DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.  – NASCAR, along with FOX Sports and NBC Sports, today announced 2017 race start times and network coverage for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – based on the previously releasedschedule dates. Through collaborative efforts with its broadcast partners, race teams and tracks, NASCAR was able to finalize full 2017 start times for all three national series almost six months earlier than in recent seasons.

Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, lead the field in a restart during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

Seventeen national series events will start closer to primetime, helping to bring NASCAR’s photo finishes and close, side-by-side racing to larger audiences. Seventeen NASCAR Cup Series points races will air on broadcast television next year, including the DAYTONA 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on FOX; and the Brickyard 400 and the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, the Ford EcoBoost 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, on NBC.

“It’s our responsibility, collectively as an industry, to ensure the sport is healthy, strong and growing by delivering great racing in a way that best meets the needs of our fans,” said Steve Herbst, senior vice president, broadcasting and production at NASCAR. “Earlier insight on start times benefits not only fans, but also our teams and tracks, as it provides more opportunities to plan travel and to purchase race tickets.”

Since the initial release of the 2017 schedule, NASCAR and its partners have shifted two dates for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Road America will move to Sunday, August 27, on NBC. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park will now take place on Sunday, September 3, airing on FS1 prior to the NASCAR Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway on NBCSN.

Looking ahead to the 2018 season, the DAYTONA 500 will move to Sunday, February 18, during Presidents Day weekend. NASCAR and its partners are working collaboratively on the remainder of the 2018 schedule, which will be finalized and released at a later date.

In addition to watching the live broadcast, fans can catch all the on-track action by visiting NASCAR.com, downloading the NASCAR Mobile app or live streaming on FOX Sports Go and the NBC Sports app. Fans can also listen to Motor Racing Network (MRN), Performance Racing Network (PRN), IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, throughout the season.

Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said the race start times for all of its national series races in 2017, including six at Texas Motor Speedway, will benefit the race fans.

“This long lead time – which is a first and great step – is ideal for our fans to begin planning their trips and also for the promoters in building the overall event weekend with various happenings surrounding the on-track activities,” Gossage said in a statement on Wednesday.  “We’re extremely pleased to have half of our six NASCAR national series races on network, with FOX broadcasting both races from our April O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Sprint Cup/XFINITY doubleheader weekend while November’s AAA Texas 500 Cup race returns on NBC. We’re honored that NASCAR, the networks and fans recognize the prestige of our races, in particular the crown jewels of the Cup Series that pay the second- and third-largest purses of the year.”

2017 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series Schedule 

2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule

All times eastern. Subject to change.

Information, story and photo courtesy of NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway