NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule again includes spring, fall races at Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway will be host to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for the sixth consecutive year during the 2016 season, it was announced Monday.

In unveiling next season’s schedule, NASCAR also announced five-year contracts, which essentially lock the schedule in place through 2020 and guarantee Kansas Speedway two races for the foreseeable future.

The first 2016 Sprint Cup appearance will be May 7 under the lights, which is consistent with the series’ schedule for the last two seasons.

NASCAR contested one race on the 1.5-mile tri-oval each fall beginning in 2001 and continued through 2010, then a spring race was added. The first spring race was in June, but that was deemed too hot of a weekend, so the race was shifted to late April during 2012-13.

Now, it’s become a Mother’s Day weekend staple.

Kansas Speedway also will be host to the fifth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup on Oct. 16.

“It’s great to know that we will again be a part of NASCAR’s playoffs and will hopefully be hosting our playoff race at the same time the Kansas City Royals are in the playoffs for the third straight season,” Kansas Speedway president Patrick Warren said. “As we hosted our October races this year, it was an exciting time in Kansas City for fans as they supported both Kansas Speedway and the Royals. I look forward to another successful year for both organizations in 2016.”

The spring race weekend also feature the Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 under the lights on May 6.

In addition to the Hollywood Casino 400, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will return during the fall for the Kansas Lottery 300 on Oct. 15.

The ARCA Racing Series also will conclude its season and crown a champion on Oct. 14 at Kansas Speedway for the fifth straight season.

For information on 2016 season tickets at Kansas Speedway, call 866-460-7223.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 3:11 PM with the headline "NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule again includes spring, fall races at Kansas Speedway."