NASCAR released its 2011 television schedule on Monday, with the line-up generally unchanged from last season.
For the second straight season, ESPN will air 14 of the 17 NASCAR races allotted to ESPN/ABC, including nine of the ten Chase for the Cup races. ABC will air just three races, all on Saturday nights.
Prior to the 2010 season, ABC would air 11 races, and ESPN would air six.
The rest of the NASCAR schedule remains the same as in previous years, with FOX airing the first 13 races of the season, and TNT airing six summer races.
The only scheduling changes are for the races themselves, as several were added, discontinued or otherwise moved as part of previously announced changes during the offseason.
FOX will air the first of two brand new races this season, concluding its season with action from Kansas Motor Speedway on June 5. TNT gets the second new race, with primetime coverage from Kentucky on July 9.
Several races have shifted to different points on the calendar. The spring Phoenix race has moved from a Saturday night in April to a Sunday afternoon in February. Meanwhile, the spring Texas race remains in April, but moves from a Sunday afternoon to a Saturday night. Both races will continue to air on FOX.
Fontana will host just one race this season, on FOX March 27. Previously, the site hosted the second race of the season and another race later in the year.
In addition, the Chicagoland race, which used to take place during the summer, will now kick off the Chase for the Cup in September and air on ESPN.
As reported in January, the start times for several Chase for the Cup races have changed, with most races shifting from 1 PM ET to 2 PM ET, and the season finale at Homestead moving from 1 PM to 3 PM.
