NASCAR announces 2014 Cup schedule (Update)

UPDATE NASCAR released its 2014 schedule today, confirming the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be held July 27. The 21st Sprint Cup Series race at IMS will air on ESPN. There were no surprises to the 36-race schedule, and the only modification from this year’s track lineup being the exchange of dates involving Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway. The latter will host its first night race May 10. NASCAR announced that Air Titan, the revolutionary track-drying machine, will be available at all Sprint Cup events in 2014. Previously, tracks had to pay a large fee to have it on hand.

10/15/13 NASCAR had few changes on its 2014 schedule, but a new television contract in 2015 could produce a possible shakeup in the order of Sprint Cup Series races.

With NBC doing the final 20 Cup races in 2015, it likely would want a marquee event to kick off its schedule. The way it is now, that would be Kentucky, the newest track on the schedule when it was added three years ago and probably one that NBC would prefer not be where it celebrates its return to Cup racing for the first time since 2006.

NASCAR is happy with the number of races, but didn’t rule out NASCAR attempting a Cup race on a weekday rather than the weekend.

“We've got a number of sponsors that are involved in our sport," NASCAR senior vice president of operations Steve O’Donnell said. “We've got millions of fans that want to have that chance to see us.

“By having 36 events, it gives them an opportunity in certain markets they might not have in other sports that we're proud of. … There's been talks of could you ever race a Monday night or midweek—that's something that we've had dialogue about."

2014 SPRINT CUP SCHEDULE

Feb. 15: Sprint Unlimited (Daytona), Fox Sports 1
Feb. 20: Daytona 150-mile qualifying races, Fox Sports 1
Feb. 23: Daytona, Fox
March 2: Phoenix, Fox
March 9: Las Vegas, Fox
March 16: Bristol, Fox
March 23: California, Fox
March 30: Martinsville, Fox
April 6: Texas, Fox
April 12: Darlington, Fox
April 26: Richmond, Fox
May 4: Talladega, Fox
May 10: Kansas, Fox
May 17: All-Star (Charlotte), Fox Sports 1
May 25: Charlotte, Fox
June 1: Dover, Fox
June 8: Pocono, TNT
June 15: Michigan, TNT
June 22: Sonoma, TNT
June 28: Kentucky, TNT
July 5: Daytona, TNT
July 13: New Hampshire, TNT
July 27: Indianapolis, ESPN
Aug. 3: Pocono, ESPN
Aug. 10: Watkins Glen, ESPN
Aug. 17: Michigan, ESPN
Aug. 23: Bristol, ABC
Aug 31: Atlanta, ESPN
Sept. 6: Richmond, ABC
Sept. 14: Chicagoland, ESPN
Sept. 21: New Hampshire, ESPN
Sept. 28: Dover, ESPN
Oct. 5: Kansas, ESPN
Oct. 11: Charlotte, ABC
Oct. 19: Talladega, ESPN
Oct. 26: Martinsville, ESPN
Nov. 2: Texas, ESPN
Nov. 9: Phoenix, ESPN
Nov. 16: Homestead, ESPN