A big question that comes up every August is when are the 2026 NASCAR schedules released? What do we know? Everyone is waiting to see the final lineups for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series schedules. We have the latest for you below on confirmed dates, the history of schedule releases, and more for you. 

When are the 2026 NASCAR Schedules Released? 

A big question with all racing fans right now, is when are the 2026 NASCAR schedules released? We expect the released date of the schedules based on statements from NASCAR to be sometime in late August like last year through early to mid September. We could actually see this goal pushed even later to the fall based on deconflicting schedules with the 2026 FIFA World Cup that is being held in North America. No matter what, we’ll keep you updated since the 2026 season is only going to build on the excitement from the 2025 NASCAR schedule. 

Confirmed Dates and Venues for the 2026 NASCAR Schedule

While we’re still waiting on the official NASCAR schedule release, we have a number of events that are already confirmed for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. These include: 

• February 1, 2026: Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, marking the season’s kickoff and the second consecutive year at this location.
• February 15, 2026: 68th Daytona 500
• May 24, 2026: 67th Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• June 21, 2026: San Diego Street Course at Naval Base Coronado, a groundbreaking new street race celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary. This event, hosting all three national series (Cup, Xfinity, and Truck), marks NASCAR’s return to Southern California and its first race on an active military base.
• September 6, 2026 (Expected): 77th Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, assumed to hold its traditional Labor Day weekend slot, though not yet officially confirmed.
• November 8, 2026: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, shifting from Phoenix Raceway, which hosted the 2025 finale.

The Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series also have confirmed dates for Daytona (February 14 and 13, respectively), Charlotte (May 23 and 22), San Diego (June 20 and 19), and Homestead-Miami (November 7 and 6).

Past NASCAR Schedule Release Dates

Here are the past NASCAR schedule release dates for you going back to 2016. As you can see, NASCAR has preferred late summer to early fall for the schedule releases since COVID happened. We expect to see more of the same this year.