The NASCAR Cup Series will race at two new venues in 2026, will have a new site for its all-star event, will have a new finale and it will move a traditional summer race to the spring.
In releasing its 2026 schedule, some of the changes already had been announced or expected:
–A new event on Naval Base Coronado across the bay from San Diego (June 21).
–The return of Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval in Joliet (July 5).
–The elimination of the Chicago street race and the Mexico City race. Both events could return in 2027.
–The finale Nov. 8 will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway instead of Phoenix Raceway. Phoenix moves to the first race of the semifinal round, assuming the championship format remains the same in 2026.
In a few other major changes:
–The all-star race moves to Dover Speedway (May 17) while North Wilkesboro Speedway gets a points event (July 19).
–The Watkins Glen race moves from August to Mother’s Day weekend in May.
–With Homestead added to the playoffs, New Hampshire moves out of the playoffs and into August (Aug. 23).
NASCAR released the schedule for all three of its national series. The Xfinity Series will be rebranded as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
The trucks will race on a street circuit for the first time Feb. 28 when they are part of the St. Petersburg Grand Prix weekend. The trucks will race Saturday with INDYCAR racing Sunday.
The first 14 Cup events will air on FOX Sports, either on FOX or FS1. “From the Daytona 500 to the All-Star Race at Dover, the 2026 FOX NASCAR Cup Series schedule is jam-packed with iconic races and a great mix of tracks,” said FOX Sports EVP, Head of Programming Bill Wanger.
Here are the schedules for the three series:
NASCAR Cup Series
FOX/FS1
- Feb. 1: Bowman Gray (Clash)
- Feb. 15: Daytona
- Feb. 22: Atlanta
- March 1: Austin
- March 8: Phoenix
- March 15: Las Vegas
- March 22: Darlington
- March 29: Martinsville
- April 12: Bristol
- April 19: Kansas
- April 26: Talladega
- May 3: Texas
- May 10: Watkins Glen
- May 17: Dover (All-Star)
- PRIME VIDEO
- May 24: Charlotte
- May 31: Nashville
- June 7: Michigan
- June 14: Pocono
- June 21: San Diego (Coronado)
TNT (In-Season Challenge)
- June 28: Sonoma
- July 5: Chicagoland
- July 12: Atlanta
- July 19: North Wilkesboro
- July 26: Indianapolis
NBC/USA
- Aug. 9: Iowa
- Aug. 15: Richmond
- Aug. 23: New Hampshire
- Aug. 29: Daytona
- Sept. 6: Darlington*
- Sept. 13: St. Louis*
- Sept. 19: Bristol*
- Sept. 27: Kansas*
- Oct. 4: Las Vegas*
- Oct. 11: Charlotte Road Course*
- Oct. 18: Phoenix*
- Oct. 25: Talladega*
- Nov. 1: Martinsville*
- Nov. 8: Homestead* (Championship Race)
*Denotes playoff race
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) (all races on CW)
- Feb. 14: Daytona
- Feb. 21: Atlanta
- Feb. 28: Austin
- March 7: Phoenix
- March 14: Las Vegas
- March 21: Darlington
- March 28: Martinsville
- April 4: Rockingham
- April 11: Bristol
- April 18: Kansas
- April 25: Talladega
- May 2: Texas
- May 9: Watkins Glen
- May 16: Dover
- May 23: Charlotte
- May 30: Nashville
- June 13: Pocono
- June 20: San Diego (Coronado)
- June 27: Sonoma
- July 4: Chicagoland
- July 11: Atlanta
- July 25: Indianapolis
- Aug. 8: Iowa
- Aug. 28: Daytona
- Sept. 5: Darlington
- Sept. 12: St. Louis
- Sept. 18: Bristol
- Oct. 3: Las Vegas
- Oct. 10: Charlotte road course
- Oct. 17: Phoenix
- Oct. 24: Talladega
- Oct. 31: Martinsville
- Nov. 7: Homestead
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (all races on FS1/FOX)
- Feb. 13: Daytona
- Feb. 21: Atlanta
- Feb. 28: St. Petersburg
- March 20: Darlington
- April 3: Rockingham
- April 10: Bristol
- May 1: Texas
- May 8: Watkins Glen
- May 15: Dover
- May 22: Charlotte
- May 29: Nashville
- June 6: Michigan
- June 19: San Diego (Coronado)
- July 11: Lime Rock
- July 18: North Wilkesboro
- July 24: Indianapolis (Raceway Park)
- Aug. 14: Richmond
- Aug. 22: New Hampshire
- Sept. 17: Bristol
- Sept. 26: Kansas
- Oct. 9: Charlotte road course
- Oct. 16: Phoenix
- Oct. 23: Talladega
- Oct. 30: Martinsville
- Nov. 6: Homestead
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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