NASCAR set for trend not seen since 1971 upon return
By Asher Fair
When NASCAR returns from the unexpected coronavirus stoppage, there are set to be four races in an 11-day span, which hasn’t happened in nearly five decades.
In a normal world, the NASCAR Cup Series would be racing once every weekend during the season, typically on Sundays, meaning that from one Sunday to two Sundays later, a 15-day span, there would typically be three Cup Series races.
Or, if the third of these three races took place on a Saturday night, there would be three races in a 14-day span. Maybe the first of these three races even got postponed to Monday. Then there would be three races in just a 13-day span.
But you don’t typically see four races in an 11-day span.
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That is what is set to take place beginning this Sunday, May 17, when NASCAR is scheduled to return to real-life action for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic brought an unexpected stoppage to the 2020 season after the race at Phoenix Raceway all the way back on Sunday, March 8.
On Sunday, May 17, it will be 10 weeks since the Cup Series last raced, which is nearly the length of an entire offseason. Four races were contested before the season was brought to an abrupt halt.
This 11-day span includes two races at Darlington Raceway and two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The races at the former are scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 20 while the races at the latter are scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 27.
NASCAR has not seen four Cup Series race take place in an 11-day span in nearly five decades. The last time it happened was 49 years ago in July of 1971.
Those races were contested at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Islip Speedway, Trenton Speedway and Nashville Speedway on Wednesday, July 14; Thursday, July 15; Sunday, July 18; and Saturday, July 24. It was Richard Petty who was victorious in all four of those races.
In fact, this upcoming 11-day span actually includes seven races, as there are two Xfinity Series races, one at Darlington Raceway and one at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and one Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the schedule. Neither series existed back in 1971.
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Tune in to Fox at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 17 for the live broadcast of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season’s return to action at Darlington Raceway.