NASCAR today released its three national touring series schedules for 2026, and with the numerous date changes, fans better scrutinize them closely before making vacation plans.
Schedule dates for the season opening Daytona 500 in February and the championship race at Homestead in November were announced earlier this year as was the event at the San Diego Naval Base Coronado and The Clash’s return to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Also, the traditional dates remain for the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and Labor Day’s Southern 500 at Darlington.
However, there are some major changes.
• One is the All-Star race moving to Dover. I haven’t decided if this is to the detriment of the All-Star race or the one-mile track known as the Monster Mile. Since making its debut in 1985, the All-Star race has primarily been held in North Carolina. The only time the non-points event wasn’t in North Carolina was 1986—Atlanta; 2020—Bristol; and 2021-2022—Texas. Conducting the race at Dover on May 17 marks the first time the All-Star race has ever been held on a one-mile track and in the Northeast. Point races for the O’Reilly Auto Parts (currently Xfinity) and Truck series will be a part of Dover’s All-Star weekend.
• Moving the All-Star race from North Wilkesboro to Dover means Dover loses its Cup Series point race, but Wilkes County gets one. North Wilkesboro hasn’t had a Cup Series regular season race since 1996 and it’s an event the community in North Carolina’s foothills has wanted for 30 years. The race is scheduled for July 19, which is the height of the tourist season for that area. NASCAR’s trucks will join the Cup Series for a doubleheader weekend.
• The revival of shuttered tracks continues. Chicagoland Speedway is back. Since the city of Chicago didn’t want a street course race during the Fourth of July weekend, NASCAR decided to move the event to the 1.5-mile track. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, last hosted a NASCAR race in 2019. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will join the Cup Series that weekend.
• Mexico City is off the schedule. In fact, none of NASCAR’s three national touring series travel outside the United States in 2026.
• There are five road/street course races on the Cup Series schedule, but the only two that are back-to-back are San Diego and Sonoma since both are on the West Coast. The Circuit of the Americas is the season’s third race, Feb. 28. Then there isn’t another road course until Watkins Glen on May 9. This is the first time that historic road course has ever been this early on the schedule. San Diego and Sonoma are next, consuming the last two weekends in June. The final road course is in October at the Charlotte Roval, which will involve all three series.
• There are a variety of tracks in next year’s In-Season Challenge. That was definitely needed. The 2026 In-Season Challenge is comprised of Sonoma, Chicagoland, Atlanta, North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis. That’s a road course, a 1.5-mile track, a 1.5-mile facility that races like a superspeedway, a short track, and a 2.5-mile speedway.
• The Cup playoffs open at Darlington on Labor Day weekend, while the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the trucks both open their playoffs at Bristol in September.
• The Truck series will make its street course debut Feb. 28 at the IndyCar Series Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This is the first time the trucks have been on a street course in the series 30-year history. The Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series are at Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
• The O’Reilly Auto Parts and Craftsman Truck series return to Rockingham on Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend, April 3-4. Cup is off that weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to see Rockingham on the schedule since it was rumored at Richmond that the track had been sold and shut down.
• Portland is absent from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule, meaning NASCAR doesn’t have a presence in the country’s Northwest with any of its national touring series.
• Even though Phoenix lost the season finale, it remained in the playoffs. Its date was moved up to Oct. 18
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule
Sunday, February 1 - Clash (Bowman Gray Stadium)
Sunday, February 15 - Daytona 500
Sunday, February 22 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Sunday, March 1 - Circuit of the Americas (Austin)
Sunday, March 8 - Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, March 15 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 22 - Darlington Raceway
Sunday, March 29 - Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, April 12 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, April 19 - Kansas Speedway
Sunday, April 26 - Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, May 3 - Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 10 - Watkins Glen International
Sunday, May 17 - All Star (Dover Motor Speedway)
Sunday, May 24 - Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 31 - Nashville Superspeedway
Sunday, June 07 - Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, June 14 - Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 21 - San Diego (Naval Base Coronado)
Sunday, June 28 - Sonoma Raceway
Sunday, July 5 - Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, July 12 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Sunday, July 19 - North Wilkesboro Speedway
Sunday, July 26 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, August 9 - Iowa Speedway
Saturday, August 15 - Richmond Raceway
Sunday, August 23 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, August 29 - Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, September 6 - Darlington Raceway
Sunday, September 13 - World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis)
Saturday, September 19 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 27 - Kansas Speedway
Sunday, October 4 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, October 11 - Charlotte Roval
Sunday, October 18 - Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, October 25 - Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, November 1 - Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, November 8 - NASCAR Championship (Homestead-Miami Speedway)
2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Schedule
Saturday, February 14 - Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 21 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Saturday, February 28 - Circuit of the Americas (Austin)
Saturday, March 7 - Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, March 14 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 21 - Darlington Raceway
Saturday, March 28 - Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, April 4 - Rockingham Speedway
Saturday, April 11 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, April 18 - Kansas Speedway
Saturday, April 25 - Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, May 2 - Texas Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 9 - Watkins Glen International
Saturday, May 16 - Dover Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 23 - Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 30 - Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday, June 13 - Pocono Raceway
Saturday, June 20 - San Diego (Naval Base Coronado)
Saturday, June 27 - Sonoma Raceway
Saturday, July 4 - Chicagoland Speedway
Saturday, July 11 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Saturday, July 25 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, August 8 - Iowa Speedway
Friday, August 28 - Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, September 5 - Darlington Raceway
Saturday, September 12 - World Wide Technology Raceway (St. Louis)
Friday, September 18 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, October 3 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday, October 10 - Charlotte Roval
Saturday, October 17 - Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, October 24 - Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, October 31 - Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, November 7 - (NASCAR Championship) Homestead-Miami Speedway
2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Schedule
Friday, February 13 - Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 21 - EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)
Saturday, February 28 - Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Friday, March 20 - Darlington Raceway
Friday, April 3 - Rockingham Speedway
Friday, April 10 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Friday, May 1 - Texas Motor Speedway
Friday, May 8 - Watkins Glen International
Friday, May 15 - Dover Motor Speedway
Friday, May 22 - Charlotte Motor Speedway
Friday, May 29 - Nashville Superspeedway
Saturday, June 6 - Michigan International Speedway
Friday, June 19 - San Diego (Naval Base Coronado)
Saturday, July 11 - Lime Rock Park
Saturday, July 18 - North Wilkesboro Speedway
Friday, July 24 - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Friday, August 14 - Richmond Raceway
Saturday, August 22 - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Thursday, September 17 - Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, September 26 - Kansas Speedway
Friday, October 9 - Charlotte ROVAL
Friday, October 16 - Phoenix Raceway
Friday, October 23 - Talladega Superspeedway
Friday, October 30 - Martinsville Speedway
Friday, November 6 - (NASCAR Championship) Homestead-Miami Speedway
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