In response to fan input, NASCAR has announced major changes to its 2018 schedule.

Among those changes, the NASCAR Cup series will end the regular season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The playoffs will begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway will host a playoff race on its infield road course.

NASCAR has also added a second short track race in the playoffs. Richmond International Raceway previously hosted the regular-season finale but will now be the second playoff race.

Charlotte Motor Speedway will have the final cutoff race for the first round of the playoffs, and as rumored, it is going to be held on infield the road course--giving the series three total twisty tracks and one during the final 10 races.

"Fan feedback was a major driver in developing these schedules, and we worked very closely with the industry to set the stage for an exciting 2018 season," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer, in an official press release. "This season has delivered more dramatic moments to fans, and with the adjustments to the 2018 schedules we're in a great position to build upon that success."

Other changes include the Daytona 500 moving back to Presidents Day weekend on February 18.

The spring Richmond race will be held under the lights on a Saturday night once more on April 21. This year it was run during the daytime on a Sunday. 

But quite possibly, the biggest change is the addition of a road course race during the playoffs. With that, every major discipline of NASCAR racing is represented with one road course (Charlotte), one restrictor-plate, superspeedway (Talladega), a one-mile flat track (Phoenix), a one-mile high-banked track (Dover), two short track races (Richmond and Martinsville), and four races on unrestricted 1 1/2-milers (Vegas, Kansas, Texas, and Homestead).

For the first time since its inception, NASCAR's playoff schedule is truly representative of the sport, and the driver who wins the championship in 2018 can hold claim to being the best on pavement.

Now, the only thing left is for NASCAR to add a dirt track race to the schedule.

2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Schedule 

2/18 Daytona 500
2/25 Atlanta Motor Speedway
3/4 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
3/11 Phoenix International Raceway
3/18 Auto Club Speedway
3/25 Martinsville Speedway
4/8 Texas Motor Speedway
4/15 Bristol Motor Speedway
4/21 Richmond International Raceway
4/29 Talladega Superspeedway
5/6 Dover International Speedway
5/12 Kansas Speedway
5/19 Charlotte Motor Speedway (Monster Energy All-Star Race)
5/27 Charlotte Motor Speedway oval
6/3 Pocono Raceway
6/10 Michigan International Speedway
6/24 Sonoma Raceway
7/1 Chicagoland Speedway
7/7 Daytona International Speedway
7/14 Kentucky Speedway
7/22 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
7/29 Pocono Raceway
8/5 Watkins Glen International
8/12 Michigan International Speedway
8/18 Bristol Motor Speedway
9/2 Darlington Raceway
9/9 Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Playoffs

Round 1
9/16 Las Vegas Motor Speedway
9/22 Richmond International Raceway
9/30 Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

Round 2
10/7 Dover International Speedway
10/14 Talladega Superspeedway
10/21 Kansas Speedway

Round 3
10/28 Martinsville Speedway
11/4 Texas Motor Speedway
11/11 Phoenix International Raceway

Championship Race
11/18 Homestead-Miami Speedway