MOORSVILLE, N.C. — Darlington (S.C.) Raceway will now host the final regular season event for the NASCAR Cup Series, with the Southern 500 on Sept. 1 completing the 26-event regular season.
“Darlington Raceway is one of the most iconic tracks on the circuit and we are excited to host two incredible NASCAR race weekends for the 2024 season,” said Darlington Raceway President Kerry Tharp. “In addition to two historic NASCAR events at Darlington Raceway, we look forward to hosting the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale. Our fans are bound to experience a high-pressured race to the checkered flag that will set the playoff field.”
With that the playoff opener shifts to Atlanta Motor Speedway the following weekend (Sept. 8), with Daytona Int’l Speedway now hosting the penultimate event in the regular season on Aug. 24.
“No track in NASCAR has more momentum than Atlanta Motor Speedway, with more people experiencing the new-look AMS and incredible racing each year,” said AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “Things just got even more exciting for our races in 2024, with AMS playing a key role in crowning next year’s NASCAR Cup Series champion.”
• In addition to the 2024 return announcement, Choose Chicago and the Chicago Sports Commission released the findings of their independent economic impact report, which showed that the inaugural Chicago Street Race Weekend exceeded initial economic forecasts despite historic rains, delivering a total economic impact of $108.9 million for Chicago from corporate spending and non-local attendees who said that the Chicago Street Race was their sole or primary reason for travel.
This is in addition to another estimated $6.2 million in economic investment from attendees who said that the event was equally important as other attractions in their decision to travel to Chicago.
“From the very beginning, our objective was to drive global attention and tourism to Chicago while introducing motorsports to an entirely new fan base, and by both measures, 2023 was a resounding success,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “NASCAR is honored to be a part of the Chicago community 365-days a year, and we look forward to building upon the incredible foundation we established this year.”
• Pocono Raceway will host the NASCAR Cup Series for the 51st consecutive season this year, with the event weekend that includes the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series moving up one weekend to July 12-14.
“Our fans made a statement in 2023 by selling out the HighPoint.com 400,” Pocono Raceway President Ben May said. “Based on the early performance of our renewal campaign and initial 2024 pre-sale, the enthusiasm is already building for July 12-14, 2024, to be another high-energy weekend of NASCAR racing at Pocono Raceway. Start planning now. It’s going to be another hot ticket. Everybody I’ve talked to can’t wait to come back and do it again.”
• The Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l NASCAR weekend moves from August to September (Sept. 14-15) and will be part of the Cup Series Payoffs for the first time.
“We’re excited to have Watkins Glen International in the NASCAR Playoffs, creating an even more competitive atmosphere for drivers and teams, and more intense racing for fans,” said Chip Wile, Senior Vice President and Chief Track Properties Officer at NASCAR. “We’ve produced some incredible race weekends at Watkins Glen, and we’re looking forward to tackling this new territory.”
• Texas Motor Speedway moves from September to April 12-14 for its NASCAR events.
“We work for the fans, and we heard them,” said Texas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President & General Manager Mark Faber. “The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 race weekend move from late September to mid-April will make for cooler temperatures, which should create even better competition on the track and a better experience for our race fans.
“We’re also very excited about having all three NASCAR national series together again at Texas Motor Speedway, allowing us to expand to a third day of racing with Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250. The additional day of on-track activity allows us to provide that much more entertainment value for our fans and activation for our stakeholders.”
• Martinsville (Va.) Speedway will host a pair of tripleheaders next season, with the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series in action April 5-7 and Nov. 1-3.
“We’re thrilled that our fans at Martinsville Speedway will get to see two full NASCAR race weekends in 2024, including the action-packed, penultimate race of the season for all three national series,” said Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway. “Both Martinsville and NASCAR have such rich and intertwined histories spanning over 75 years, and we take great pride in welcoming some of the best fans in motorsports to our venue.”
• Richmond (Va.) Raceway will host a pair of nighttime Cup Series races next season on March 31 and Aug. 10.
“We’re extremely excited for Richmond Raceway to get two NASCAR Cup Series night races for the 2024 season,” said Richmond Raceway President Lori Collier Waran. “In addition to two great weekends of racing, we look forward to offering a fantastic holiday atmosphere with tons of festivities for the whole family to enjoy.”
• As previously reported, the Dirt Race at Bristol will not happen next season, with Bristol Motor Speedway returning to an early spring date on the .533-mile concrete track, March 17.