NASCAR Announces 2022 Season Dates and Tracks

Fenton, MI — November 13, 2021

It’s the weekend and there is no NASCAR racing on the agenda. Stock car fans will have to put their passion on hold for the next couple of months as the offseason is officially here. The “Silly Season” is in full swing and we will be updating the latest moves and rumors as teams make the moves they hope will result in the kind of success Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports experienced in 2021.

2022 Season Kicks off the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum 

One thing race fans can concentrate on now is booking tickets and trips to the tracks they want to visit next year. The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule is out and has some interesting quirks.

For the first time ever the pre-season Clash exhibition race is being held somewhere other than Daytona. NASCAR says hello to the Los Angeles Coliseum. February 5th and 6th, 40 Cup drivers will have the chance to practice, qualify, run heat races, 2nd chances will be available in last chance qualifiers, and the 23rd and final position will be awarded to the driver ranked highest in the 2021 points standings.

Sounds exciting, but with almost half the field being eliminated before the feature race it’s important to realize how positioning sorts out for your favorite driver. Check out our primer on the qualification process.

Fox and NBC Coverage

Once again Fox Sports and NBC Sports will divide coverage in 2022. Nineteen total NASCAR Cup Series races will air on FOX and NBC throughout the season. This marks the first time since 2009 in which more Cup Series points events will air on broadcast than cable. Ten of those will air on FOX, including the DAYTONA 500 (Sunday, Feb. 20, 2:30 p.m. ET) and eight of the next nine points events to start the season.

Bristol Dirt will air in primetime (Sunday, Apr. 17, 7 p.m. ET) on Easter, while Talladega (Sunday, Apr. 24, 3 p.m. ET) and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Sunday, May 29, 6 p.m. ET) round out the races airing on broadcast during the FOX portion of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

“Working with the broadcast partners, tracks, teams, and industry stakeholders, we will be able to deliver the best racing in the world to an even broader audience in 2022,” said Brian Herbst, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Media and Productions. “Based on data and fan feedback from the past several years, shifting afternoon start times back allows more of our fans – whether at home or at the track – to take in NASCAR racing on Sundays. In addition, airing the most Cup Series races on broadcast in more than a decade is consistent with our strategy of distributing our content to as many fans as possible during key moments in the season.”

The remaining nine broadcast races will air on NBC, one more than 2021, including the kickoff of the NBC Sports portion of the season when the NASCAR Cup Series visits Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 26 at 5 p.m. ET. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (Sunday, July 31, 2:30 p.m. ET) and regular season-ending tilt at Daytona International Speedway (Saturday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. ET) will be the other regular-season races airing on the network.

Finally, the final six playoff races will air on NBC beginning with Talladega on Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. ET and culminating with the crowning of a champion at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. ET.

USA Network, FS1 Host Cup, NASCAR Xfinity, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Races

USA Network will be the new home for 26 NBC Sports cable races in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022. NASCAR will debut on USA, which is available in approximately five million more homes than NBCSN, when the Xfinity Series hits the track at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, June 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Cup Series will make its USA Network debut on Sunday, July 3, at 3:00 p.m. ET from Road America.

All 23 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will air on FS1 in 2022, 16 of them in primetime, highlighted by the playoffs opener at new track Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on Friday, July 29 at 9 p.m. ET and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

Complete times and network schedules are listed below. All times are Eastern and subject to change.

NASCAR at Michigan International Raceway

NASCAR returns to MIS on August 6th and 7th with the Xfinity cars running on Saturday(3:30 pm) and the Cup Cars on Sunday(3:00 PM). USA Network is set to cover both events.

The final race of the regular season is Saturday, August 27 from Daytona International Speedway. The playoffs begin Sunday, September 4 at Darlington. The final is again scheduled for Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 6th.

The Complete 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule