THE 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar has leaked, with numerous changes set to spice up next year’s competition.
As reported by the The Athletic, gone is Mexico City and the Chicago Street Circuit, in is a new road course at the Naval Base Coronado and a return to the 1.5-mile long Chicagoland Speedway.
Now owned by NASCAR, the Illinois oval keeps stock car racing present in the area, while the downtown street event is retooled for a possible future return to the calendar.
Mexico City, meanwhile, may also reappear in the future, with the FIFA World Cup to be played in the country next year from June to July.
Elsewhere, the other non-points event, the NASCAR All-Star Race, will move to the Monster Mile at Dover International Speedway.
That move comes as North Wilkesboro Speedway returns to the schedule proper for the first time since 1996.
The storied venue, which dates back to 1947, has held the last two All-Star Races.
The season will once again kick off with the non-points-paying Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1st, followed by the 68th Daytona 500 on February 16th.
The ten-race Playoffs will feature Darlington, World Wide Technology Raceway, Bristol, Kansas, Las Vegas, the Charlotte Roval, Phoenix, Talladega and Martinsville.
Rounding out the year will be the Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8th, replacing Phoenix, which has concluded the season since 2020.
After a gruelling 2025 with only one off weekend, in 2026, the calendar features two breaks, the first falling at Easter and the second in August.
SVG fans: pack your bags!
While there may be one less road course on the schedule, Shane van Gisbergen still has ample opportunity to shine.
Certainly, the San Diego Navy Base race is prime for the taking, with the now five-time Cup Series race winner having claimed two of his victories at the inaugural races on the Chicago Street Circuit and at Mexico City.
That event is scheduled for June 21st.
This year, he has also been successful at Watkins Glen International, which is has been brought forward several months from its traditional late-summer date to May 10th, and Sonoma Raceway, which is slated for a week after San Diego on June 28th.
The first road course of the year is set for the Circuit of the Americas on March 1st, while the last, the Charlotte Roval, is set for October 11th.
Otherwise, he has proven to be sharp on the shorter tracks, with the Kiwi this year claiming the pole position for the All-Star open race at North Wilksboro.
Earlier in the year at Bowman Gray, he qualified in 10th and finished ninth in the main event.
This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series regular season wraps up at Daytona International Speedway, ahead of the ten-week-long Playoffs.