DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR officials revealed the 2020 schedule for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Wednesday afternoon, featuring 33 races from coast to coast and a return to one of the division’s inaugural facilities.
Chief among the changes to the Xfinity Series schedule, which fall largely in line with the shift to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series calendar, is the addition of a race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the first time since 2006.
The Xfinity Series race on the .526-mile Virginia paper clip will be Saturday, Oct. 31, part of the track’s first-ever tripleheader weekend and serving as the final race in the penultimate round of the playoffs.
“Last week I was able to answer the most popular question I get, which is about a night race and this week, I get to answer the second most popular question we get, ‘When will you bring back the Xfinity Series?’” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “I remember that series fondly from their time here in the past and fans will now be able to see drivers from all three national touring series at Martinsville Speedway over one weekend, which I know they will enjoy.”
Martinsville was a traditional stop on the Xfinity Series calendar from the series’ inception in 1982 through 1994, with an additional one-off event held in 2006 that was won by Kevin Harvick.
Now, the bullring will set the contenders who will race for a championship.
“We’ve seen so much excitement and intensity unfold being the first race in the Round of 8, so moving to the last race of that round and becoming the last chance the Playoff drivers have of securing a spot in the Championship Race, I expect that to ratchet up even higher,” Campbell noted. “I think drivers have proven they will do whatever it takes to move on, and Martinsville lends itself to beating and banging that you don’t get anywhere else.”
The Martinsville race replaces one of the series stops at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
One week after the Xfinity Series’ return to Martinsville, a champion will be crowned in Arizona for the first time, as the season finale commences at ISM Raceway on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Prior to those two marquee dates, however, is a run of traditional favorites, starting with the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Feb. 15.
That will be followed by the Western Swing – at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, California’s Auto Club Speedway and Arizona’s ISM Raceway – on Feb. 22, Feb. 29 and March 7, respectively.
Formerly the season-closing race, Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway moves to March 21, while the road-course event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio jumps up from August to May 30.
The Xfinity Series will race as the undercard to the second of two Cup Series events at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on Sunday, June 28, while Richmond will set the playoff field on Sept. 11.
Opening the Xfinity Series playoffs for the first time will be Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway’s night race on Sept. 18. That event is followed by a return trip to Las Vegas on Sept. 26, while the Round of 12 ends with the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Oct. 10.
The Round of 8, meanwhile, features traditional stops at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17 and Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 24, before Martinsville and Phoenix take center stage to help determine a champion.
To view the complete Xfinity Series schedule for 2020, advance to the next page.