Rumors about the potential release of the 2026 NASCAR schedule had been circulating for the last several days. Well, now, thanks to the Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, all the waiting and speculation can be put to rest. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is here. There will be plenty of new twists and turns for the Cup Series’ best drivers in 2026. The return of some tracks, plus a new venue for the All-Star race. Who can forget the very special San Diego race on the US Navy base? The 2026 schedule is going to have plenty of flavor.
2026 NASCAR Schedule Has Plenty of New Wrinkles
The first six weeks of the season remain unchanged. The Clash returns to Bowman-Gray, and is followed by the usual suspects, Daytona, Atlanta, COTA, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. From there, it gets a little funky, with Darlington now a March race date. Watkins Glen goes from a late summer date to a May 10th race date. That is going to be quite a change of weather from the hottest part of the summer in New York.
That race leads into All-Star weekend, which will find itself not at North Wilkesboro, but at the ‘Monster Mile’. Yep, Dover gets the All-Star race, while North Wilkesboro takes its full-time race date. Yep, for the first time since 1996, there will be a NASCAR Cup Series point race at Wilkesboro.
𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒: Iconic moments in North Wilkesboro Speedway history. 🏁👀
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— North Wilkesboro Speedway (@NWBSpeedway) August 11, 2025
The All-Star race at Dover certainly is going to be different. That is a choice, alright. It does feel a bit weird for the Cup Series to not have a full race at a track that has one of the coolest trophies in the sport. Miles the Monster will just have to cause carnage in a new way. Also, there aren’t lights at Dover, so I’m puzzled by that choice, honestly.
Hello Old Friends
Not only with North Wilkesboro return full-time, but NASCAR will also make a return to the Chicagoland Speedway in 2026. June is going to be a fun month for the schedule. As Michigan International Speedway returns to its famous early June date. That is followed by Pocono and the highly anticipated race at the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego. June finishes off with a stop in Sonoma.
Which leads to the return to Chicagoland for the 4th of July Weekend.
Read More: NASCAR Will Race Around Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, In 2026
Playoffs Get Feisty
The 10 races that make up the playoffs have plenty of changes. The first is that Homestead will host Championship weekend. New Hampshire will move back out of the postseason, moving to the second-to-last race before the playoffs. That change to Homestead hosting the championship shakes up the Round of 8 completely.
Now Phoenix will kick off the round, before the Cup drivers head to Talladega, and close out the round of eight at Martinsville. You thought that round to make the Championship Four was hard. Now look at it.
Full Schedule:
Feb 1: Bowman Gray (Clash), Feb 15: Daytona 500, Feb 22: Atlanta
Mar 1: COTA, Mar 8: Phoenix, Mar 15: Las Vegas, Mar 22: Darlington, Mar 29: Martinsville
Apr 12: Bristol, Apr 19: Kansas, Apr 26: Talladega
May 3: Texas, May 10: Watkins Glen, May 17: Dover (All-Star), May 24: Charlotte, May 31: Nashville
June 7: Michigan, June 14: Pocono, June 21: San Diego, June 28: Sonoma
July 5: Chicagoland, July 12: Atlanta, July 19: North Wilkesboro, July 26th: Indianapolis
Aug 9: Iowa, Aug 15: Richmond, Aug 23: New Hampshire, Aug 29: Daytona
Sept 6: Darlington (Round of 16), Sept 13: Gateway (Round of 16), Sep 19: Bristol (Round of 16), Sept 27: Kansas (Round of 12)
Oct 4: Las Vegas (Round of 12), Oct 11: Charlotte Roval (Round of 12), Oct 18: Phoenix (Round of 8), Oct 25: Talladega (Round of 8)
Nov 1: Martinsville (Round of 8), Nov 8: Homestead (Championship)
Reaction to the Schedule
NASCAR is always making changes to its schedule. I, for one, am happy to see North Wilkesboro get a full race date. Plus, the new look round of eight is going to make things ten times more difficult. Talladega is the round that decides who gets to the Championship Four. That is the ultimate wildcard race.
I’m on the thought train of not liking Dover getting the All-Star race. I mean, if it’s going to keep changing, why not have it move around every year? It’s just a thought. I get it, TV determines when it is, but I think if NASCAR had it move around each year, like other sports do, it would be a neat idea to try. I don’t much care for tracks losing dates (still miss Michigan having two races).
I’m glad to see the road courses down to just five for 2026. I think that is a step in the right direction. Which I would think most would agree. Better than six or seven, like the sport has had in recent years. 2026 is shaping up to be an interesting year, and it’s good to finally have the schedule out.
Read Next: Crafton Retiring after 2025 Season, Xfinity Series Becomes O’Reilly’s Series: NASCAR News Flash
Main Photo: David Jensen, Getty Images
Recording Date: 5/18/2025
