NASCAR Unveils Exciting 2026 Schedule Featuring New Street Race

NASCAR has announced its 2026 racing schedule, which features a new street race in San Diego and the return of Chicagoland Speedway. The schedule, released on Wednesday, includes significant changes, such as moving the All-Star race to Dover, Delaware, and concluding the 38-race season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2026 season will kick off with the exhibition Clash on February 1 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, marking its second consecutive year at this venue. The highly anticipated Daytona 500 will follow on February 15, officially launching the competitive season.

Major Changes and Notable Events

The season will stretch from February to November, incorporating two off weekends, a notable increase from the single off weekend in the previous season. The championship finale on November 8 at Homestead marks a return to a venue that hosted the final race for 18 years before the tradition shifted to Phoenix Raceway in 2020. The race at Phoenix has been rescheduled within the playoffs, with plans for NASCAR to rotate the season finale among various tracks in future years.

Chicagoland Speedway will reopen for the first time in six years, transitioning from a temporary street circuit in downtown Chicago back to its original location in suburban Joliet. The new San Diego street race will take place at a military base in Coronado, adding a fresh dynamic to the calendar.

In order to make room for the new events, NASCAR will not return to the Chicago street race and has withdrawn plans for a return to Mexico City, where it previously held its first international Cup Series points race in decades. Scheduling conflicts with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Mexico made this return difficult.

Complete 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

In addition to these changes, Watkins Glen in New York has been moved from its traditional August slot to Mother’s Day weekend, and the All-Star race will shift from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to Dover, allowing North Wilkesboro to host a points-paying Cup race. New Hampshire has lost its playoff race, becoming the penultimate event of the regular season.

The complete schedule for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series is as follows:

– February 1: Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
– February 15: Daytona 500
– February 22: Atlanta
– March 1: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
– March 8: Phoenix
– March 15: Las Vegas
– March 22: Darlington, South Carolina
– March 29: Martinsville, Virginia
– April 5: Off weekend
– April 12: Bristol, Tennessee
– April 19: Kansas
– April 26: Talladega, Alabama
– May 3: Texas
– May 10: Watkins Glen, New York
– May 17: All-Star Race, Dover
– May 24: Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte
– May 31: Nashville, Tennessee
– June 7: Michigan
– June 14: Pocono, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
– June 21: San Diego
– June 28: Sonoma, California
– July 5: Chicagoland
– July 12: Atlanta
– July 19: North Wilkesboro
– July 26: Brickyard 400, Indianapolis
– August 2: Off weekend
– August 9: Iowa
– August 15: Richmond, Virginia
– August 23: New Hampshire
– August 29: Daytona, Florida
– September 6: Darlington
– September 13: Gateway, Madison, Illinois
– September 19: Bristol
– September 27: Kansas
– October 4: Las Vegas
– October 11: Charlotte Roval
– October 18: Phoenix
– October 25: Talladega
– November 1: Martinsville
– November 8: Homestead, Florida

As NASCAR prepares for the 2026 season, fans can look forward to a mix of traditional venues and exciting new formats, promising a thrilling year of racing.