2024 NASCAR Cup schedule: Ranking 10 notable changes, from Iowa to Atlanta (2024)

After months of speculation and hype surrounding the ever-changing possibilities of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, it finally dropped Wednesday with a thud.

Oh. That’s it? That’s what everyone was waiting for all this time?

NASCAR certainly didn’t intend for the 2024 schedule to turn out that way, evidenced by the long delay and countless revisions to try and get it right. But ultimately, when you consider what NASCAR president Steve Phelps told our Jordan Bianchi in an interview last December, the 2024 calendar falls far short of its original expectations.

“I don’t know what the 2024 schedule is going to look like, but we’ll have some surprises in there,” Phelps said then. “I know we will. Because we’re going to challenge ourselves to think differently …

“The bar is set high, but we have to keep raising it because that’s ultimately what the fans are going to react to. … You’ve got to keep innovating. You’ve got to keep being bold. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Again, there’s no question NASCARwanted that to be the case; its lengthy flirtation with Montreal was evidence of that. But ultimately, Montreal didn’t work out and instead of a headline-grabbing international expansion, NASCAR’s backup plan was Iowa Speedway — a track it has owned since 2013 but thought so little of that it hasn’t even had a national series race there since 2019, let alone the Cup Series.

To be fair, the schedule reaction would be much better if this were a calendar from a decade ago — when NASCAR rarely had any changes and it was virtually a copy-and-paste from the previous year. But since then, NASCAR has spoiled us with wildly interesting changes in recent years. There was the first stadium race (L.A. Coliseum), the first street race (Chicago), a return to North Wilkesboro, visits to exciting new cities (Austin) and various adjustments to playoff races that kept things compelling.

This one just isn’t in the same category, despite officials’ best efforts. Hey, there’s always 2025.

That said, there are still plenty of changes to sort through on the 2024 schedule. Here are the 10 most notable changes, ranked in order of best to worst:

1. Iowa Speedway replaces California (June 16)

It’s no Montreal, but Des Moines is an underrated little gem of a city — and you can probably still find poutine there somewhere. Destination aside, the excitement level in this case is about the racing. Drivers absolutely love Iowa Speedway and have long wondered why the Cup Series can’t race there. Well, now it will. We’re expecting a sold-out crowd, a lively atmosphere for a Father’s Day night race and some good racing on a track with multiple grooves and plenty of tire fall-off.

2. Watkins Glen moves into the playoffs (Sept. 15)

With a fall chill in the air and leaf season approaching in the Finger Lakes, one of the all-time great American road courses will have its highest-profile slot ever on the NASCAR schedule. The only thing that keeps Watkins Glen from being in the No. 1 slot is it puts two road courses in the playoffs thanks to the Roval’s inexplicably continued existence in the Next Gen Era (go back to the Charlotte oval, please!).

3. Kansas moves to Round 2 of the playoffs (Sept. 29)

Kansas is a fantastic racetrack that has really come into its own as a top-tier venue. In our “Was it a good race?” poll, none of the four Next Gen races at Kansas have scored below 86 percent. So moving it deeper into the playoffs (it was formerly in Round 1) is very appropriate when it comes to determining a worthy champion.

4. Texas moves out of the playoffs (April 14)

This quality of racing at this track simply didn’t warrant a high-profile spot in the playoffs. Plus, the weather will certainly be better in the spring than the scorcher NASCAR experienced last month.

5. Bristol spring race returns to concrete (March 17)

Farewell, Bristol Dirt. The return of concrete could be higher on the list, except it’s undoing a move that arguably should have never been made and is a decision that could have come after the inaugural edition of the former race.

6. Indianapolis returns to the oval (July 21)

Farewell, Indy road course. The return of the oval could be higher on the list, except it’s undoing a move that arguably should have never been made and is a decision that could have come after the inaugural edition of the former race.

7. Richmond gets the Easter race (March 31)

Bristol Dirt’s legacy will live on with an Easter night race, which was traditionally an off-weekend until 2022. The holiday slot now shifts to Richmond, which doesn’t offer much of a reason to get excited about the racing. But a primetime national TV audience on Fox will give the track a spotlight for a regular-season race that would otherwise be largely overlooked.

8. Atlanta follows the Daytona 500 (Feb. 25)

Oh no. Ohhhhh no. The regular season opens with two superspeedway races followed by a two-week trip to the West Coast. Good luck having enough cars prepared, race teams! Seriously though, we have to wait until March 3 at Las Vegas — a month after the Clash — to get any sense of who actually might be fast in 2024. That doesn’t seem like the best way to open a season, unless you’re a fan of chaos. Also, if you’re going to Atlanta, bring a jacket.

9. Daytona, Darlington shifted from key slots (Aug./Sept.)

The two-week break created to accommodate NASCAR’s TV partner NBC is fine. Formula One takes a mandated two-week summer shutdown every year, and NASCAR teams could certainly use a true vacation from a grueling, relentless schedule. But it’s extremely, painfully unfortunate NASCAR and NBC couldn’t figure out a way to keep Daytona as the regular-season finale and the Southern 500 as the playoff opener. Those races were perfect in their spots, particularly Daytona. What underdog is going to race their way into the playoffs at Darlington, which is one of the most difficult tracks on the schedule? It certainly won’t be much of a storyline there, which is what has made Daytona so fun as Race No. 26. This is hopefully a temporary move, but it still stinks.

10. Atlanta moves to the playoff opener (Sept. 8)

Another superspeedway in the playoffs. Ugh. Just what everyone has been asking for, right? As if this playoff format wasn’t wacky enough already, let’s throw another complete wild card into the mix to further devalue the championship. No better way to crown a sport’s champion than to throw random roadblocks into the way of the top contenders! If I were a driver, I would be livid about this. One circus race (Talladega) is enough for the playoffs; introducing another into the mix is, frankly, insulting to those who dedicate so much of their lives to trying to be the best at their sport. Either way, it’s now reality — for 2024, at least — and any championship contender better make sure they have enough playoff points before this race starts.

(Top photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

Jeff Gluck has been traveling on the NASCAR beat since 2007, with stops along the way at USA Today, SB Nation, NASCAR Scene magazine and a Patreon-funded site, JeffGluck.com. He's been hosting tweetups at NASCAR tracks around the country since 2009 and was named to SI's Twitter 100 (the top 100 Twitter accounts in sports) for five straight years.