TMS Announces 2012 Schedule During Fan Extravaganza At Gilley’s Dallas

Texas Motor Speedway’s 2012 racing schedule will feature the opening Saturday night race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the eighth race in the Chase and the only twin racing format in the IndyCar Series as part of its 10-day, 15-event motorsports season.

The Samsung Mobile 500 and AAA Texas 500 will highlight the start and culmination of the Sprint Cup season, respectively, while the Firestone Twin 275s will once again be the most unique event on the IndyCar Series schedule.

The Samsung Mobile 500 will mark the first Saturday night race of the Sprint Cup season on April 14 while the AAA Texas 500 returns Sunday, Nov. 4, as the eighth stop in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff format. The Firestone Twin 275s – the first twin races in IndyCar Series history that debuted last year – will follow the Indianapolis 500 and an off week on Saturday, June 9.

The schedule was announced Tuesday evening by Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch during a “No Limits” fan extravaganza at The Palladium Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas. The special event also featured a concert by Texas country music star Stoney Larue and a “Fandango” event with the drivers as well as former Sprint Cup Series driver and current NASCAR television analyst Kyle Petty serving as emcee.

“We revamped the majority of our schedule in 2011 in an effort to give our fans some variety and uniqueness to our season, and they wanted very much of the same for 2012,” said Gossage, who is in the final stages of the completion of the 2012 race sanction agreements with NASCAR and INDYCAR. “The first-ever Saturday night Cup race was a big success, the IndyCar twins format added a unique twist and the day-to-night appeal of the AAA Texas 500 for the Chase remains a fan favorite in the fall. The Texas Motor Speedway season has a little of everything for our fans.”

The 2012 schedule will once again feature two visits by all three major series in NASCAR – Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series – and sandwich the single visit by the IndyCar Series in the summer.

The season opens with the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend April 12-14. After O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series practice on Thursday, April 12, both Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams take to the track Friday, April 13. SportsDay Qualifying Day Powered by The Dallas Morning News will feature Sprint Cup teams qualifying for the Samsung Mobile 500 and the Nationwide Series doing the same for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. Pole qualifying – as well as practice for both series – will be followed later that evening by the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 race. The weekend culminates with the Samsung Mobile 500 on Saturday, April 14, which will run a week later than 2011.

June also will feature Friday and Saturday evening races for the Firestone Twin 275s IndyCar Series and NASCAR combination weekend. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will open the race week Thursday, June 7, with practice and qualifying for the WinStar World Casino 400. On Friday, June 8, fans get a taste of both series as IndyCar practices and qualifies for the Firestone Twin 275s, and that action is followed by the WinStar World Casino 400 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race later that evening.

On Saturday, June 9, Texas Motor Speedway will feature two separate 114-lap/171-mile races with full IndyCar fields for the Firestone Twin 275s. Last season marked the first time in IndyCar Series history that it ran dual races on the same evening and Texas Motor Speedway will be the only track to host such an event in 2012.

The AAA Texas 500 race week scheduled for Nov. 1-4 is the busiest of the season as all three premier NASCAR series converge on Texas Motor Speedway. Following the SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News for the Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350 on Thursday, Nov. 1, all three series will be on track the ensuing day. On Friday, Nov. 2, SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News continues with Sprint Cup teams qualifying for the AAA Texas 500 while Nationwide Series teams will be doing the same for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge. Both series will have practice sessions that day as well. The day’s on-track activities culminate with the WinStar World Casino 350 Camping World Truck Series race later that evening.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will participate in their final practice sessions for the AAA Texas 500 and will be followed by the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Nationwide Series race.

The weekend and Texas Motor Speedway race season conclude Sunday, Nov. 4, with the running of the AAA Texas 500, the eighth stop in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Start times for each event will be announced at a later date.

Season tickets begin as low as $270 and are available beginning this evening. Season ticket holder benefits include best seat selection; discounts between 14 to 29 percent (varies on seat location) over purchasing tickets individually; special discounts on concessions, merchandise, camping, parking and pit passes; pre-race WinStar World Casino “No Limits” Garage Party access in April and November; and special offers on additional events held at the speedway.

Individual tickets for the three major race weekends go on sale Dec. 2 for the Samsung Mobile 500 and Firestone Twin 275s, and April 20, 2012 for the AAA Texas 500. For additional ticket information, please call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

Note-Fifteen events refer to pole qualifying and race events only. The total does not incorporate the practice sessions for the various series.

2012 TMS Schedule At A Glance

SAMSUNG MOBILE 500 NASCAR DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND

Thursday, April 12

·        O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice

Friday, April 13

·        Practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 & Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

·        SportsDay Qualifying Day Powered by The Dallas Morning News for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 & Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300

·        O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race

Saturday, April 14

·        Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series Race

FIRESTONE TWIN 275s INDYCAR/NASCAR COMBINATION WEEKEND

Thursday, June 7

·        WinStar World Casino 400 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice & Qualifying

Friday, June 8

·        Firestone Twin 275s IndyCar Series Practice & Qualifying

·        WinStar World Casino 400 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race

Saturday, June 9

·        Firestone Twin 275s IndyCar Series Races

AAA TEXAS 500 NASCAR TRIPLEHEADER WEEKEND

Thursday, Nov. 1

·        SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350

Friday, Nov. 2

·        Practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 & Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

·        SportsDay Qualifying Days Powered by The Dallas Morning News for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 & Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge

·        WinStar World Casino 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race

Saturday, Nov. 3

·        AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practices

·        O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge NASCAR Nationwide Series Race

Sunday, Nov. 4

·        AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race

Texas Motor Speedway PR