2010 Sprint Cup schedule released

Next year's 36-race season calendar begins with the non-championship Budweiser Shootout event on February 6, which will take place right after qualifying for the Daytona 500, marking the first change as both used to be run on different days, although during the same weekend.

The season opener has been set for February 14th, followed by the Auto Club Speedway at Fontana in California a week later just as the past few years. The first major modification comes in April with Phoenix being moved ahead of Texas, followed later by a similar switch in May between Dover and Charlotte.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup will be set on September 11 at Richmond and the final 10 races of the play-off will be run in the same order as this year. A second Atlanta event will remain out of it in place of California, following a successful switch to Labour Day weekend for this year.

The first of four weekends off will be in March, followed by another on Easter week in April and two further ones in July and August.

2010 Sprint Cup schedule
February 6 - Daytona 500 Qualifying and Budweiser Shootout*
February 14 - Daytona 500
February 21 - Auto Club Speedway
February 28 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 7 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway
March 28 - Martinsville Speedway
April 10 - Phoenix International Raceway
April 18 - Texas Motor Speedway
April 25 - Talladega SuperSpeedway
May 1 - Richmond International Raceway
May 8 - Darlington Raceway
May 16 - Dover International Speedway
May 22 - Lowe's Motor Speedway (Sprint All-Star Race)*
May 30 - Lowe's Motor Speedway
June 6 - Pocono Raceway
June 13 - Michigan International Speedway
June 20 - Infineon Raceway
June 27 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 3 - Daytona International Speedway
July 10 - Chicagoland Speedway
July 25 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 1 - Pocono Raceway
August 8 - Watkins Glen International
August 15 - Michigan International Speedway
August 21 - Bristol Motor Speedway
September 5 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
September 11 - Richmond International Raceway
September 19 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 26 - Dover Internationals Speedway
October 3 - Kansas Speedway
October 10 - Auto Club Speedway
October 16 - Lowe's Motor Speedway
October 24 - Martinsville Speedway
October 31 - Talladega SuperSpeedway
November 7 - Texas Motor Speedway
November 14 - Phoenix International Raceway
November 21 - Homestead-Miami Speedway