2009 NASCAR Schedule Changes
August 19th, 2008 | by RacingWin |2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule
Atlanta Motor Speedway has won the rights to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Race under the lights on the Sunday night before Labor Day next year.
In one of the biggest realignments in recent years three speedways have agreed to swap dates for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule.
Talladega Superspeedway, Auto Club Speedway in California, and Atlanta Motor Speedway are all parties to the moves in the Sprint Cup schedule.
The biggest change will be the fall race at Atlanta. That event will be held on Sunday, September 6, which is Labor Day weekend. The move will return big time stock car racing to its southern roots for Labor Day. For 54 years Darlington, South Carolina was home to NASCAR for Labor Day, until the date moved to California Speedway for 2005.
“We’re very excited,” said Ed Clark, President of Atlanta Motor Speedway. “I think this is a win-win-win for all of us and certainly a win for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and for the fans. We’re bringing Labor Day racing back to the Southeast and doing it with a nighttime event. A lot of excitement around here today. We’re going to do some things to enhance the weekend.”
The move means that Atlanta will no longer have a race in the Chase, but speedway executives seemed to think a Sunday night race was worth more than a spot in the playoffs. “We felt like the opportunity to have a night event in a summertime setting on a holiday weekend overshadowed the opportunity to be in the Chase,” said Clark
Auto Club Speedway will hold its Sprint Cup race on Sunday, October 11 - the fourth race in the Chase. The move should help attendance at the southern California speedway which has been plagued by 100+ degree temperatures at previous races.
Talladega’s fall race will be held on Sunday, November 1 - the 7th race in the Chase. “We’re also very excited about our new position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, said Rick Humphrey, president of Talladega Superspeedway. We’ve been a big part of the championship battle. We believe that moving even deeper into the Chase makes Talladega even more significant to the championship.”
Race teams will also get one additional weekend off. There will be no racing on the weekend before Labor Day — giving everyone a break before heading into the final 12 races. There will be 4 off weekends during the season.
“The 2009 schedule reflects realigned dates that are good opportunities for everyone involved in our sport - fans, sponsors, tracks and teams,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR’s President. “We think this news and these moves benefit all the industry, including the tracks and the teams, but most importantly our fans.”
2009 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb. 7 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 15 Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 22 Auto Club Speedway
March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 22 Bristol Motor Speedway
March 29 Martinsville Speedway
April 5 Texas Motor Speedway
April 18 Phoenix International Raceway
April 26 Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 Richmond International Raceway
May 9 Darlington Raceway
May 16 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 24 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
May 31 Dover International Speedway
June 7 Pocono Raceway
June 14 Michigan International Speedway
June 21 Infineon Raceway
June 28 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 4 Daytona International Speedway
July 11 Chicagoland Speedway
July 26 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 2 Pocono Raceway
Aug. 9 Watkins Glen International
Aug. 16 Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 22 Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 6 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sept. 12 Richmond International Raceway
Sept. 20 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 27 Dover International Speedway
Oct. 4 Kansas Speedway
Oct. 11 Auto Club Speedway
Oct. 17 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct. 25 Martinsville Speedway
Nov. 1 Talladega Superspeedway
Nov. 8 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 15 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 22 Homestead-Miami Speedway
* - Denotes non-points event.
Sponsored link
Computer too slow? Check your PC performance here
2 Responses to “2009 NASCAR Schedule Changes”
By ROBERT FLIBOTTE on Aug 21, 2008 | Reply
to nascar i think the move to atlanta was the wrong. move it should have been brought back to darlington were it came from it shound never been taken away from darlington. i hope you bring it back there. or put a second race there. because we have been selling out every year. please e-mail me so i know you read this. my e-mail is booby3000@comcast.net thanks robert flibotte
[Reply]
By Marge on Aug 22, 2008 | Reply
ATLANTA ????????????????????NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[Reply]