As NASCAR celebrates its 60th anniversary, the 2008 season will bring a new name – the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the nation’s second-most popular series.
Nationwide Insurance was announced today as the new series sponsor. In 2008, the series – currently known as the NASCAR Busch Series but in its final year of sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch – will again start its season at Daytona International Speedway (Saturday, Feb. 16) and end at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Saturday, Nov. 15).
For the second consecutive season, there will be two international events. The series will return to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Aug. 2. And for a fourth consecutive year, the schedule includes a race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City, Mexico. However, for the first time in the brief history of the event, it will move from its previous date on the first Sunday in March to April 20.
Some of the key changes to the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule include:
* A historic doubleheader at California Speedway with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday, Feb. 23.
* The Mexico City race trades slots with the event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
* Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s race will now fall one week earlier on March 1 and starts an early-season domino effect where three other races precede their dates by one week from last season – Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 8), Bristol Motor Speedway (March 15) and Nashville Superspeedway (March 22).
* The order of the two races following the first open week of the season (March 29) also moves up one week. The spring race at Texas Motor Speedway will be April 5 with the Phoenix event on April 11.
* Also, the addition of lights at Chicagoland Speedway will facilitate an inaugural Friday night show for the series there on July 11.
There will be nine “stand-alone” events: Nashville (March 22 and June 7), Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (April 20), Kentucky Speedway (June 14), the Milwaukee Mile (June 21), Gateway International Raceway (July 19), O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (July 26), Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (August 2) and Memphis Motorsports Park (Oct. 25).
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is scheduled for 35 races in 2008 – 26 combination events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and three in conjunction with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. There are 26 race tracks on the schedule divided among 20 states, Canada and Mexico. The 2008 season will mark the 60th anniversary of NASCAR, which was incorporated on Feb. 21, 1948.
(The 2008 schedule follows this release. Starting times and television information will be available at a later date. )
2008 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site
Feb 16 Daytona International Speedway
Feb 23 California Speedway
Mar 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Mar 8 Atlanta Motor Speedway
Mar 15 Bristol Motor Speedway
Mar 22 Nashville Superspeedway
Apr 5 Texas Motor Speedway
Apr 11 Phoenix International Raceway
Apr 20 Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Apr 26 Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 Richmond International Raceway
May 9 Darlington Raceway
May 24 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
May 31 Dover International Speedway
Jun 7 Nashville Superspeedway
Jun 14 Kentucky Speedway
Jun 21 The Milwaukee Mile
Jun 28 New Hampshire International Speedway
Jul 4 Daytona International Speedway
Jul 11 Chicagoland Speedway
Jul 19 Gateway International Raceway
Jul 26 O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Aug 2 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Aug 9 Watkins Glen International
Aug 16 Michigan International Speedway
Aug 22 Bristol Motor Speedway
Aug 30 California Speedway
Sep 5 Richmond International Raceway
Sep 20 Dover International Speedway
Sep 27 Kansas Speedway
Oct 10 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct 25 Memphis Motorsports Park
Nov 1 Texas Motor Speedway
Nov 8 Phoenix International Raceway
Nov 15 Homestead-Miami Speedway
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