On Wednesday, NASCAR, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports jointly announced 2023 race start times and networks for the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
The Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on April 16 will get the green flag at 3 p.m. The race will be broadcast on FS1.
That same weekend, the Xfinity and Truck Series will race under the lights at Martinsville. The Xfinity race will be on April 15, and the Trucks will race on April 14. Both will begin at 7:30 p.m., and will be broadcast on FS1.
The fall Cup Series playoff race at Martinsville, scheduled for October 29, will begin at 2 p.m., with broadcast on NBC. The fall weekend will also include an Xfinity Series race on October 28 beginning at 3:30 p.m. that will be shown on USA Network.
Twenty-one NASCAR Cup Series races will air on FOX or NBC broadcast networks in 2023, the highest number of broadcast races since 2009. The 2023 schedule marks the second consecutive year of growth on network television with one more race airing on broadcast than in 2022.
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Eleven races will air on FOX, including the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum (Feb. 5 at 8 p.m.), the DAYTONA 500 (Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m.), and the next five points races to start the season.
The Bristol Dirt Race returns to FOX in primetime on Easter (April 9 at 7 p.m.), while Talladega Superspeedway (April 23 at 3 p.m.), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 28 at 6 p.m.) and Sonoma Raceway (June 11 at 3:30 p.m.) are the final NASCAR Cup Series races on broadcast in FOX Sports’ portion of the season. FS1 will present eight NASCAR Cup Series races, beginning with the Duel at DAYTONA (Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.) and Richmond Raceway (April 2 at 3:30 p.m.).
In 2022, the NASCAR Cup Series experienced its highest viewership and share during the FOX segment of the schedule since 2017.
Ten broadcast races will air on NBC, one more than in 2022, including the kickoff of the NBC Sports portion of the season at Nashville Superspeedway in primetime (June 25 at 7 p.m.) and the NASCAR Cup Series’ first-ever Chicago Street Race (July 2 at 5:30 p.m.). The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (Aug. 13 at 2:30 p.m.) and regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway (Aug. 26 at 7 p.m.) will be the other regular season races airing on the network.
Once again, the final six playoff races will air on NBC, beginning with Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 1, at 2 p.m., and culminating with the championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5, at 3 p.m.
“Over the last few years, we’ve worked closely with our broadcast partners, tracks, teams, drivers, and industry stakeholders to deliver some of the most bold and innovative schedules in NASCAR’s history, and 2023 is no exception,” Brian Herbst, NASCAR senior vice president of media and productions, said in a release. “We will always look for opportunities to expand the distribution of our world-class racing product to NASCAR’s loyal fanbase. By adding more broadcast and primetime races in 2023 our media partners are continuing their commitment to reach as many viewers as possible through their network platforms. This commitment was on full display in 2022, with a 4 percent year-over-year viewership increase for the NASCAR Cup Series, and we look forward to continuing the momentum in 2023.”
Overall, 10 NASCAR Cup Series races will air in primetime during the 2023 season: The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, the Bristol Dirt Race, NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway (May 21, at 8 p.m., on FS1), Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Chicago Street Race, Atlanta Motor Speedway (July 9, at 7 p.m., on USA Network), Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway (Sept. 2, at 6 p.m., USA Network), and Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 16, at 7:30 p.m., USA Network) highlight racing under the lights next year.
Additionally, five NASCAR Xfinity Series races will air live on broadcast in 2023. FOX will be home to the classic NASCAR action from Darlington Raceway (May 13 at 1:30 p.m.), while NBC will carry the Xfinity Series four times, including from Road America (July 29 at 3 p.m.), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 5 at 3:30 p.m.), Kansas Speedway (Sept. 9 at 3 p.m.) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 21 at 3 p.m.).
USA Network enters its second season as NBC Sports’ cable home for NASCAR and will present 25 Cup Xfinity Series races in 2023. Xfinity Series racing will begin from Nashville Superspeedway on June 24, at 3:30 p.m., while USA’s coverage of the Cup Series premieres at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 9, at 7 p.m.
This season, six Cup Series races on USA Network delivered year-over-year viewership gains versus NBCSN races in 2021, and USA Network was also the most-watched cable network on television for seven races.
CRAFTSMAN will make its return to the Trucks Series in 2023 with 22 races scheduled on FS1. The return to North Wilkesboro (May 20 at 1:30 p.m.) will air on FOX. Thirteen CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races will run in primetime, highlighted by the playoffs opener at Lucas Oil Raceway, at Indianapolis on Aug. 11, at 9 p.m., and the championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 3, at 10 p.m.
All times above are Eastern Time and subject to change.
Cara Cooper is a sports writer for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at cara.cooper@martinsvillebulletin.com
