With the 2023 NASCAR season only a month away, it is time to look at the schedule and prepare for the best races of the upcoming year.
The long winter is almost over for NASCAR fans. In less than three weeks, NASCAR will return to the LA Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash. The regular season will then start two weeks later at the Daytona 500.
To prep for the season, here is an overview of the 2023 NASCAR Cup schedule, where to watch it, and the best races to look out for this year.
2023 NASCAR Cup Schedule & TV Channels
Pre-Season Races
- February 5th: Busch Light Clash at The LA Coliseum (FOX)
- February 16th: Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona International Speedway (FS1)
Regular Season Races
- February 19th: Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway (FOX)
- February 26th: Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway (FOX)
- March 5th: Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (FOX)
- March 12th: United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway (FOX)
- March 19th: Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (FOX)
- March 26th: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (FOX)
- April 2nd: Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway (FS1)
- April 9th: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt (FOX)
- April 16th: NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway (FS1)
- April 23rd: GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (FOX)
- April 30th: NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway (FS1)
- May 7th: AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (FS1)
- May 14th: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (FS1)
- May 21st: NASCAR All-Star Open/NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (FS1)
- May 28th: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (FOX)
- June 4th: Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter at World Wide Technology Raceway (FS1)
- June 11th: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (FOX)
- June 25th: Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (NBC)
- July 2nd: NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago Street Course (NBC)
- July 9th: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway (USA)
- July 16th: Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (USA)
- July 23rd: M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway (USA)
- July 30th: NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway (USA)
- August 6th: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (USA)
- August 13th: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (NBC)
- August 20th: Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International (USA)
- August 26th: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway (NBC)
The Playoffs
Round of 16
- September 3rd: Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (USA)
- September 10th: Hollywood Casino 400 presented by Barstool Sportsbook at Kansas Speedway (USA)
- September 16th: Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (USA)
Round of 12
- September 24th: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway (USA)
- October 1st: YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (NBC)
- October 8th: Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (NBC)
Round of 8
- October 15th: South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (NBC)
- October 22nd: NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway (NBC)
- October 29th: Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (NBC)
Championship 4
- November 5th: NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway (NBC)
Top Races to Watch
There are a few exciting additions to the 2023 NASCAR Cup schedule. The Cup Series will make its long-awaited return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in May for the All-Star Race. They will then race for the first time ever at the Chicago Street Course during the Fourth of July weekend. This will be the first time that the Cup Series has raced on a street course, making it one of the most interesting races of the year.
While North Wilkesboro and Chicago are the new races, there are still several returning tracks to the 2023 NASCAR Cup schedule that should give fans plenty to watch. Mainstays like the Daytona 500 and the GEICO 500 at Talladega should once again produce some of the best action of the regular season. NASCAR will also return to newer tracks like Bristol Dirt, Nashville, COTA, World Wide Technology, and the Indianapolis Road Course. This will be the second year of the new superspeedway-like configuration at Atlanta as well, which created some of the best racing at the track in decades.
The Playoffs are identical to how they were in 2022. This is overall a positive because the Southern 500, Bristol Night Race, YellaWood 500, and the Roval have each created plenty of drama in recent years. Although it is disappointing that the Championship will remain at Phoenix, the racing should improve for the season finale because it is year two of the Next Gen car.
