2026 NASCAR Schedule: Full Cup Series Race List, Key Dates, Start Times & TV Channels

by NESN Staff | 3 Hours Ago | 4 Min Read

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule features 36 points races, beginning with the Daytona 500 and ending with the NASCAR Championship race at Homestead-Miami.

Along the way, the calendar mixes superspeedways, short tracks, road courses and marquee weekends — plus a five-race streaming stretch on Prime Video and a five-race summer run on TNT.

All start times below are listed in ET, and race times/TV can change, so it’s worth bookmarking this page for updates.

Key dates on the 2026 NASCAR schedule

How to watch NASCAR in 2026

NASCAR’s 2026 Cup schedule is split across multiple broadcasters: FOX/FS1 handle the early portion, Prime Video carries five races starting with Charlotte on May 24, TNT takes over for a five-race mid-summer segment starting June 28 at Sonoma, and the final stretch airs across USA Network and NBC (with the championship on NBC).

What’s different about the 2026 postseason

In 2026, NASCAR shifts back to a modernized version of The Chase format. The top 16 drivers in points after the 26-race regular season advance, with a 10-race postseason that has no round-by-round eliminations — the champion is the driver who finishes with the most points after the finale.

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Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule (ET)

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