DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Buckle up, race fans, because NASCAR is getting back on the race track.
Officials from the stock car sanctioning body confirmed a revised schedule of events for the month of May, including all three of its national divisions.
Racing is scheduled to resume on Sunday, May 17 with a 400-mile event for the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Coverage of that event is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
The Cup Series portion of the calendar is slated to continue on Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET with a 500-kilometer (310-mile) primetime event at Darlington, followed by a visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on Sunday, May 24 for the scheduled running of the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest event.
Another midweek, primetime event for the Cup Series is slated to follow on Wednesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. That race will be 500 kilometers and will also be held at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval.
In addition to the four planned Cup Series events, two races for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series were also announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Xfinity Series is scheduled compete on Tuesday night, May 19 at Darlington, getting the green flag at 8 p.m. ET. NASCAR’s second-highest division will then move to Charlotte on Monday night, May 25 with a start time of 7:30 p.m. ET. Those two races will be 200 miles and 300 miles, respectively.
NASCAR’s Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series is scheduled to race at Charlotte on Tuesday, May 26 at 8 p.m. ET in a 200-mile event.
“I’d like to thank Governor (Roy) Cooper, NASCAR and all of our state and local government and health officials who have worked so hard with us to make this happen,” said Speedway Motorsports President and Chief Executive Officer Marcus Smith. “This has been a proactive effort to put our motorsports industry back to work and boost the morale of sports fans around the world, while at the same time keeping the health and safety of all who will be on site the top priority.”
No fans will be allowed to attend any of NASCAR’s May events.
All of the scheduled May races, with the exception of the first Darlington Cup race and the Coca-Cola 600, will be televised on FS1. The Coca-Cola 600 will air on FOX starting at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 24.
“NASCAR and its teams are eager and excited to return to racing, and have great respect for the responsibility that comes with a return to competition,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “NASCAR will return in an environment that will ensure the safety of our competitors, officials and all those in the local community.
“We thank local, state and federal officials and medical experts, as well as everyone in the industry, for the unprecedented support in our return to racing, and we look forward to joining our passionate fans in watching cars return to the track.”
Notably, the May 17 and May 20 Darlington events will not replace the previously-scheduled Southern 500 at the South Carolina oval. That race is still slated for the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 6, as the opening race of the Cup Series playoffs.
“As our nation restarts, I can think of no better place for NASCAR to drop the green flag than at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. “Team South Carolina stands ready to help NASCAR restart the season at Darlington Raceway with three races next month that can be enjoyed by fans from home on television, radio, and online.”
NASCAR officials still hope to maintain the original tracks and dates of its 10-race playoff calendar.
The announcement of a revised schedule marks NASCAR’s first step back to racing since the outbreak of the coronavirus around the globe brought all sports to a sudden halt.
NASCAR has not raced since the weekend of March 6-8 at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway, which included a doubleheader for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series at the one-mile desert oval.
As far as event procedures are concerned, qualifying will only be held for the Coca-Cola 600, and NASCAR has collaborated extensively with public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials in an effort to ensure the health and safety of competitors and surrounding areas.
All seven races will be adjusted to follow guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the procedures will be modified in line with CDC, OSHA and state and local government recommendations — including implementing one-day formats at all of the aforementioned races.
Personal protective equipment will be mandated at all events, as will health screenings upon entering a facility and social distancing measures during each race.
Dates beyond May 27 and schedule updates pursuant to tracks that have had races postponed which were not part of Thursday’s announcement will be addressed at a later date, per NASCAR officials.
NASCAR officials remain committed to running a full 36-race NASCAR Cup Series season.