The NASCAR schedule is now official. Teams know where they will travel during the 2026 Cup Series season, and they know that they return to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019.
The Illinois track will replace the streets of Chicago this season while hosting a Fourth of July weekend race. This event will mark the 20th time that Cup Series teams have competed at Chicagoland.
Additionally, North Wilkesboro Speedway will host a July race that will count towards a playoff berth. Dover Motor Speedway, however, will lose its points race. It will host the All-Star Race the week before the Coca-Cola 600.
The other big items on the 2026 schedule include New Hampshire moving to the penultimate race of the regular season and Watkins Glen International moving to May. The Cup Series will also head to San Diego for a street race on Coronado Island.
The 2026 season will feature two off-weeks for Cup Series teams. The first will take place on Easter weekend. The second off-week will be on Aug. 2. It will follow the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Full 2026 Cup Series schedule (Playoffs in bold)
- Feb. 1 - The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
- Feb. 15 - The Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
- Feb. 22 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
- March 1 - Circuit of the Americas
- March 8 - Phoenix Raceway
- March 15 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- March 22 - Darlington Raceway
- March 29 - Martinsville Speedway
- April 5 - Off week (Easter)
- April 12 - Bristol Motor Speedway
- April 19 - Kansas Speedway
- April 26 - Talladega Superspeedway
- May 3 - Texas Motor Speedway
- May 10 - Watkins Glen International
- May 17 - All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway
- May 24 - Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- May 31 - Nashville Superspeedway
- June 7 - Michigan International Speedway
- June 14 - Pocono Raceway
- June 21 - San Diego
- June 28 - Sonoma Raceway
- July 5 - Chicagoland Speedway
- July 12 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
- July 19 - North Wilkesboro Speedway
- July 26 - Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Aug. 2 - Off week
- Aug. 9 - Iowa Speedway
- Aug. 15 - Richmond Raceway
- Aug. 23 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
- Aug. 29 - Regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway
- Sept. 6 - Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Round of 16)
- Sept. 13 - World Wide Technology Raceway (Round of 16)
- Sept. 19 - Bristol Motor Speedway (Round of 16 cutoff race)
- Sept. 27 - Kansas Speedway (Round of 12)
- Oct. 4 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Round of 12)
- Oct. 11 - Charlotte Roval (Round of 12 cutoff race)
- Oct. 18 - Phoenix Raceway (Round of 8)
- Oct. 25 - Talladega Superspeedway (Round of 8)
- Nov. 1 - Martinsville Speedway (Round of 8 cutoff race)
- Nov. 8 - Homestead-Miami Speedway (Championship)
Photo credit: Getty Images
Much like last season, Fox Sports will kick off the NASCAR schedule. The broadcast partner will air every event from the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium until the All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. Prime Video will take over for the Coca-Cola 600, Nashville, Michigan, Pocono, and San Diego.
TNT will air five races, which will make up the second In-Season Challenge. This schedule will feature Sonoma, Chicagoland, EchoPark Speedway, North Wilkesboro, and Indianapolis. NBC Sports will then take over at Iowa before airing the rest of the Cup Series races.