NASCAR Cup Series: The final off weekend of 2020
By Asher Fair
For the last time before the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to conclude in November, there is no action at all this weekend.
The NASCAR Cup Series ran what is scheduled to be the final midweek race of the season at Kansas Speedway on Thursday, July 23.
While the previous four midweek races, which were all added to the schedule since NASCAR was forced to condense the season due to missing so much time as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, each took place between two separate race weekends, this particular midweek race led into a rare off weekend for the sport’s top level of competition.
There was no race yesterday, and there is no race today. We are in the midst of a 10-day break, the longest break since the pandemic caused a 10-week hiatus which lasted from Sunday, March 8 to Sunday, May 17.
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However, this is the final scheduled off weekend of the season.
There is at least one race scheduled to take place over the course of each of the next 15 weekends, with all races coming on a Saturday or a Sunday.
There are a total of 17 races scheduled to take place during this 15-week span, which runs from next Sunday, August 2 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway through the season finale on Sunday, November 8 at Phoenix Raceway.
This stretch includes two weekend doubleheaders, one at Michigan International Speedway and one at Dover International Speedway. Both of these doubleheaders are scheduled to take place in the regular season, and both include one race which was scheduled to take place earlier in the season but could not as a result of the pandemic.
The four-round, 10-race playoffs are still scheduled to take place over 10 weeks, and there have not yet been any confirmed changes to the postseason. With that being said, there is one race swap expected, which will be outlined below.
Here is the remaining 2020 schedule.
NOTE: * = playoff race
- Race 20 – Sunday, August 2 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
- Race 21 – Saturday, August 8 – Michigan International Speedway
- Race 22 – Sunday, August 9 – Michigan International Speedway
- Race 23 – Sunday, August 16 – Daytona International Speedway road course
- Race 24 – Saturday, August 22 – Dover International Speedway
- Race 25 – Sunday, August 23 – Dover International Speedway
- Race 26 – Saturday, August 29 – Daytona International Speedway
- Race 27* – Sunday, September 6 – Darlington Raceway
- Race 28* – Saturday, September 12 – Richmond Raceway
- Race 29* – Saturday, September 19 – Bristol Motor Speedway
- Race 30* – Sunday, September 27 – Texas Motor Speedway
- Race 31* – Sunday, October 4 – Talladega Superspeedway
- Race 32* – Sunday, October 11 – Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval
- Race 33* – Sunday, October 18 – Kansas Speedway
- Race 34* – Sunday, October 25 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- Race 35* – Sunday, November 1 – Martinsville Speedway
- Race 36* – Sunday, November 8 – Phoenix Raceway
We could still see a schedule change in the playoff schedule, but it would not create an off weekend.
The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) music festival had been scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17. However, because of the pandemic, it was postponed and is now scheduled to take place between Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4
This happens to be the week after the Las Vegas Motor Speedway round of 12 playoff race is scheduled to take place, so Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway could end up swapping dates, with Las Vegas Motor Speedway moving to the round of 8 on Sunday, October 25.
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There also happens to be no IndyCar and Formula 1 action this weekend, as IndyCar is scheduled to return to action on Sunday, August 9 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (possibly Saturday, August 8, pending expected schedule changes), while Formula 1 is scheduled to get back into action next Sunday, August 2 at Silverstone Circuit.