The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule has been released, and there is a lot of take in. While the beginning of the season remains the same, things start to look quite different the further you go. There are the expected changes, such as Homestead regaining its crown as the season finale, while other decisions (like the Dover All-Star Race) have shocked a lot of fans.
And while this story is focused on the Cup Series, we have to give an honorable mention to whoever worked out a deal to put the NASCAR Trucks at St. Petersburg during the IndyCar’s season-opening weekend. Now, that is the kind of crossover and teamwork between racing disciplines we like to see.
But anyway, let’s take a deep dive into it all, from the best to the worst aspects of the 2026 NASCAR Cup schedule:
The good
Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
North Wilkesboro points race: This is long overdue. The iconic track hasn’t hosted a points-paying Cup race since 1996, but after its improbable resurrection, it’s all anyone has wanted to see. It has hosted the All-Star Race since 2023, and that has been a great success, so it’s a no-brainer to give the beloved short track a true shot on the calendar.
Chicagoland returns: The Next Gen car has struggled to put on thrilling shows at many road courses and short tracks lately, but one place where it shines is the intermediate ovals. Chicagoland has been sitting dormant since the end of the 2019 season, but it is back now and it will fill the void left in the market with the loss of the Chicago Street Course. This track will 100% put on a show, especially on Fourth of July weekend.
Homestead finale: Drivers, fans, and media have all clamored for this to happen. If NASCAR is going to stick to a one-race championship format, then they should at least run it at a track worth watching. Homestead always seems to put on a good show, and it replaces Phoenix, which struggled to give us much drama beyond restarts.
San Diego to host a street race: While we still don’t know what the course will look like, it was important for NASCAR to replace Chicago with a new and exciting street course. And while it’s not Grant Park, it is an active military base just weeks before the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. So even if Shane van Gisbergen unsurprisingly wins by 20 seconds, it will surely be a viewing spectacle that you won’t want to miss.
Another off-week: Not much to say here except phew…NASCAR’s top division races for 38 weeks out of the year, including The Clash and All-Star Race, and while two off-weekends don’t sound like much, it’s still better than just one like we had in 2025.
The bad
General view
Photo by: Jam Media / Getty Images
Talladega is still in the Round of 8: Just, why? It was a controversial decision in 2025, and it’s still a bad idea in 2026. Talladega is a fantastic race, but it has no business being part of the Round of 8 in the current version of the playoffs. It’s way too much of a wildcard, and the little control drivers and teams have over their destiny in the elimination-style playoffs is completely gone when you put ‘Dega in the penultimate round.
Losing an international race: Watching the NASCAR Cup Series visit Mexico for the first time was such a cool moment, and there were many fans who could never feasibly attend a race that finally got to see the stars in person. I was holding out hope that NASCAR would secure a new international race (like Montreal), but it just didn’t happen. After its first points-paying Cup race outside of the USA since 1958, the series returns to being fully US-centric in 2026.
No playoff races in the Northeast: Watkins Glen left the playoffs in 2025, and now New Hampshire leaves in 2026. That means NASCAR will never venture into the Northeastern United States during its ten-race championship playoffs, and that feels like a mistake. A NASCAR fan living in NYC would have to drive over 500 miles to reach the closest playoff race in Martinsville, Virginia. Now imagine NASCAR fans who live in New England…
The ugly
General view
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Dover All-Star Race: This is a really confusing move, but there is a reason behind it — even if I don’t like it. In order for North Wilkesboro to get a date, Speedway Motorsports swapped it with Dover, giving it the All-Star Race instead. While it makes sense on paper, it seems like good way to put Miles the Monster to sleep. It makes one wonder if it is time to remove the All-Star Race from the schedule, if its existence means sacrificing Dover’s only points race. Dover has had at least one points race per year dating all the way back to 1969, and it’s unlikely big crowds are going to come out to see a daytime All-Star Race at the Delaware oval. Dover also hasn’t put on the greatest shows with this car, so it just feels inevitable that the event will fail, but hopefully I’m wrong.
Watkins Glen in early May: I’m from central New York, so I like to think I know the area fairly well. Watkins Glen, which continuously attracts large crowds and draws in lots of campers, probably shouldn’t take place in early May. This was likely an attempt to spread out some road courses, but NASCAR has never raced at the New York road course so early before, and they may be in for a nasty surprise. The weather in early May is volatile, ranging from frost advisories to 80 degrees and pouring rain. The smartest local tracks in the region do not even open until Memorial Day Weekend, and many of those campers that dot the infield at The Glen are still in winter storage until then as well. Oh, and as for those who do venture to the track, you can expect very muddy conditions in the infield.
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