Over the past couple of seasons, NASCAR has brought some big changes to the race schedule across all three racing series. This year more road course races were added to the schedule. Next season all three series will see a new track on the schedule.
On September 29,NASCAR released the 2022 schedules for both the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. The Cup Series schedule was released on September 15.
The Xfinity Series will race in the Pacific Northwest when they travel to Portland International Raceway in Oregon. Portland International is a 1.964 mile road course. It has been over 20 years since a major NASCAR sanctioned race has run in the Northwest.
Portland will replace the road course race at Mid-Ohio for the Xfinity Series.
Saying that he had travelled to the Pacific Northwest and looked at tracks in Oregon and Washington, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation Ben Kennedy spoke on the addition saying that it would be, “a great time of year to be racing, especially in the Pacific Northwest starting to warm up, and I think it’ll be a great addition to the schedule.”
In the Camping World Truck Series will see its schedule increase with one more race for a total of 23 and on the final weekend in July while the Xfinity and Cup Series are racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, the Truck Series will kick off their playoffs with a return to Lucas Oil Raceway (Indianapolis Raceway Park). The Truck Series was last at Lucas Oil Raceway’s .686 mile oval in 2011.
Ben Kennedy spoke on the addition saying, “it’s something that our fans have been asking for for a long time is getting back to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, and I think a big part of that is the racing product that it put on as another great short track that we had on the Camping World Truck Series schedule back in the day. I think it’ll be a great addition to the schedule, especially on that weekend. I think from a timing perspective, it just, it couldn’t have worked out any better having it on the same weekend as the Xfinity and Cup race and then also to be able to kick off our playoffs as a part of that, too.”
Also new for the CWTS is a return to the road course at Sonoma and the addition of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. And the truck series will not be racing at Watkins Glen in 2022. With the continuing uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 virus and the opening of the border, there will be no race again next year on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
And like the Cup Series, the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series will shuffle some of the playoff races around.
Racing fans will have a total of 15 times next season to see a triple header race weekend.
2022 Xfinity Series schedule:
Feb 19 – Daytona International Speedway
Feb 26 – Auto Club Speedway
March 5 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 12 – Phoenix Raceway
March 19 – Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 26 – Circuit of the Americas
April 2 – Richmond Raceway
April 8 – Martinsville Speedway
April 23 – Talladega Superspeedway
April 30 – Dover International Speedway
May 7 – Darlington Raceway
May 21 – Texas Motor Speedway
May 28 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 4 – Portland International Raceway
June 25 – Nashville Superspeedway
July 2 – Road America
July 9 – Atlanta Motor Speedway
July 16 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 23 – Pocono Raceway
July 30 – Indianapolis Road Course
Aug 6 – Michigan International Speedway
Aug 20 – Watkins Glen International
Aug 26 – Daytona International Speedway
Sept 3 – Darlington Raceway
Sept 10 – Kansas Speedway
Sept 16 – Bristol Motor Speedway
Playoff Races:
Sept 24 – Texas Motor Speedway
Oct 1 – Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 8 – Charlotte Roval
Oct 15 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Oct 22 – Homestead-Miami Speedway
Oct 29 – Martinsville Speedway
Nov 5 – Phoenix Raceway – championship race
2022 Camping World Truck Series schedule:
Feb 18 – Daytona International Speedway
March 4 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 19 – Atlanta Motor Speeway
March 26 – Circuit of the Americas
April 7 – Martinsville Speedway
April 16 – Dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway
May 6 – Darlington Raceway
May 14 – Kansas Speedway
May 20 – Texas Motor Speedway
May 27 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 4 – World Wide Technology Raceway
June 11 – Sonoma Raceway
June 18 – Knoxville Raceway
June 24 – Nashville Superspeedway
July 9 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 23 – Pocono Raceway
Playoff races:
July 29 – Lucas Oil Raceway
Aug 13 – Richmond Raceway
Sept 9 – Kansas Speedway
Sept 15 – Bristol Motor Speedway
Oct 1 – Talladega Superspeedway
Oct 22 – Homestead-Miami Speedway
Nov 4 – Phoenix Raceway – championship race