NASCAR confirms 2026 Cup Series calendar

NASCAR reveals a 2026 Cup Series schedule that adds a San Diego street race, brings back Chicagoland, and relocates the All-Star Race to Dover while ending the season at Homestead

NASCAR expands schedule with San Diego street race and Chicagoland return

CHARLOTTE, N.C. NASCAR released its 2026 Cup Series calendar with notable changes. A new street course will be built on a military base in Coronado near San Diego, and Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet returns to the schedule after a six year absence. The All-Star Race moves to Dover, Delaware, while the season finale returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway to close the year. The 38 race schedule opens with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem on February 1 and follows with the Daytona 500 on February 15. The calendar includes two off weekends, a feature that shortens the sprint pace of the season yet steadies the travel load for teams. The season wraps on November 8 in Florida, a return to Homestead after the venue hosted the finale for 18 years before the move to Phoenix in 2020. In another shift, the San Diego event takes place on a base in Coronado, and Chicago’s downtown street race is replaced by the Chicagoland round in Joliet. NASCAR also drops the Mexico City stop, citing scheduling conflicts with soccer’s World Cup, and shifts other dates like Watkins Glen to Mother’s Day weekend while moving the All-Star Race to Dover to free up North Wilkesboro as a points race. The finale rotation is expected to continue in future years, rotating venues rather than clinging to a single site.

The schedule signals NASCAR’s willingness to blend tradition with experimentation. Bringing back Chicagoland anchors the sport in a familiar footprint, while the San Diego street course widens the map into urban territory and a new fan base. The choice to host a major race on a military base in Coronado adds a bold, marketable image but also raises questions about logistics, safety, and community impact. Moving the All-Star Race to Dover shifts attention away from North Wilkesboro for a year and preserves its status as a regular points venue, a compromise that could placate teams seeking consistency while still rewarding fans with a fresh setting. The two off weekends provide relief for teams and broadcasts but compress the rest of the schedule, potentially increasing the burden on teams during the stretches of consecutive races. Overall, the calendar suggests NASCAR is testing endurance with a longer, more varied route to the championship while keeping roots in speedways that have defined the sport for decades.

Highlights

The coming seasons will reveal how fans and sponsors respond to NASCAR’s evolving footprint