NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR announces start times, networks for 2026 national series races
By staffreport
NASCAR announced the start times and TV networks for all of the 2026 races across its three national series.
NASCAR on Wednesday announced the start times and networks for all of its national series races for the 2026 season, with the Daytona 500 set for 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 15 on FOX.
Two weeks earlier, on Feb. 1, FOX will televise the Cook Out Clash’s return to Bowman Gray Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. This will be the second straight season that the annual exhibition race will take place in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, venue affectionately known as “The Madhouse.”
RELATED: Buy tickets
Prime Video will kick off its second year of NASCAR coverage at 6 p.m. ET on May 24 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Another highlight of Prime’s five-race run will be the 4 p.m. ET race on June 21 at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego as NASCAR celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the U.S. Navy.
TNT Sports will take over with a 3:30 p.m. ET start time on June 28 from picturesque Sonoma Raceway. This road-course showdown will also mark the beginning of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race segment where the top drivers will battle for a $1 million prize in a tournament-style format.
USA Sports will close out the season with the final 14 races across USA Network, NBC and Peacock, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 9 from Iowa Speedway on USA Network. The season will culminate with the NASCAR Championship airing on NBC at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 8 from Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The newly named NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) will be televised exclusively on The CW again and will start its 2026 season at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 14 from Daytona International Speedway.
The Craftsman Truck Series will once again be carried on FOX Sports and will get underway on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 13 from Daytona International Speedway.
In addition, and as announced previously , FOX will air all 20 ARCA Menards Series races across FOX, FS1 and FS2, beginning with the season opener at noon ET on Feb. 14 from Daytona International Speedway.
Look below for the full slate of start times for the NASCAR national series and start making your plans to attend the 2026 NASCAR races:
*Playoff RacesNASCAR CUP SERIES
NASCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
NASCAR on Wednesday announced the start times and networks for all of its national series races for the 2026 season, with the Daytona 500 set for 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 15 on FOX.
Two weeks earlier, on Feb. 1, FOX will televise the Cook Out Clash’s return to Bowman Gray Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. This will be the second straight season that the annual exhibition race will take place in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, venue affectionately known as “The Madhouse.”
RELATED: Buy tickets
Prime Video will kick off its second year of NASCAR coverage at 6 p.m. ET on May 24 with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Another highlight of Prime’s five-race run will be the 4 p.m. ET race on June 21 at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego as NASCAR celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the U.S. Navy.
TNT Sports will take over with a 3:30 p.m. ET start time on June 28 from picturesque Sonoma Raceway. This road-course showdown will also mark the beginning of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race segment where the top drivers will battle for a $1 million prize in a tournament-style format.
USA Sports will close out the season with the final 14 races across USA Network, NBC and Peacock, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 9 from Iowa Speedway on USA Network. The season will culminate with the NASCAR Championship airing on NBC at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 8 from Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The newly named NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) will be televised exclusively on The CW again and will start its 2026 season at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 14 from Daytona International Speedway.
The Craftsman Truck Series will once again be carried on FOX Sports and will get underway on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 13 from Daytona International Speedway.
In addition, and as announced previously , FOX will air all 20 ARCA Menards Series races across FOX, FS1 and FS2, beginning with the season opener at noon ET on Feb. 14 from Daytona International Speedway.
Look below for the full slate of start times for the NASCAR national series and start making your plans to attend the 2026 NASCAR races:
*Playoff RacesNASCAR CUP SERIES
| DATE | RACE | PLATFORM | START (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Feb. 1 | Clash (Bowman Gray Stadium) | FOX | 8 p.m. |
| Thu., Feb. 12 | Daytona – Duels | FS1 | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 15 | Daytona 500 | FOX | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Feb. 22 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | FOX | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., March 1 | Circuit of The Americas (Austin) | FOX | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., March 8 | Phoenix Raceway | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., March 15 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | FS1 | 4 p.m. |
| Sun., March 22 | Darlington Raceway | FS1 | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., March 29 | Martinsville Speedway | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., April 12 | Bristol Motor Speedway | FS1 | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., April 19 | Kansas Speedway | FOX | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., April 26 | Talladega Superspeedway | FOX | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., May 3 | Texas Motor Speedway | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., May 10 | Watkins Glen International | FS1 | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., May 17 | All-Star (Dover Motor Speedway) | FS1 | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., May 24 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Prime | 6 p.m. |
| Sun., May 31 | Nashville Superspeedway | Prime | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., June 7 | Michigan International Speedway | Prime | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., June 14 | Pocono Raceway | Prime | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., June 21 | San Diego (Naval Base Coronado) | Prime | 4 p.m. |
| Sun., June 28 | Sonoma Raceway | TNT | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., July 5 | Chicagoland Speedway | TNT | 6 p.m. |
| Sun., July 12 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | TNT | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., July 19 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | TNT | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., July 26 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | TNT | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 9 | Iowa Speedway | USA | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 15 | Richmond Raceway | USA | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Aug. 23 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | USA | 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 29 | Daytona International Speedway | NBC | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 6 | Darlington Raceway* | USA | 5 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 13 | World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis)* | USA | 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 19 | Bristol Motor Speedway* | USA | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Sept. 27 | Kansas Speedway* | USA | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 4 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway* | USA | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Charlotte Roval* | USA | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Phoenix Raceway* | USA | 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Talladega Superspeedway* | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Martinsville Speedway* | NBC | 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | NASCAR Championship* (Homestead-Miami Speedway) | NBC | 3 p.m. |
| DATE | RACE | PLATFORM | START (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Feb. 14 | Daytona International Speedway | CW | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 21 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | CW | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 28 | Circuit of The Americas (Austin) | CW | 3 p.m. |
| Sat., March 7 | Phoenix Raceway | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., March 14 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | CW | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., March 21 | Darlington Raceway | CW | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., March 28 | Martinsville Speedway | CW | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., April 4 | Rockingham Speedway | CW | 2:30 p.m. |
| Sat., April 11 | Bristol Motor Speedway | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., April 18 | Kansas Speedway | CW | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., April 25 | Talladega Superspeedway | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., May 2 | Texas Motor Speedway | CW | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., May 9 | Watkins Glen International | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., May 16 | Dover Motor Speedway | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., May 23 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | CW | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., May 30 | Nashville Superspeedway | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Jun 13 | Pocono Raceway | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Jun 20 | San Diego (Naval Base Coronado) | CW | 5 p.m. |
| Sat., Jun 27 | Sonoma Raceway | CW | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., July 4 | Chicagoland Speedway | CW | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., July 11 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | CW | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., July 25 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 8 | Iowa Speedway | CW | 5 p.m. |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Daytona International Speedway | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 5 | Darlington Raceway | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 12 | World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis) | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Sept. 18 | Bristol Motor Speedway* | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 3 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway* | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Charlotte Roval* | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Phoenix Raceway* | CW | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Talladega Superspeedway* | CW | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Martinsville Speedway* | CW | 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | NASCAR Championship* (Homestead-Miami Speedway) | CW | 5 p.m. |
| DATE | RACE | PLATFORM | START (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Feb. 13 | Daytona International Speedway | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 21 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | FS1 | 1:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 28 | Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | FOX | 12 p.m. |
| Fri., March 20 | Darlington Raceway | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., April 3 | Rockingham Speedway | FS1 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Fri., April 10 | Bristol Motor Speedway | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., May 1 | Texas Motor Speedway | FS1 | 8 p.m. |
| Fri., May 8 | Watkins Glen International | FS1 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Fri., May 15 | Dover Motor Speedway | FS1 | 5 p.m. |
| Fri., May 22 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., May 29 | Nashville Superspeedway | FS1 | 8 p.m. |
| Sat., June 6 | Michigan International Speedway | FS1 | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri., June 19 | San Diego (Naval Base Coronado) | FS1 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., July 11 | Lime Rock Park | FS1 | 1 p.m. |
| Sat., July 18 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | FS1 | 12:30 p.m. |
| Fri., July 24 | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | FS1 | 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Aug. 14 | Richmond Raceway | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Aug. 22 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | FS1 | 1:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Sept. 17 | Bristol Motor Speedway* | FS1 | 8:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Kansas Speedway* | FS1 | 1 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Charlotte Roval* | FOX | 5 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Phoenix Raceway* | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Talladega Superspeedway* | FS1 | 4 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Martinsville Speedway* | FS1 | 6 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | NASCAR Championship* (Homestead-Miami Speedway) | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. |