DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR officials have formally announced the eight NASCAR Cup Series races that will feature practice and qualifying this year.
Most of the 36-race schedule will feature no practice or qualifying as the sanctioning body continues to adjust weekend schedules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, eight races will continue to feature practice and qualifying. Those eight races include marquee events like the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 as well as events at new venues, including the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway dirt event and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Below are the eight races that will feature practice and qualifying this year.
- Feb. 14 – Daytona 500
- March 28 – Bristol Motor Speedway (Dirt)
- May 23 – Circuit of the Americas
- May 30 – Coca-Cola 600
- June 20 – Nashville Superspeedway
- July 4 – Road America
- Aug. 14 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
- Nov. 7 – Phoenix Raceway
Weekend schedules for these events, including additional details regarding practice and qualifying time, have not yet been announced.
Last year the starting lineups for most events were set first via random draw, then by a performance-metrics formula. The last NASCAR Cup Series event to feature qualifying was the 2020 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.