What the reported 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule looks like

Per Bianchi, The Clash and first five races of the season will stay put, with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 kicking things off on Feb. 15. Darlington's spring race will shift from its date on Mother's Day weekend to March, with Kansas' spring race moving to April from May. 

The first street race in San Diego will take place on June 21 at Naval Base Coronado. There will be a total of five road/street courses on the Cup Series schedule in 2026, down from six in 2025. 

Watkins Glen, which has traditionally been held in August, will move to May, while Dover Motor Speedway's lone date on the calendar will also be in May. The 'Monster Mile' will host the NASCAR All-Star Race for the first time, but the one-mile track will not host a Cup Series points race in 2026. 

The Chicago area will still host NASCAR on Fourth of July weekend, but not on the streets of the 'Windy City.' Instead, Chicagoland Speedway will return to the schedule for the first time since 2019, with the 1.5-mile track hosting the Cup Series on July 5. 

North Wilkesboro, N.C., which has hosted the All-Star Race since its return to the schedule in 2023, will trade places with Dover, DE, and receive its first Cup Series points race since 1996 on July 19. 

The Cup Series will, of course, be off for Easter weekend in April, but a second off week has been added to the schedule following the Brickyard 400 on July 26. That off-weekend will lead to Iowa Speedway hosting a third Cup Series race on Aug. 9. 

New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will host a Cup Series playoff race this season, will return to the regular season in 2026. The 'Magic Mile' will host the second-to-last race of the regular season on Aug. 23, 2026, before the regular season concludes at Daytona for a seventh consecutive year. 

The Cup Series playoff schedule features several shake-ups. Darlington, Gateway and Bristol will once again make up the Round of 16, but Las Vegas Motor Speedway will move into the Round of 12 as a substitute for New Hampshire. Talladega Superspeedway will remain in the Round of 8, with Martinsville remaining as the season's penultimate race. 

Meanwhile, Phoenix Raceway — which has hosted the championship weekend since 2020 — will move into the Round of 8, with Homestead-Miami Speedway hosting the championship race for the first time since 2019 on Nov. 8, 2026. 

Mexico City, which hosted its inaugural Cup race in June, will not return to the schedule. Nor will the aforementioned Chicago Street Course, though NASCAR is reportedly hopeful that both races will return to the schedule in 2027.