhibition Clash race will take place Feb. 6 on a quarter-mile oval at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

It’ll be the first appearance by the Clash outside Daytona International Speedway since its 1979 inception (it was held on the road course for the first time this year).

Other notable changes:

• Homestead-Miami Speedway, which held the season finale from 2002-19, will return to the playoffs as the second race in the third round.
• Richmond Raceway’s second annual race will move from the playoffs to the regular season. Both of the 0.75-mile oval’s Cup races also will be held on Sunday afternoons (after being held on Saturday nights for most of the last 33 years).
• Kansas Speedway will move from the third to the first round of the playoffs, and Las Vegas will become the opener of the third round.
• The Bristol Dirt Race will be moved to a prime-time start on Easter Sunday.

Here’s the 36-race schedule for the 2022 season (start times and TV networks will be announced by NASCAR at a later date):