[ARTICLE=2012 Nationwide schedule:]Highlighted by an inaugural visit to one of the most historic race tracks in motorsports, a return trip to Montreal and plenty of driver star power, NASCAR announced today the 2012 schedule for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Full-time rides for Danica Patrick and Austin Dillon plus the addition of action sports superstar Travis Pastrana who plans to run the majority of the schedule, give the 2012 season a huge dose of anticipation. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season features 33 race dates, including the series' first visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of a companion weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing. The inaugural Brickyard event will take place on July 28. Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve  a fan-favorite that has evolved into a "crown jewel" for the series  returns for a fifth-consecutive season, on Aug. 18. The 14-turn layout is one of three road-course events on the calendar, joining Road America (June 23) and Watkins Glen International (Aug. 11). Additional 2012 schedule highlights:
· Daytona International Speedway again opens the season, on Feb. 25, a week later than past years.
· Iowa Speedway hosts the series' first stand-alone event on May 20, with a second date on Aug. 4.
· Homestead-Miami Speedway will once again host the season-finale, on Nov. 17.
· For the first time, Kentucky Speedway will have two NASCAR Nationwide race dates, on June 29 and Sept. 22.
· Chicagoland Speedway also returns with two dates, one a stand-alone affair on July 22.
· Daytona's summer event and Kentucky Speedway's race will swap weekends in 2012, as the July 4th holiday falls mid-week next year. Daytona will run on July 6.
· In conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' schedule shift, Kansas Speedway's date moves to Oct. 20 to accommodate the track's repave, scheduled for April of 2012.(NASCAR) See the full schedule on my 2012 Nationwide Series schedule page.(10-19-2011)[/ARTICLE]