NASCAR Cup Series: 5 changes made for the 2025 playoffs

As a dedicated NASCAR enthusiast with over two decades of following this thrilling sport under my belt, I must say that the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule has got me all fired up! The changes in the calendar have been quite intriguing, and as someone who’s been to races at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Bowman Gray Stadium back in the day, it’s exciting to see these tracks making a comeback.

However, I must admit that I was a bit taken aback by the removal of some iconic tracks from the playoffs, such as Martinsville Speedway and Darlington Raceway. But the addition of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is a welcome change that will surely bring new challenges for the drivers.

The schedule changes in the postseason have also piqued my interest, with Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International shifting back to the regular season. I can’t wait to see how the drivers adapt to these changes and the impact they’ll have on the outcome of the championship.

I’m particularly looking forward to the return of New Hampshire Motor Speedway to the playoffs after a long hiatus, as it’s always been one of my favorite tracks to watch! I can just imagine the intense battles that will unfold there in the round of 12.

All in all, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is shaping up to be an exciting one, and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. I just hope they bring back the old “Earnhardt vs. Earnhardt Jr.” rivalry!

Oh, and by the way, did you hear the joke going around about why they call NASCAR races “races”? Because a NASCAR race is never a sprint – it’s always a marathon with a few crashes thrown in for good measure!

2025 will see two fresh racetracks added to the NASCAR Cup Series itinerary, but it’s important to note that no tracks that held points races in 2024 have been entirely erased from the schedule.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is no longer listed on the upcoming schedule, but it recently held the Busch Light Clash exhibition race, an event without points. Instead of Bowman Gray Stadium, which last hosted a Cup Series race in 1971, it will now be included on the schedule.

Regarding the main season, which awards points, a new track, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, has been included, while Richmond Raceway will now only host one race instead of two.

However, there have been a number of schedule changes, specifically centered around the playoffs.

originally scheduled, three racing events have been removed from the playoff itinerary, resulting in a revised four-stage, ten-race postseason for the year 2025. Five adjustments to the calendar have been made in total for this season.

2024 saw the initial two races kick off at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International during the round of 16. However, Atlanta’s second race has been rescheduled to return to its original spot within the regular season, while Watkins Glen’s sole race date has also been moved back into the regular season.

2024 saw Darlington Raceway hosting the final race of the regular season. However, a change is on the horizon for 2025 as it will instead kick off the playoffs. Interestingly, from 2020 to 2023, this track started the playoffs; but, due to NBC’s dedication to the Summer Olympics and an extended season thanks to the summer break, the race was shifted to the regular season finale for the previous season.

World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is slated to stage the second event of the 16-race series in 2025, having previously hosted races from 2022 through 2024. The season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway remains unchanged on the schedule.

In fact, no changes have been made to any of the cutoff races throughout the entire postseason.

Here are two adjustments to the 12-round schedule: Instead of kicking off the series at Kansas Speedway like it did in 2024, it will now be the second race. On the other hand, Talladega Superspeedway, which hosted the second race in 2024, won’t be hosting the opening race.

Rather than that, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will kick off the initial event for the round of 12, marking its return as a playoff race since 2017. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval remains on schedule as the closing race for the second round.

Initially scheduled for Homestead-Miami Speedway, the mid-race event in the playoff round of 8 is now being held at Talladega instead. Meanwhile, Las Vegas Motor Speedway continues to open the playoff rounds, and Martinsville Speedway remains as the finale. Interestingly, Homestead-Miami Speedway has been moved back to the regular season for the first time since 2021.

For six consecutive years, the Championship 4 will remain unaltered, taking place once again at Phoenix Raceway.

The upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season in 2025 begins on February 16 (Sunday) with the annual Daytona 500 race, airing live on Fox TV, kicking off at 2:30 PM Eastern Time from Daytona International Speedway.

2025-01-02 16:02

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