2026 NASCAR Cup Series

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series is the 78th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 55th season for the modern-era Cup Series. The preseason featured the Cook Out Clash exhibition race on February 4 at Bowman Gray Stadium, followed by the season-opening 68th running of the Daytona 500 on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway. The season will end with at Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 8.[1]

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports returns as the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion.[2]

Teams and drivers

Chartered teams

Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief References
Chevrolet Haas Factory Team 41 Cole Custer Aaron Kramer [3][4]
Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Larson Cliff Daniels [5]
9 Chase Elliott Alan Gustafson [6]
24 William Byron Rudy Fugle [7]
48 Alex Bowman 31 Blake Harris [8][9][10][11]
Anthony Alfredo 1
Justin Allgaier 4
Hyak Motorsports 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Mike Kelley [12][13][14]
Kaulig Racing 10 Ty Dillon Mike Cook [15]
16 A. J. Allmendinger Trent Owens [16]
Richard Childress Racing 3 Austin Dillon Richard Boswell [17][18]
8 Kyle Busch Jim Pohlman [19][20]
Rick Ware Racing 51 Cody Ware Billy Plourde [21][22]
Spire Motorsports 7 Daniel Suárez Ryan Sparks [17][23][24][25]
71 Michael McDowell Travis Peterson [26][25]
77 Carson Hocevar Luke Lambert [27][25]
Trackhouse Racing 1 Ross Chastain Brandon McSwain [28][29]
88 Connor Zilisch (R) Randall Burnett [30][31][32][33]
97 Shane van Gisbergen Stephen Doran [30][34]
Ford Front Row Motorsports 4 Noah Gragson Grant Hutchens [35][36]
34 Todd Gilliland Chris Lawson [37]
38 Zane Smith Ryan Bergenty [38]
RFK Racing 6 Brad Keselowski Jeremy Bullins [39]
17 Chris Buescher Scott Graves [17]
60 Ryan Preece Derrick Finley [17][21]
Team Penske 2 Austin Cindric Brian Wilson [40]
12 Ryan Blaney Jonathan Hassler [41]
22 Joey Logano Paul Wolfe [42]
Wood Brothers Racing 21 Josh Berry Miles Stanley [43]
Toyota 23XI Racing 23 Bubba Wallace Charles Denike [44]
35 Riley Herbst Davin Restivo [45]
45 Tyler Reddick Billy Scott [17]
Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Denny Hamlin Chris Gayle [46][47]
19 Chase Briscoe James Small [48]
20 Christopher Bell Adam Stevens [49][50]
54 Ty Gibbs Tyler Allen [17]
Legacy Motor Club 42 John Hunter Nemechek Travis Mack [17]
43 Erik Jones Justin Alexander [51][52]

Non-chartered teams

Manufacturer Team No. Driver Crew chief Races References
Chevrolet Beard Motorsports 62 Anthony Alfredo Darren Shaw 1 [53]
JR Motorsports 40 Justin Allgaier Greg Ives 1 [54]
Live Fast Motorsports 78 B. J. McLeod David Ingram 2 [55]
NY Racing Team 44 J. J. Yeley Jay Guy 2 [55]
Richard Childress Racing 33 Jesse Love Andy Street 2 [56][57][58][59]
Austin Hill 5
Ford Front Row Motorsports 36 Chandler Smith Seth Barbour 1 [60]
Garage 66 66 Casey Mears Jason Miller 1 [61][62][63][64]
Timmy Hill 1
Chad Finchum 2
Josh Bilicki 1
TBA 5
RFK Racing 99 Corey LaJoie Mike Skarbowski 1 [65]
Toyota 23XI Racing 67 Corey Heim Bootie Barker 12 [66][67]
Legacy Motor Club 84 Jimmie Johnson Chad Johnston 2 [68][69][70]

Team changes

Chevrolet unveiled a new body style for the ZL1 in November 2025 for the 2026 season to replace the model that had been used since 2022. The redesign is based on the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Performance Package accessories kit.[71] Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing switched from Ford to Chevrolet in 2026.[4] HFT has a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, while RWR formed a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing.[22]

Driver changes

Justin Haley did not return to Spire Motorsports.[23] Haley returned to Kaulig Racing, driving in the Craftsman Truck Series.[72] Daniel Suárez, who was released from Trackhouse Racing, moved to Spire Motorports in Haley's place.[24]

Rookie

See also: NASCAR Rookie of the Year § Cup Series

Connor Zilisch signed a multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing to replace Suárez in 2026.[32]

Rule changes

Technical changes

Horsepower

Horsepower increased from 670 to 750 at tracks under 1.5 miles and road courses.[73]

Track packages

Bristol, Darlington, Dover, Nashville, New Hampshire, and St. Louis would run the short track package rather than the intermediate package from previous years.[74] NASCAR also mandated a permanent A-post flap for all races to prevent flips. The A-post flap debuted last year at Daytona II.[75]

Policy changes

Loosening lower series restriction

The amount of races full-time Cup drivers can run in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series was increased to ten and eight, respectively, up from the 2025 restriction of five in each series. Cup drivers remain ineligible for points, as well as unable to compete in the regular season finale and postseason events.[76]

Age limit

The minimum age requirement to race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts series was lowered to 17 for road courses and oval tracks less than 1.25 miles in length. This change creates a staggered minimum age: 16 in Trucks, 17 in O'Reilly, and 18 in Cup series events.[77]

Qualifying hand restriction

The restriction of hands out the window during qualifying at drafting tracks such as Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta (EchoPark) was added, and drivers who touch the window net or the hole in between to redirect air will have their qualifying time disallowed.[78] Noah Gragson was the first to break this rule, having his Daytona 500 qualifying time erased.[79]

Charter agreement changes

Following the outcome of the 23XI Racing lawsuit, all teams were offered "evergreen" charters. In contrast to previous agreements, which expired at a set date, the new agreement would include charters that would not expire.[80]

Points system changes

Postseason format

NASCAR revealed a new postseason format in January 2026. Used in the top three series, it is a return of the Chase format previously used from 2004 to 2013. The top 16 drivers on points after 26 races will qualify for the Chase, with the 'win-and-you’re-in' rule being scrapped, and starting points in the Chase will be staggered based on the regular season standings.[81] This format replaced a derided playoff system, which included four "rounds" with points resets. With the change, playoff points are no longer awarded.[81]

First-place point increase

The points awarded for finishing first in a race was increased from 40 to 55.[81]

Fastest lap restriction

Drivers who enter the garage during a race will no longer be eligible for the fastest lap bonus point. If the driver's fastest lap was achieved before they entered the garage, it will still stand.[82]

Schedule

The 2026 schedule consists of 32 oval races, 3 road course races, 1 street track race, and 3 non-championship races to be held on ovals.[1]

Notes: Race names and title sponsors are subject to change. Not all title sponsors/names of races have been announced for 2026. For the races where a 2026 name and title sponsor has yet to be announced, the title sponsors/names of those races in 2025 are listed.[1]

Bolded races indicate an event generally known as a Crown Jewel race.

 O  Oval track
 R  Road course
 S  Street course

No Race name Track Location Date Time (ET)[83] TV Radio
Regular Season
Cook Out Clash  O  Bowman Gray Stadium Winston-Salem, North Carolina February 4[a] 6 pm FOX MRN
America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona[85]  O  Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida February 12 7 pm FS1
1 Daytona 500 February 15 1:30 pm[b] FOX
2 Autotrader 400[87]  O  EchoPark Speedway Hampton, Georgia February 22 3 pm PRN
3 DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix[88]  R  Circuit of the Americas Austin, Texas March 1 3:30 pm
4 Straight Talk Wireless 500[89]  O  Phoenix Raceway Avondale, Arizona March 8 FS1 MRN
5 Pennzoil 400  O  Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada March 15 4 pm PRN
6 Goodyear 400  O  Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina March 22 3 pm MRN
7 Cook Out 400  O  Martinsville Speedway Ridgeway, Virginia March 29 3:30 pm
8 Food City 500  O  Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee April 12 3 pm PRN
9 AdventHealth 400  O  Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas April 19 2 pm FOX MRN
10 Jack Link's 500  O  Talladega Superspeedway Lincoln, Alabama April 26 3 pm
11 Würth 400  O  Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas May 3 3:30 pm FS1 PRN
12 Go Bowling at The Glen  R  Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen, New York May 10 3 pm MRN
NASCAR All-Star Race[90]  O  Dover Motor Speedway Dover, Delaware May 17 1 pm[c] PRN
13 Coca-Cola 600  O  Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina May 24 6 pm Prime
14 Cracker Barrel 400  O  Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon, Tennessee May 31 7 pm
15 FireKeepers Casino 400  O  Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan June 7 3 pm MRN
16 The Great American Getaway 400  O  Pocono Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania June 14
17 Anduril 250[91]  S  Coronado Street Course San Diego, California June 21 4 pm
NASCAR In-Season Challenge[92]
18 Toyota/Save Mart 350  R  Sonoma Raceway Sonoma, California June 28 3:30 pm TNT MRN
19 TBA  O  Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Illinois July 5 6 pm
20 Quaker State 400  O  EchoPark Speedway Hampton, Georgia July 12 7 pm PRN
21 Window World 450[93][94]  O  North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro, North Carolina July 19
22 Brickyard 400  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana July 26 2 pm IMS
Regular Season
23 Iowa Corn 350  O  Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa August 9 3:30 pm USA MRN
24 Cook Out 400  O  Richmond Raceway Richmond, Virginia August 15 7 pm
25 Mobil 1 301  O  New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, New Hampshire August 23 3 pm PRN
26 Coke Zero Sugar 400  O  Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida August 29 7:30 pm NBC MRN
Cup Series Chase[81]
27 Cook Out Southern 500  O  Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina September 6 5 pm USA MRN
28 Enjoy Illinois 300  O  World Wide Technology Raceway Madison, Illinois September 13 3 pm
29 Bass Pro Shops Night Race  O  Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee September 19 7:30 pm PRN
30 Hollywood Casino 400  O  Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas September 27 3 pm MRN
31 South Point 400  O  Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada October 4 5:30 pm PRN
32 Bank of America 400[95]  O  Charlotte Motor Speedway[d] Concord, North Carolina October 11 3 pm
33 Freeway Insurance 500[97]  O  Phoenix Raceway Avondale, Arizona October 18 MRN
34 YellaWood 500  O  Talladega Superspeedway Lincoln, Alabama October 25 2 pm NBC
35 Xfinity 500  O  Martinsville Speedway Ridgeway, Virginia November 1
36 Straight Talk Wireless 400  O  Homestead–Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida November 8 3 pm

Notes

  1. ^ The Clash was originally scheduled to take place on February 1 but was postponed to February 2, before being again postponed to February 4 due to snow in Winston-Salem.[84]
  2. ^ Originally scheduled to start at 2:30 pm, the threat of rain pushed the start of the Daytona 500 to 1:30pm.[86]
  3. ^ Originally scheduled to start at 3 pm, the announcement of the race format moved the race up to 1 pm.[90]
  4. ^ The fall Charlotte race was originally announced as on the Roval configuration, but news broke in January that it would move to the oval track.[96]

Confirmed schedule changes

Homestead–Miami Speedway returned to its traditional date as the season finale for all three major series.[98] To accommodate this change, New Hampshire Motor Speedway was removed from The Chase.[1] Chicago Street Course officials announced that the Grant Park 165 did not return in 2026, with hopes to revive the event in future seasons.[99] The Cup Series returned to Southern California with a street race at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego.[100] To accommodate this change, Mexico City was dropped from the schedule due to a conflict with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[101] The NASCAR All-Star Race moved from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway, giving the former a points race, the first regular-season race held since 1996.[1] Chicagoland Speedway returned to the schedule for the first time since 2019.[1] The Charlotte Motor Speedway fall race moved away from the roval layout to the oval, after seven years as a road course race.[102]

Season summary

Preseason races

Due to a historic snowstorm over the United States, the Cook Out Clash was postponed three times from its original Saturday and Sunday dates, before ultimately being condensed to a one-day event on Wednesday, February 4.[103][104][84] Reigning champion Kyle Larson won pole position. Weather plagued the event, causing NASCAR to mandate use of wet weather tires after a scheduled half-race break. After a event record 17 cautions, Ryan Preece won the Clash, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as drivers who won the Clash before winning their first race.[105]

The Duel at Daytona races set the starting order for the Daytona 500, with the exception of the front row, which is set by the fastest two times in qualifying. Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe won the pole and second place respectively, and therefore started first in each duel race.[106] During the first Duel, RFK Racing dominated the majority of the race, seeking to help Corey LaJoie clinch among the "Open" cars, as he had not qualified for the race. Unfortunately for LaJoie, a last lap wreck ended his chances of making the 500. Casey Mears, despite a spin earlier in the race, dodged LaJoie during the wreck, clinching his spot into the race, as well as making his first Daytona 500 start since 2019's race.[107]

During the second Duel, which ran caution-free, Chase Elliott finished 0.065 seconds ahead of Carson Hocevar.[107] Anthony Alfredo finished in position to make the Daytona 500 as the last open car, but was disqualified after a post-race technical inspection found that his car's cooling hoses were not secured. Due to the disqualification, the next-best finishing open car, driven by B. J. McLeod, qualified for the race.[108]

Regular season

NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 start time forward an hour to 1:30 p.m. eastern time due to the threat of rain in the evening.[86] Zane Smith won stage 1 after staying out in the middle of pit cycles, as well as getting his first career stage win. Stage 2 featured a battle between Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson for a battle for the lead for the majority of the stage, Bubba Wallace however won the second stage, after narrowly avoiding "The Big One", caused by Denny Hamlin tapping Justin Allgaier's rear bumper, triggering a 20-car pileup on the tri-oval.[109] After a restart with five laps remaining, Tyler Reddick escaped two wrecks and passed Chase Elliott for the win exiting turn four.[110]

Rain at Atlanta canceled qualifying, with Tyler Reddick winning the pole.[111] The race had set a new track record for 17 lead changes in stage 1, with Austin Cindric winning the stage. William Byron appeared to have won stage 2, however Bubba Wallace was later ruled as the stage winner due to a spin by Kyle Larson just feet behind him. During overtime, Reddick, who was involved in a crash on 160, won the race. Reddick became the sixth driver ever, and the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two races of the season.[112]

Tyler Reddick won his second pole of the season at Austin, his third pole win at the track, with the other pole wins being 2021 and 2025.[113] Pit strategies shook up the stage standings, with Ross Chastain winning stage 1, and Ty Gibbs winning stage 2. On lap 76, Myatt Snider replaced Alex Bowman, as Bowman experienced vertigo symptoms during the race.[114] Reddick dominated the later half of the race, becoming the first driver in series history to win the first three races to begin a season.[115]

Joey Logano won the pole at Phoenix.[116] Similar to the last season's fall race at the track, tires had increased tire wear, playing a key role in the race. Ryan Blaney won stage 1, and Christopher Bell won stage 2. A late race caution on lap 295 reset the field, as Bell had led 176 laps to that point. Blaney passed the leader, Ty Gibbs, on lap 303, holding off a hard charging Bell and ultimately winning the race, getting his second consecutive win at the track.[117]

Christopher Bell won the pole at Las Vegas.[118] Bell won stage 1, and William Byron won stage 2. Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Bell in qualifying, dominated the race. Hamlin would overcome a pit road speeding penalty earlier in the race, and leading a race high 134 laps en-route to his 61st Cup Series win, putting him 10th all time on NASCAR's all-time winners, as well as claiming his second consecutive win at the track.[119]


Results and standings

Race results

No. Race Pole position Most laps led Fastest race lap Winning driver Manufacturer Report
Cook Out Clash Kyle Larson Kyle Larson N/a Ryan Preece Ford Report
America 250 Florida Duels Kyle Busch Ryan Preece Joey Logano Ford Report
Chase Briscoe Chase Briscoe Chase Elliott Chevrolet
1 Daytona 500 Kyle Busch Bubba Wallace Carson Hocevar Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
2 Autotrader 400 Tyler Reddick Tyler Reddick Cole Custer Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
3 DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Tyler Reddick Tyler Reddick Ross Chastain Tyler Reddick Toyota Report
4 Straight Talk Wireless 500 Joey Logano Christopher Bell Joey Logano Ryan Blaney Ford Report
5 Pennzoil 400 Christopher Bell Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin Toyota Report
Reference:[120]

Drivers' championship

Further information: List of NASCAR points scoring systems

(Key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by competition-based formula. * – Most laps led. F – Fastest lap. 1 – Stage 1 winner. 2 – Stage 2 winner. 3 – Stage 3 winner.[N 1]

Pos. Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts. Stages
1 Tyler Reddick 1 1* 1* 8 13 255 37
2 Bubba Wallace 10*2 82 11 6 9 194 53
3 Ryan Blaney 27 10 8 11 16 188 46
4 Denny Hamlin 31 13 10 5 1*F 177 31
5 Chase Elliott 4 11 7 23 2 168 30
6 Christopher Bell 35 21 3 2*2 41 164 43
7 Kyle Larson 16 32 6 3 7 157 36
8 William Byron 12 28 13 7 32 157 35
9 Chris Buescher 7 15 24 14 6 146 27
10 Ty Gibbs 23 37 42 4 5 140 27
11 Joey Logano 3 18 15 31F 15 135 31
12 Brad Keselowski 5 17 20 15 10 127 9
13 Ryan Preece 25 9 18 13 11 125 16
14 Michael McDowell 22 20 5 9 26 122 19
15 Carson Hocevar 18F 4 31 20 22 118 27
16 Shane van Gisbergen 30 6 2 11 36 117 16
17 Daniel Suárez 13 5 25 30 18 117 23
18 A. J. Allmendinger 19 12 9 19 24 117 15
19 Zane Smith 61 7 33 27 14 108 10
20 Ross Chastain 20 3 351F 28 17 94 11
21 John Hunter Nemechek 26 19 17 25 21 91 14
22 Kyle Busch 15 34 12 17 28 90 11
23 Riley Herbst 8 33 23 18 23 86 6
24 Austin Dillon 37 29 19 16 12 81 8
25 Ty Dillon 14 16 16 26 33 80 –
26 Chase Briscoe 36 2 37 37 8 76 8
27 Erik Jones 21 24 34 10 20 76 –
28 Noah Gragson 11 14 22 36 30 73 1
29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2 36 28 22 29 72 4
30 Austin Cindric 34 261 32 34 19 71 30
31 Todd Gilliland 39 25 21 12 34 68 11
32 Josh Berry 9 38 26 32 31 56 5
33 Cody Ware 17 27 30 24 35 52 –
34 Cole Custer 24 22F 29 35 27 52 3
35 Connor Zilisch (R) 33 30 14 29 32 50 2
36 Alex Bowman 40 23 36 23 7
37 Casey Mears 32 Wth 9 3
38 B. J. McLeod 41 35 3 –
Corey LaJoie DNQ –
Ineligible for driver points
Pos. Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts. Stage
Austin Hill 21
Justin Allgaier 38 25
Jesse Love 27
Corey Heim 28
Jimmie Johnson 29
J. J. Yeley DNQ 31
Anthony Alfredo DNQ 33
Timmy Hill
Chandler Smith DNQ
Myatt Snider RL†
Pos. Driver DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSS MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS ROV PHO TAL MAR HOM Pts. Stage
† – Relieved for Alex Bowman
Reference:[121]
Notes
  1. ^ Stage 3 winner only for the Coca-Cola 600

Manufacturers' championship

After 5 of 36 races

Pos Manufacturer Wins Points
1 Toyota 4 255
2 Ford 1 179
3 Chevrolet 0 173
Reference:[122]

See also

References

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