THREE-RIVERS | The leaders of the NASCAR Cup are currently hard at work developing a new “unpublished” calendar for the 2024 season, which would see the addition of new stops including Montreal.
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According to several sources, fed by social networks and certain specialized sites, the queen category of the American stock car plans to exploit new markets while increasing from 36 to 40 the number of races organized next year.
Over the past few months, NASCAR President Steve Phelps has made no secret of his intentions to revamp a schedule that would include more events contested on road courses.
However, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve would, it seems, be a favorite target for NASCAR. The City of Montreal allows the use of the Île-Notre-Dame complex for a second racing weekend of the year.
Especially since the new facilities, inaugurated at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in 2019, would be attractive to attract the NASCAR circus and its big stars including Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch and others.
The date of August 16 brought forward
The Xfinity Series, NASCAR’s second division, moved to Montreal from 2007 to 2012, but the adventure was abandoned due to its rather… mixed enthusiasm.
However, the situation would not be the same with the probable arrival of the NASCAR Cup cars. Quebec has a good pool of stock car enthusiasts and the event would also attract an American public living in the neighboring states of La Belle Province.
When it comes to the NASCAR Cup and the Xfinity Series, it’s like comparing the National Hockey League and the American League.
Last August, the Journal had already mentioned the possibility of holding a NASCAR Cup race in the “near” future.
A draft schedule, recently posted on beyondtheflag.com [mais que NASCAR n’a pas voulu commenter] mentions in particular a stage of the NASCAR Cup which would take place on August 16, 2024 at Circuit Villeneuve and another in the streets of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, on July 21.
In Mexico too
This schedule also reveals a likely foray into a third North American country, Mexico, which would host the NASCAR Cup at the El Dorado track, a short oval track located in the Chihuahua City area. The advanced date is March 17, 2024.
Moreover, we note, still according to rumors, that NASCAR plans to present its first race of the 2024 regular calendar on the Las Vegas circuit, on February 10, on the eve of the Super Bowl, the great mass of American football which will take place also in the gambling capital.
If so, the legendary Daytona complex would not be the inaugural round of the Championship for the first time since 1981.