Three tracks that were on the four-round, 10-race postseason schedule in 2024 are no longer on the playoff schedule in 2025. Today we will discuss about Nascar playoff schedule changes 2025: Dates,Predictions.
Nascar playoff schedule changes 2025: Dates,Predictions
Every track that hosted a points race during the 2024 NASCAR Cup SeriesNASCAR Cup Series season is set to do so again in 2025, and the only track to lose a points race date is Richmond Raceway.
Richmond has dropped from two races to one to make room for Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which is scheduled to host its first Cup Series race in mid-June.
However, the calendar has still seen a bit of variation, especially as it pertains to the playoffs.
Three tracks that were on the four-round, 10-race postseason schedule in 2024 are no longer on the playoff schedule in 2025.
Changes made to 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff schedule
In 2024, the playoffs begin with races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International. Atlanta’s second race date has now been moved back to the regular season, giving the track two regular season dates, and Watkins Glen has been moved back to the regular season after spending just one year in the playoffs.
Atlanta’s two races are scheduled for Sunday, February 23 and Sunday, June 28, with the latter date set to debut the first-ever five-race in-season tournament on TNT Sports. Watkins Glen is scheduled to host one of its annual races on Sunday, August 10.
Then there’s Homestead-Miami Speedway, which hosted Championship 4 until 2019. Homestead returned to the playoff schedule as a part of Round 8 in 2022, but has now been moved to early in the regular season. Its race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 23 as the sixth points race of the year.
The three tracks that have been added to the playoff schedule are Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Darlington had opened the postseason each year since 2020, but it hosted the regular season finale in 2024 because the season was effectively extended by one week due to NBC’s commitment to the Summer Olympics.
Now it’s back to the playoff-opening slot!
Dates
Darlington had opened the postseason each year since 2020, but it hosted the regular season finale in 2024 because the season was effectively extended by one week due to NBC’s commitment to the Summer Olympics.
Now it’s back in the playoff-opening slot, and will be immediately followed by Gateway, which has hosted a regular season race for the first time since it was added to the Cup Series schedule in 2022. Bristol Motor Speedway is still scheduled to conclude the first round.
As for New Hampshire, it has hosted a race in the playoffs before, but not since 2017. Now it is going to host the round of 12 opener. The Round of 12 is still scheduled to include races at Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, but Talladega Superspeedway moves up to the Round of 8 due to Homestead moving back to the regular season.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway remain on the schedule for the Round of 8, and Phoenix Raceway is set to host Championship 4 for the sixth consecutive year.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to begin with the 67th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox is set to provide live coverage of the “Great American Race” beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Predictions
Although every track on the 36-race 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule remains on the 2025 schedule, with Richmond Raceway losing one of its two race dates due to Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, several significant changes have been made to the calendar.
Many of those changes relate to the playoffs, which are going to look very different than in 2024. Only one of the four rounds in the 10-race postseason is going to look the same as lastlast year. Championship 4, as Phoenix Raceway is set to host the title decider for the sixth consecutive year.
Atlanta Motor Speedway’s second race date has been moved back to the regular season after the 2024 playoff track opens, and Watkins Glen International’s race date has been moved back to the regular season after hosting a second playoff race in 2024 .
Additionally, Homestead-Miami Speedway is scheduled to host a race at the start of the regular season for the first time since 2021. The former Championship 4 host site was added back to the playoff schedule in 2022 and featured in rounds 8 through 2024.
As a result, three more tracks have been added to the playoff schedule.
Now Darlington Raceway is set to open the playoffs, which actually introduced the postseason from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, it hosted the regular season finale, as the season was effectively extended by one week due to the “summer break”. From NBC’s commitment to the Summer Olympics.
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway is set to follow Darlington in the Round of 16, which was only added to the Cup Series schedule in 2022. From 2022 to 2024, it hosted a regular season race.
The other playoff addition is New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Talladega Superspeedway is set to move from the Round of 12 to the Round of 8 to take the place of Homestead, freeing up a spot for New Hampshire to make its long-awaited playoff return in the Round of 12. Loudon has not hosted a playoff race since 2017. ,
All other playoff tracks are!
