Engines will soon fire in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway, signaling the start of an incredibly busy – and assuredly breathtaking – two weeks of NASCAR racing.
Dotted throughout the upcoming fortnight calendar are events that will tie NASCAR’s past, present and future into one thrilling package.
On the docket…
– Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The winner and second-place finisher of this all-or-nothing event will advance to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday. Immediately following the race, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will also be announced, filling out the 22-driver all-star field.
– NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte, Friday, May 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Rising stars Darrell Wallace Jr., Ryan Blaney, Ben Kennedy and German Quiroga take on veterans and double-duty drivers Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Matt Crafton and Ron Hornaday Jr. under the lights for the first points race of “Charlotte Speedweeks.”
– NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The most exciting all-star event in all of sports celebrates a major milestone. This will be the 30th running of the annual non-points race, with NASCAR’s brightest stars battling under the lights for $1 million.
– The IMSA Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Canada season begins with a pair of 45-minute races Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
– NASCAR K&N Pro Series combo race, the Casey’s General Stores 150 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, May 17. The 150-lap event is an annual clash between the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, and features a large group of NASCAR’s rising stars, including nine members of the 2014-2015 NASCAR Next class. The race will be telecast via tape delay, on May 24 at 8:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.
– NASCAR Nationwide Series Get to Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin-Williams at Iowa on Sunday May 18 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Future stars such as Chase Elliott – who will pull a different kind of double duty, flying back-and-forth between Georgia and Iowa for his high school graduation and the race – will usher in standalone season with this annually intense short track event.
– The Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200, on Sunday, May 18, will be the 2014 season-opening event for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, and the first of two events at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race will headline CTMP’s Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend. Two-time series champion Andrew Ranger is back and looking to join Scott Steckly as three-time title winners. The NCTS opener will be one of a number of NASCAR touring series events scheduled during the next two weeks, including races at Kern County Raceway Park (NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), Stafford Motor Speedway (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), and Queretaro (NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series).
– NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day on Wednesday, May 21 at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and NASCAR.com. NASCAR America on NBC Sports Network will broadcast live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame at 5 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel will deliberate in Charlotte, N.C., to decide the five legends who will make up the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. In addition, the inaugural winner of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR will be decided upon and unveiled.
– NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 at Charlotte, Saturday, May 24 at 2:45 p.m. ET on ABC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Currently, only three points separate the top three drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Chase Elliott, Elliott Sadler and Regan Smith will all attempt to break up the logjam at the top of the standings during this Memorial Day Weekend opener.
– The IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge headlines Lime Rock Park’s traditional Memorial Day sports car weekend, running a pair of two-hour, 30-minute races for the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes on Saturday, May 24. It is the ninth consecutive year the Continental Tire Challenge will race at Lime Rock and the first since 2011 on Memorial Day Weekend. Lime Rock hosted the Continental Tire Challenge season finale the past two seasons.
– NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Sunday, May 25 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. NASCAR’s most grueling test, the Coca-Cola 600 has featured some surprising outcomes – elevating the intrigue to a championship format which has put an unprecedented importance on winning. Will we see a surprising name added to the potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup list?
– The NASCAR Industry is a long-time supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces throughout the year, and with the NASCAR An American Salute platform, the industry kicks off a seven-week campaign to rally teams, tracks, fans and partners to collectively recognize and honor active and retired service men and women beginning with Memorial Day Weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and running through Independence Day Weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR community is encouraged to salute our service men and women by using the hashtag #NASCARSalutes on Twitter and Instagram and visiting NASCAR.com/Salute.
Along with the on-track activity listed above, watch for these special programs on FOX Sports 1 – all produced by NASCAR Productions – throughout the two weeks:
100,000 CAMERAS: THE NASCAR SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE, Thursday, May 22 at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Produced by NASCAR Productions, the groundbreaking, 30-minute documentary will utilize fan- and driver-generated video to showcase the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race from fans’ points of view. Regardless of location, fans are encouraged to capture their All-Star race experiences on their cameras/mobile devices and upload the videos/images to their social media accounts using the hashtags #100KCams and #SprintAllStar for a chance to be included in the show. Visit www.foxsports.com/100KCams for more details.
EMPTY CUP: QUEST FOR THE 1992 NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP, Friday, May 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Produced by NASCAR Productions, the 30-minute special reflects on the highs and lows of Davey Allison’s 1992 season, including the final moments when the Robert Yates Racing team lost the championship bid.
THE 600: HISTORY OF NASCAR’S TOUGHEST RACE, Friday, May 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Produced by NASCAR Productions, the 60-minute documentary looks back at the people and events that define the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon reflect on the event’s unorthodox history and the thrill of winning NASCAR’s longest race.
NASCAR PR
