Daytona road races join NASCAR schedule for August

A season of change and adaptation will continue next month with the announcement that NASCAR will hold races on the famed Daytona International Speedway road course.

Officials announced the August portion of its schedule Wednesday, revealing all three national series will run at Daytona in the middle of the month. Daytona replaces Watkins Glen, where the Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series have traditionally run in the late summer, but that option disappeared because of coronavirus restrictions. North Carolina, where most NASCAR teams are based, is on the list of states that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo requires residents to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.

August also features doubleheaders for the Cup Series at Michigan and Dover. Michigan, Dover, and Daytona are three of the four races on the season’s original August schedule, with Watkins Glen being the only change.

“This is an unprecedented time in the history of our nation and Watkins Glen International,” said track president Michael Printup. “The dynamic situation we are all confronting is impacting our daily lives and activities in unimaginable ways. While we are disappointed we will not experience NASCAR in New York this year, as we look broadly at the current pandemic in our country and around the world, we must focus first on everyone’s safety and well-being as NASCAR seeks the best way to continue delivering a remarkable on-track product week after week.”

Also of note, the Truck Series will not compete at Eldora Speedway (scheduled for July 30) or Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (scheduled for Sept. 6) this season. Those races are being realigned and at those locations to be determined.

The Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio initially scheduled for May 30 will not occur this year. NASCAR will announce its realignment when determined as well as the realignment for the race that was planned for Michigan on June 6.

The August schedule (all times ET):