NASCAR Reveals 2026 Race Schedule: New Circuits and Strategic Changes
The 2026 NASCAR season promises renewed excitement with the addition of new tracks and strategic adjustments to the calendar. The competition will expand with races on urban circuits and the return of emblematic tracks, promising a year full of action for the fans.
The calendar, which runs from February to November, will include two weekends off. The season will kick off with the Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 15th.
The season will culminate in Homestead, Florida, on November 8, a place that previously hosted the final for 18 consecutive years.
Highlighted News in the Calendar
- San Diego: A new street circuit will debut at a military base in Coronado.
- Chicagoland: Returns to the calendar after a six-year hiatus, resuming its location in Joliet.
- Dover: The All-Star race will move to Dover, Delaware.
To accommodate these new additions, NASCAR will stop racing on the Chicago street circuit and will not return to Mexico City, due to conflicts with the FIFA World Cup schedule.
Other changes include moving the Watkins Glen race to May, coinciding with Mother’s Day weekend, and relocating the North Wilkesboro All-Star race to Dover.
The 2026 Copa Series calendar:
- February 1: Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
- February 15: Daytona 500
- February 22: Atlanta
- March 1: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
- March 8: Phoenix
- March 15: Las Vegas
- March 22: Darlington, South Carolina
- March 29: Martinsville, Virginia
- April 5: Free 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 in 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: Free weekend
- August 9: Iowa
- August 15: Richmond, Virginia
- August 23: New Hampshire
- August 29: Daytona, Florida
- September 6: Darlington
- September 13: Gateway in 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
