NASCAR makes significant changes to 2020 Cup schedule, puts Phoenix as new finale
Homestead is no longer the site of NASCAR’s Cup Series title race.
NASCAR announced a host of changes to the 2020 Cup Series schedule on Tuesday including the revelation that Phoenix will be the site of the championship race next season.
Phoenix, which was recently given a $178 million makeover, will replace Homestead as the last race on the NASCAR calendar. Homestead, meanwhile, moves to the sixth race of the season.
The fall Phoenix race will be again held on the second Sunday in November, meaning the season will end a week sooner in 2020 than it does in 2019.
Many other changes too
The finale is not the only significant change to the playoff schedule. The Bristol night race, traditionally held in August, moves to September as the final race of the first round of the playoffs. The final race of the second round will be at the Charlotte road course/oval hybrid and the final race of the third round will be at Martinsville.
[The good and the bad of NASCAR’s many 2020 schedule changes]
Indianapolis replaces Daytona as the July 4 weekend race. Daytona, which has typically held a 400-mile race around the holiday, will move its second race to the final race of the regular season. Indianapolis’ date moved from July to September in 2018.
Pocono will hold a Cup Series doubleheader on July 27 and July 28. Instead of having two different dates in the summer the track will have two races over one weekend. That move allows NBC to have a two-week NASCAR break for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Martinsville will host its first night race in May.
2020 schedule
Feb. 16: Daytona 500
Feb. 23: Las Vegas
March 1: Auto Club (Fontana)
March 8: ISM Raceway (Phoenix)
March 15: Atlanta
March 22: Homestead
March 29: Texas
April 5: Bristol
April 19: Richmond
April 26: Talladega
May 3: Dover
May 9: Martinsville
May 16: All-Star Race
May 24: Charlotte
May 31: Kansas
June 7: Michigan
June 14: Sonoma
June 21: Chicago
June 27: Pocono
June 28: Pocono
July 5: Indianapolis
July 11: Kentucky
July 19: New Hampshire
Aug. 9: Michigan
Aug. 16: Watkins Glen
Aug. 23: Dover
Aug. 29: Daytona
Sept. 6: Darlington
Sept. 12: Richmond
Sept. 19: Bristol
Sept. 27: Las Vegas
Oct. 4: Talladega
Oct. 11: Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18: Kansas
Oct. 25: Texas
Nov. 1: Martinsville
Nov. 8 ISM Raceway
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports
More from Yahoo Sports: