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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 10, 2001) -- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has announced a 36-race schedule for the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. For the first time in the 54-year history of NASCAR’s premier series, the schedule will end in the state of Florida.
The season begins with the 44th running of the Daytona 500, Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. The season finale is set for Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), in Atlanta, Ga., has been the site of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season finale since 1987. Recurring inclement autumn weather led AMS officials to request an earlier date on the schedule.
In addition to the 36 races that will count in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series point standings, there again will be two “all-star’’ events: the Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 10 at Daytona and The Winston, May 19 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.
The season will have three off weekends, affording NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams well-deserved breaks amid their quests for the series championship.
Per NASCAR tradition, the Easter Sunday (March 31) and Mother’s Day (May 12) weekends will be open, along with the weekend of June 30.
Befitting the series’ burgeoning popularity and the record television ratings posted throughout the 2001 season, all 36 NASCAR Winston Cup Series races in 2002 will be nationally televised; a total of 26 events will be televised by the NBC and Fox networks, starting with NBC’s telecast of the Daytona 500. Cable networks TNT and FX will televise a total of 10 events.
In addition, TNT will carry the Budweiser Shootout and the Feb. 17 Gatorade 125s -- the two exciting, 125-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 -- on Feb. 17. Also, FX will carry The Winston.
A total of 13 tracks will host two point races apiece: Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 10 and Oct. 27); Bristol Motor Speedway (March 24 and Aug. 24); Darlington Raceway (March 17 and Sept. 1), Daytona (Feb. 17 and July 6); Dover Downs International Speedway (June 2 and Sept. 22); Lowe’s Motor Speedway (May 26 and Oct. 13); Martinsville Speedway (April 14 and Oct. 20); Michigan International Speedway (June 16 and Aug. 18); New Hampshire International Speedway (July 21 and Sept. 15); North Carolina Speedway (Feb. 24 and Nov. 3); Pocono Raceway (June 9 and July 28); Richmond International Raceway (May 4 and Sept. 8); and Talladega Superspeedway (April 21 and Oct. 6).
The following facilities will host one event: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 3); Texas Motor Speedway (April 7); California Speedway (April 28); Sears Point Raceway (June 23); Chicagoland Speedway (July 14); Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Aug. 4); Watkins Glen International (Aug. 11); Kansas Speedway (Sept. 29); Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 10) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 17).
The Chicagoland and Kansas tracks return to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule after highly successful debuts in the 2001 season.
Sears Point and Watkins Glen return, as the series’ only two road-course events.
|
Date |
Race/Facility |
Network |
Race Start |
TV Start |
Radio |
Laps |
Miles |
Track Size |
|
Feb 10 |
*BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach,
FL |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
70 |
175 |
2.5 |
|
Feb 14 |
*GATORADE 125s, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach,
FL |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
100 |
250 |
2.5 |
|
Feb 17 |
DAYTONA 500, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach,
FL |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
200 |
500 |
2.5 |
|
Feb 24 |
NORTH CAROLINA 400, North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham,
NC |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
393 |
400 |
1.017 |
|
Mar 3 |
UAW-DAIMLERCHRYSLER 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas,
NV |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
267 |
400 |
1.5 |
|
Mar 10 |
Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta,
GA |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
328 |
500 |
1.54 |
|
Mar 17 |
Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
293 |
400 |
1.366 |
|
Mar 24 |
FOOD CITY 500, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol,
TN |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
500 |
266.5 |
0.533 |
|
Apr 7 |
Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth,
TX |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
334 |
500 |
1.5 |
|
Apr 14 |
Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville,
VA |
FX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
500 |
263 |
0.526 |
|
Apr 21 |
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega,
AL |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
188 |
500 |
2.66 |
|
Apr 28 |
NAPA Auto Parts 500, California Speedway, Los Angeles,
CA |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
250 |
500 |
2 |
|
May 4 |
PONTIAC EXCITEMENT 400, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond,
VA |
FX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
400 |
300 |
0.75 |
|
May 18 |
*THE WINSTON, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte,
NC |
FX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
50 |
75 |
1.5 |
|
May 26 |
COCA-COLA 600, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte,
NC |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
400 |
600 |
1.5 |
|
June 2 |
Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover,
DE |
FX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
400 |
400 |
1 |
|
June 9 |
Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
200 |
400 |
2 |
|
June 16 |
Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn,
MI |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
200 |
500 |
2.5 |
|
June 23 |
Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, CA |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
112 |
218 |
1.95 |
|
July 6 |
PEPSI 400, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach,
FL |
FOX |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
160 |
400 |
2.5 |
|
July 14 |
Chicagoland Speedway, Chicago, IL |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
267 |
400 |
1.5 |
|
July 21 |
NEW ENGLAND 300, New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon,
NH |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
300 |
317.4 |
1.058 |
|
July 28 |
Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
200 |
500 |
2.5 |
|
Aug 4 |
BRICKYARD 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis,
IN |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
IMS |
160 |
400 |
2.5 |
|
Aug 11 |
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen,
NY |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
90 |
220.5 |
2.45 |
|
Aug 18 |
PEPSI 400, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn,
MI |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
200 |
400 |
2 |
|
Aug 24 |
SHARPIE 500, Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol,
TN |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
500 |
266.5 |
0.533 |
|
Sep 1 |
MOUNTAIN DEW SOUTHERN 500, Darlington Raceway, Darlington,
SC |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
367 |
500 |
1.366 |
|
Sep 7 |
CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 400, Richmond Int'l Raceway, Richmond,
VA |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
400 |
300 |
0.75 |
|
Sep 15 |
NEW HAMPSHIRE 300, New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon,
NH |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
300 |
317.4 |
1.058 |
|
Sep 22 |
Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover,
DE |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
400 |
400 |
1 |
|
Sep 29 |
PROTECTION ONE 400, Kansas Speedway, Kansas City,
KS |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
267 |
400 |
1.5 |
|
Oct 6 |
EA SPORTS THUNDER 500, Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega,
AL |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
334 |
500 |
1.5 |
|
Oct 13 |
UAW-GM QUALITY 500, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte,
NC |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
500 |
263 |
0.526 |
|
Oct 20 |
Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville,
VA |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
188 |
500 |
2.66 |
|
Oct 27 |
NAPA 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta,
GA |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
312 |
312 |
1 |
|
Nov 3 |
POP SECRET MICROWAVE POPCORN 400, North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham,
NC |
TNT |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
393 |
400 |
1.017 |
|
Nov 10 |
Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix,
AZ |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
MRN |
267 |
400.5 |
1.5 |
|
Nov 17 |
Homestead-Miami Speedway, Miami,
FL |
NBC |
TBA |
TBA |
PRN |
325 |
500.5 |
1.54 |
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