{"id":84105,"date":"2025-08-20T16:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/84105\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T16:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:41:10","slug":"2026-nascar-cup-schedule-officially-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/84105\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NASCAR Cup schedule officially released"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nine days earlier than last year, NASCAR has officially confirmed the 2026 schedule for all three of its national divisions, including the Cup Series. Next year will have several notable changes, including some new tracks, surprising date changes and a different look to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Officially, Mexico City and the Chicago Street Course have been removed<\/a> from the calendar (as previously announced) with the new street race added at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.<\/a> There will be no international Cup races in 2026.<\/p>\n

That means that there will be five road courses on the schedule, dropping from six. San Diego and Sonoma will run back-to-back, and shockingly, Watkins Glen has been moved out of the summer months and into early May for the very first time.<\/p>\n

The loss of the Chicago Street Course has also opened the door for the return of a beloved intermediate track, as Chicagoland Speedway will host a Cup race for the first time since 2019. The race will take place on Fourth of July weekend.<\/p>\n

\"Kyle <\/p>\n

Kyle Busch wins, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota<\/p>\n

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

After its improbable revival proved to be a success with the All-Star Race, legendary short track North Wilkesboro<\/a> will host a points-paying Cup race for the first time since 1996. In a surprising twist, Dover Motor Speedway will lose its points race and will become the host track for the All-Star Race for the very first time. Dover has held a points-paying Cup race every year since 1969, but that will come to an end in 2026.<\/p>\n

Darlington\u2019s first of two races will move to March, which is the earliest we\u2019ve seen a Cup race at the historic track in 21 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The playoffs will also have a different look as well. As revealed earlier this year, Homestead-Miami Speedway will make its return as the season finale<\/a> for the first time since 2019. While the first round remains unchanged, Las Vegas moves from the Round of 8 to the Round of 12, making room for Phoenix’s new slot as the opening race of the Round of 8. New Hampshire has also moved back out of the playoffs, making room for Homestead’s return.<\/p>\n

The 2025 schedule only featured one off-weekend and a stretch of 28 consecutive weeks with Cup racing<\/a>, and while 2026 will still be a grueling season for all involved, NASCAR has added an additional off-week at the beginning of August.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Notable changes for the lower two divisions<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Truck Series will team up with IndyCar’s season-opener at St. Pete<\/a>, racing there for the very first time. As for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which will soon be called the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series<\/a>, Portland has been removed from the schedule.<\/p>\n

As previously announced, all three divisions will be present in San Diego for a triple-header weekend. Additionally Truck Series won’t race at Las Vegas in 2026, while joining Cup and Xfinity for All-Star weekend at Dover.<\/p>\n

Complete 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule<\/p>\n

DATE
\nTRACK\/RACE
\nIMPORTANT NOTES<\/p>\n

February 1
\nClash at Bowman Gray Stadium
\nExhibition race<\/p>\n

February 15
\nDaytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
\n68th running of NASCAR’s most prestigious race<\/p>\n

February 22
\nEchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

March 1
\nCircuit of the Americas
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

March 8
\nPhoenix Raceway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

March 15
\nLas Vegas Motor Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

March 22
\nDarlington Raceway
\nEarliest Darlington Cup race in 21 years<\/p>\n

March 29\u00a0
\nMartinsville Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

OFF-WEEK (Easter)
\nOFF-WEEK (Easter)
\nOFF-WEEK (Easter)<\/p>\n

April 12
\nBristol Motor Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

April 19
\nKansas Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

April 26
\nTalladega Superspeedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

May 3
\nTexas Motor Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

May 10
\nWatkins Glen International
\nEarliest Cup race at WGI ever<\/p>\n

May 17
\nAll-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway
\nDover loses its points race, but will host this special event for the first time<\/p>\n

May 24
\nCoca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
\nNASCAR’s longest race and second crown jewel of the season<\/p>\n

May 31
\nNashville Superspeedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

June 7
\nMichigan International Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

June 14
\nPocono Raceway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

June 21
\nSan Diego\u00a0
\nNew street race, will be held on an active military base<\/p>\n

June 28
\nSonoma Raceway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

July 5
\nChicagoland Speedway
\nReturns to the schedule for the first time since 2019<\/p>\n

July 12
\nEchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

July 19
\nNorth Wilkesboro Speedway
\nFirst points-paying Cup race at NWS since 1996<\/p>\n

July 26
\nBrickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
\nThird crown jewel event of the season<\/p>\n

OFF-WEEK
\nOFF-WEEK
\nOFF-WEEK<\/p>\n

August 9
\nIowa Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

August 15
\nRichmond Raceway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

August 23
\nNew Hampshire Motor Speedway
\nNHMS loses its playoff race for 2026<\/p>\n

August 29
\nDaytona International Speedway
\nFinal race of the regular season<\/p>\n

PLAYOFFS BEGIN
\nPLAYOFFS BEGIN
\nPLAYOFFS BEGIN<\/p>\n

September 6 [ROUND OF 16]
\nSouthern 500 at Darlington Raceway
\nFourth crown jewel of the year, and opens the playoffs<\/p>\n

September 13 [ROUND OF 16]
\nWWT Raceway (Gateway)\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

September 19 [ROUND OF 16]
\nBristol Motor Speedway
\nThe Round of 16 elimination race<\/p>\n

September 27 [ROUND OF 12]
\nKansas Speedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

October 4 [ROUND OF 12]
\nLas Vegas Motor Speedway
\nMoves from Ro8 to Ro12<\/p>\n

October 11 [ROUND OF 12]
\nCharlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
\nThe Round of 12 elimination race<\/p>\n

October 18 [ROUND OF 8]
\nPhoenix Raceway
\nPhoenix opens Ro8 after six years as the season finale<\/p>\n

October 25 [ROUND OF 8]
\nTalladega Superspeedway
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

November 1 [ROUND OF 8]
\nMartinsville Speedway
\nThe Round of 8 elimination race<\/p>\n

November 8 [CHAMPIONSHIP 4]
\nHomestead-Miami Speedway
\nHomestead returns as the title-decider for the first time since 2019<\/p>\n

2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series schedule<\/p>\n

DATE
\nTRACK\/RACE<\/p>\n

February 14
\nDaytona International Speedway<\/p>\n

February 21
\nEchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)<\/p>\n

February 28
\nCircuit of the Americas<\/p>\n

March 7
\nPhoenix Raceway<\/p>\n

March 14
\nLas Vegas Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

March 21
\nDarlington Raceway<\/p>\n

March 28\u00a0
\nMartinsville Speedway<\/p>\n

April 4
\nRockingham Speedway<\/p>\n

April 11
\nBristol Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

April 18
\nKansas Speedway<\/p>\n

April 25
\nTalladega Superspeedway<\/p>\n

May 2
\nTexas Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 9
\nWatkins Glen International<\/p>\n

May 16
\nDover Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 23
\nCharlotte Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 30
\nNashville Superspeedway<\/p>\n

June 13
\nPocono Raceway<\/p>\n

June 20
\nSan Diego\u00a0<\/p>\n

June 27
\nSonoma Raceway<\/p>\n

July 4
\nChicagoland Speedway<\/p>\n

July 11
\nEchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)<\/p>\n

July 25
\nIndianapolis Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

August 8
\nIowa Speedway<\/p>\n

August 28
\nDaytona International Speedway<\/p>\n

September 5
\nDarlington Raceway<\/p>\n

September 12
\nWWT Raceway<\/p>\n

PLAYOFFS BEGIN
\nPLAYOFFS BEGIN<\/p>\n

September 18
\nBristol Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

October 3
\nLas Vegas Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

October 10
\nCharlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL<\/p>\n

October 17
\nPhoenix Raceway<\/p>\n

October 24
\nTalladega Superspeedway<\/p>\n

October 31
\nMartinsville Speedway<\/p>\n

November 7
\nHomestead-Miami Speedway<\/p>\n

2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule<\/p>\n

DATE
\nTRACK\/RACE<\/p>\n

February 13
\nDaytona International Speedway<\/p>\n

February 21
\nEchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)<\/p>\n

February 28
\nSt. Petersburg<\/p>\n

March 20
\nDarlington Raceway<\/p>\n

April 3
\nRockingham Speedway<\/p>\n

April 10
\nBristol Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 1
\nTexas Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 8
\nWatkins Glen International<\/p>\n

May 15
\nDover Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 22
\nCharlotte Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

May 29
\nNashville Superspeedway<\/p>\n

June 6
\nMichigan International Speedway<\/p>\n

July 11
\nLime Rock Park<\/p>\n

July 18
\nNorth Wilkesboro Speedway<\/p>\n

July 24
\nIndianapolis Raceway Park<\/p>\n

August 14
\nRichmond Raceway<\/p>\n

August 22
\nNew Hampshire Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

PLAYOFFS BEGIN
\nPLAYOFFS BEGIN<\/p>\n

September 17
\nBristol Motor Speedway<\/p>\n

September 26
\nKansas Speedway<\/p>\n

October 9
\nCharlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL<\/p>\n

October 16
\nPhoenix Raceway<\/p>\n

October 23
\nTalladega Superspeedway<\/p>\n

October 30
\nMartinsville Speedway<\/p>\n

November 6
\nHomestead-Miami Speedway<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

Be the first to know and subscribe for real-time news email updates on these topics<\/p>\n

Subscribe to news alerts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nine days earlier than last year, NASCAR has officially confirmed the 2026 schedule for all three of its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,3628,50279,82],"class_list":["post-84105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-cup","tag-nascar-officially-releases-2026-schedule-for-all-three-national-divisions","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}