The NASCAR 2021 schedule release will surely get racing fans talking — there are more road races, two regular tracks gone from the schedule entirely and. for the first time in the modern era, NASCAR will race on dirt.
Bristol Motor Speedway will play host to that dirt race on its oval March 28. After being rumored for weeks, NASCAR's Wednesday schedule release made the dirt race official.
Among a number of other changes detailed below, NASCAR has removed Chicagoland and Kentucky from the tracks it'll race on in 2021. Coming into the schedule are races at Circuit of the Americas, Road America and Nashville. The August race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be shifted to that track's road course, as well. The playoff finale will take place in Phoenix for the second-straight year.
“We developed the 2021 schedule with one primary goal: Continue to take steps to create the most dynamic schedule possible for our fans,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, in a release. “Extensive collaboration between NASCAR, the race tracks, race teams and our broadcast partners allowed NASCAR to create what promises to be an exciting 2021 schedule of races.”
Below is the complete NASCAR Cup Series schedule for 2021. The start times, TV channels, radio stations and more information will be added when the schedule is released by NASCAR.
NASCAR schedule 2021
| Date | Race | Track |
| Feb. 14 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway |
| Feb. 21 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | |
| Feb. 28 | Auto Club Speedway | |
| March 7 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
| March 14 | Phoenix Raceway | |
| March 21 | Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| March 28 | Food City Dirt Race | Bristol Motor Speedway (dirt) |
| April 10 | Martinsville Speedway | |
| April 18 | Richmond Raceway | |
| April 25 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
| May 2 | Kansas Speedway | |
| May 9 | Darlington Raceway | |
| May 16 | Dover International Speedway | |
| May 23 | Circuit of the Americas | |
| May 30 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| June 6 | Sonoma Raceway | |
| June 13 | All-Star Race | Texas Motor Speedway |
| June 20 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
| June 26 | Pocono Raceway | |
| June 27 | Pocono Raceway | |
| July 4 | Road America | |
| July 11 | Quaker State 400 | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| July 18 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
| Aug. 8 | Watkins Glen International | |
| Aug. 15 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road) | |
| Aug. 22 | Michigan International Speedway (oval) | |
| Aug. 28 | Daytona International Speedway (oval) |
NASCAR schedule 2021: Playoff races
| Date | Race | Track |
| Sept. 5 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway |
| Sept. 11 | Richmond Raceway | |
| Sept. 18 | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
| Sept. 26 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
| Oct. 3 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
| Oct. 10 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
| Oct. 17 | Texas Motor Speedway | |
| Oct. 24 | Kansas Speedway | |
| Oct. 31 | Martinsville Speedway | |
| Nov. 7 | Phoenix Raceway |
NASCAR schedule changes for 2021
Below are the major changes to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2021 compared to previous seasons.
- Bristol Motor Speedway's spring race will take place with its oval covered in dirt on March 28, the first dirt race in NASCAR's modern era (dating back to 1972).
- NASCAR has added new road-course races at both Circuit of the Americas (May 23) in Austin, Texas, and at Road America (July 4) in Plymouth, Wisconsin.
- Nasvhille has been added to the schedule for a race on June 20.
- Atlanta and Darlington will both see an additional race this season, with the second swing through Darlington serving as the playoff opener on Sunday, Sept. 5.
- The Aug. 15 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway won't take place on the usual oval and rather will be yet another road-course race in the 2021 season
- Chicagoland and Kentucky have both been removed from the schedule - this is the first schedule release with tracks removed since 2005, when Rockingham was left off the slate.
- There are no mid-week races included on the new schedule.