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-Sseason 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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