LEXINGTON — The roars from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2024 will not include any engines from the three primary NASCAR series.
But it may just be a temporary departure from NASCAR, which was first seen and heard at the permanent road course near Lexington in 2013 when the NASCAR Xfinity Series rolled through north central Ohio.
Officials at Mid-Ohio announced the track’s 63rd season of racing a few days ago, a schedule that will feature five major spectator events spread across 11 weeks in 2024.
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“With the ever-evolving NASCAR schedule, neither NASCAR Xfinity Series nor the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will be racing at Mid-Ohio next summer,” said Jack Carney, coordinator of marketing and communications at the track.
“But we are optimistic that one of the series will return in the future,” Carney told Richland Source.
Next season’s schedule features the annual NTT INDYCAR SERIES race weekend and the much-anticipated return of Superbikes and IMSA sports car racing.
In conjunction with the schedule release, the renewal period for Mid-Ohio Season Race Passes has begun and will run through Dec. 18.
The NASCAR Xfinity series raced at Mid-Ohio from 2013 to 2019 and again in 2021. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series raced on the course in 2022 and 2023 with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150.
The only year NASCAR was not at Mid-Ohio in the last decade was 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when the event was cancelled.
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Carney said Mid-Ohio just underwent a full repavement.
“That should help us keep and/or attract major series moving forward,” he said.
“Our company, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which owns Mid-Ohio, works with NASCAR to promote an annual Xfinity Series race in Portland. So we still work closely with NASCAR folks and I think those conversations will be ongoing relating to Mid-Ohio,” Carney said.
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“We are excited to expand our 2024 Mid-Ohio schedule from four to five major spectator events, including having another NASCAR property in IMSA returning for the IMSA Sports Car 4-Hour Classic at Mid-Ohio, headlined by the Michelin Pilot Challenge on June 7-9,” he said.
IMSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR.
