Okay let me just say first off THAT NASCAR SUCKS!, BRIAN FRANCE SUCKS, and NEXTEL SUCKS!

Okay now with that out of the way........what you guys think about the changes? I think most of you know I hate it, so I won't even go into that.

I havent heard the changes what are they??

Date Race Venue TV/Start Radio/Start
02/12/05 Budweiser Shootout Daytona International Speedway -/-- -/--
02/20/05 Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway -/-- -/--
02/27/05 TBA California Speedway -/-- -/--
03/13/05 TBA Las Vegas Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
03/20/05 TBA Atlanta Motor Speedway -/-- -/--

04/03/05 TBA Bristol Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
04/10/05 TBA Martinsville Speedway -/-- -/--
04/17/05 TBA Texas Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
04/23/05 TBA Phoenix International Raceway -/-- -/--
05/01/05 TBA Talladega Superspeedway -/-- -/--

05/07/05 Carolina Dodge Dealers 500 Darlington Raceway -/-- -/--
05/14/05 TBA Richmond International Raceway -/-- -/--
05/21/05 NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge Lowe's Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
05/29/05 TBA Lowe's Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
06/05/05 TBA Dover International Speedway -/-- -/--

06/12/05 TBA Pocono Raceway -/-- -/--
06/19/05 TBA Michigan International Speedway -/-- -/--
06/26/05 TBA Infineon Raceway -/-- -/--
07/02/05 TBA Daytona International Speedway -/-- -/--
07/10/05 TBA Chicagoland Speedway -/-- -/--

07/17/05 TBA New Hampshire International Speedway -/-- -/--
07/24/05 TBA Pocono Raceway -/-- -/--
08/07/05 TBA Indianapolis Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
08/14/05 TBA Watkins Glen International -/-- -/--
08/21/05 TBA Michigan International Speedway -/-- -/--

08/27/05 TBA Bristol Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
09/04/05 TBA California Speedway -/-- -/--
09/10/05 TBA Richmond International Raceway -/-- -/--
09/18/05 TBA New Hampshire International Speedway -/-- -/--
09/25/05 TBA Dover International Speedway -/-- -/--

10/02/05 TBA Talladega Superspeedway -/-- -/--
10/09/05 TBA Kansas Speedway -/-- -/--
10/15/05 TBA Lowe's Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
10/23/05 TBA Martinsville Speedway -/-- -/--
10/30/05 TBA Atlanta Motor Speedway -/-- -/--

11/06/05 TBA Texas Motor Speedway -/-- -/--
11/13/05 TBA Phoenix International Raceway -/-- -/--
11/20/05 TBA Homestead-Miami Speedway -/-- -/--



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR announced Friday the next phase in the sanctioning body's schedule realignment process. Keeping pace with the increasing demands of NASCAR's nationwide growth in popularity, the 36-race 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule has been adjusted to address that growth, via the following changes:

New NASCAR Nextel Cup race dates have been sanctioned at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. Texas Motor Speedway's new event will be held on Nov. 6; as the season's 34th event, it will be crucial in the 10-race "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup" that determines the series champion. Phoenix International Raceway's new race will be on Saturday night, April 23. Texas retains its spring date (April 17), while Phoenix retains the next-to-last slot on the schedule (Nov. 13).


North Carolina Speedway will not be on the schedule after this season.


Darlington Raceway now will have one date on the schedule, with the track's fall race moving from Nov. to the evening of Saturday, May 7.


California Speedway will have the first of its two events on Feb. 27, one week after the season-opening Daytona 500 -- the date previously held by North Carolina Speedway. Thus, the series will now travel from the season's biggest race to the nation's second-largest market. California's other race will remain on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4).

In Jan. 2003, NASCAR announced "Realignment 2004 and Beyond." The plan calls for regular review of race dates and locations in order to continue bringing the most competitive racing in the world to the widest possible audience, and providing the kind of value that has proven NASCAR to be one of the very best sports properties.

"The 2005 schedule marks an important milestone in NASCAR's realignment efforts because it provides opportunities for more fans to experience first-hand NASCAR Nextel Cup events near their hometowns," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

The schedule continues to reflect the increasing demand for races throughout the country. In 2005, the Southeast will continue to be well-served with great racing in Richmond, Charlotte, Atlanta, Daytona Beach and many others; additionally, NASCAR continues to reach out to new fans in the Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and the West.

The 2005 season -- NASCAR's 57th -- will open on Sunday, Feb. 20 with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

In addition, NASCAR officials announced that the NASCAR Preseason Thunder test sessions will return to Daytona International Speedway in Jan. 2005.

Dude that suck sucks!!!
good by rock we liked you!

The only positive about the 05 schedule is that the All-star race is where it belongs, in Charlotte. But heck I'm the most pissed about NO SOUTHERN 500......you have got to be kidding me, if anything thats when Darlingtons race should be!!!!!

I was shocked when I saw that....I'm glad the All-Star race is staying where it's at, but the rest of the schedule sucks. Putting California and Vegas right next to eachother has got to be one of the stupiest things Nascar has ever done...and they've done a lot of stupid things. Also, here in California, February is our rainy season. We can bitch about it all we want and they still do what they want, so we just have to live with it I guess.

Talk about putting races in the same area together.
Month of May:
Darlington
Richmond
All-Star race at Charlotte
Charlotte


Thats insane! I didn't notice that at first, but when I did I was like you've got to be kidding me cause there is just no way I can go to all 4 of those in a row even though thats tracks I'd typically go to. I mean really can I ask for 4 straight weekends at work off? I don't think so!!!

I'm not in favor of some of those "new" tracks being put in the last ten races of the season either. If we've got to put up with the "Chase for the Championship", let them go to tracks where there is good racing. Not those same style/type tracks. Where are the intermediate type tracks in that list? I was just getting so mad watching France make his announcement. He's arrogant and I don't like him at all. It's also insane to have so many breaks at the beginning of the season. Not only does that kill momentum for fans trying to catch on to the sport, but it means less FOX coverage and more having to listen to Benny Parsons. Sorry for those of you that like him, but to me he's like running fingernails down a chalkboard.

Putting all those races so close together will cause one or two of them not to sell out. That way they have an excuse for CHOPPING it off of the schedule :0(

Hut, I belive your right! Its sick but this is NASCAR's sports, fans don't matter.

Oh I agree they are really trying to get Darlington off the schedule......but hey thats just making me go ahead and get my tickets for the fall and next year for there cause I'm gonna be in those stands to help tell Brian France that Darlington deserves a race more than a second date at a place like Kansas(aka DW's theory on the 06 schedule)

In Case Ya Missed It - No more Southern 500 after 2004: Buried among all the announcements of schedule realignment and tracks being purchased this weekend was that the Southern 500 will not exist after this season. Darlington's lone Cup race will move next season to May7 and be held at night. The race will be known as the Carolina Dodge Dealers 500. "Moving this weekend to Saturday night of Mother's Day weekend, the Southern [500] name didn't necessarily feel right," said track president Andrew Gurtis. The track is billing the Nov.14 Southern 500 as the 55th and final running of the historic race. The Southern 500 was NASCAR's first 500-mile race in 1950.------

How depressing does that sound??? Anyone that has followed NASCAR for more than a year can tell you the history of the Southern 500 and how it is up there with the Daytona 500 in the tradition category...........this just makes me sick. I know I sound whiny, but y'all just don't understand unless you live around here how much of a loss this is. I know people that went to the Southern 500 every year since it started and last year they lost their Labor Day race and that hurt, but now for them to lose the race entirely its just sick. One of our customers here at the store and his wife were married on Labor Day before the first Southern 500 ever took place and they made it a tradition to go to that race each year to celebrate. About 5 years ago he lost his wife, but he still went to the race just because it was what they did.....now he doesn't even have a Southern 500 on another date to attend :(

This stinks!!! Brian France is ruining the sport as we know it! Can he not look and see that California is right by Las Vegas and that Richmond, Darlington and Charlotte are all in the same area too! I mean most people want to go to all 3 and sometimes do but this year it will be so much different and sales WILL BE DOWN ON ALL 3! I think I am going to write Nascar Illustrated! Let's all do it and maybe we could affect somethin...I know it is a long shot but ya know? we could try. :D