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Aside from the race each weekend, the biggest thing NASCAR fans are anticipating is the release of the 2024 schedule. When can they expect the 2024 schedule to be released, and what trends can they generally expect regarding the schedule?
The best first place to look is to see the schedule release dates from each of the past five seasons. Also, in parentheses is the amount date swaps and/or new venues from the year previous.
NASCAR’s general trend through the 2010s was to release the schedule sometime in the spring. However, making the schedule during that time was far less complicated than it is now. NASCAR was in the midst of contractual agreements with each race track, guaranteeing each track a race date.
Those contracts ended just before the 2021 season, meaning that NASCAR finally had the ability to change the schedule. They made sweeping changes adding six new venues. That, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the 2021 schedule was not released until the tip of the tail end of September.
NASCAR has kept up with that general trend over the last couple of years, and the new venues trend has stayed as well. NASCAR has raced at new venues each of the last three seasons.
In October of 2022, NASCAR President Steve Phelps spoke at the SBJ World Congress of Sports. It was there that Phelps claimed that 2024 schedule would be the “most aggressive” in terms of schedule variation.
That is quite a statement considering the fact that NASCAR is only two season removed from their most aggressive schedules in years. The 2021 season was the first time in 20 years that NASCAR had opened multiple new venues in the same season, and it was around the most new venues year-to-year in NASCAR’s modern era. If 2021 was aggressive, imagine how aggressive 2024 can be given the success of races such as the Chicago Street Race
NASCAR’s potential reach of venues is higher now then it ever has been before. Ben Kennedy has openly said that NASCAR is looking at staging more street races as a part of Sports Business Journal’s Forty under 40 series. There have also been rumors regarding NASCAR potentially running a race in Canada next year.
Speaking of Street races, what is the fate of the Chicago Street Race? The contract is currently sitting at three seasons, but both sides can pull out of the contract with at least 180 days notice. If the Chicago Street Race is included, does that mean it’s for sure on the schedule or just tentative?
The potential new venues are not just limited to road courses and street circuits, but short tracks as well. With the success of the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, bringing a points race to North Wilkesboro has been rumored as well. The Nashville Fairgrounds could be in the mix sometime soon as well if they can get city approval to renovate there.
NASCAR has a lot of options at its disposal, perhaps more than ever, which means lots of conversations and deals need to happen for a schedule to happen. With that in mind, what are reporters saying regarding the 2024 schedule? Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports gave his take.
This timeline fits in with the general timeline of the recent years. NASCAR has generally released the next year’s schedule in September since 2021. Late August based on this trend may be a tad early.
Regardless, to answer the question, expect around two months give or take until the NASCAR schedule gets released. Do not be surprised if the schedule is released potentially later in September just based on recent trends. When it is released though, it could be one of the most anticipated schedule releases in NASCAR history.
