Chris Knight

Chris Knight has served as a senior staff writer and news editor for CATCHFENCE.com since 2001.
In his 20-plus years with CATCHFENCE.com, he has covered NASCAR’s top three national series, often breaking news and providing exclusive at-track content, including in-depth race weekend coverage.He also offers insider coverage of the entire Motorsports platform, including the ARCA Menards Series.
In 2022, Knight became co-owner of CATCHFENCE.com.
In addition to his active duties at CATCHFENCE.com and other Motorsports-related endeavors, he is also a frequent contributor to SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90.You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Knighter01 or on Instagram, Snapchat, or Threads at @TheKnighter01.He can be reached by email at [email protected].

The 2025 NASCAR season is ongoing, but it’s time to look ahead to 2026.

NASCAR released its full schedule for next year on Wednesday, with several surprise changes.

There were already some confirmed moves, including a street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego and the championship returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time since 2019.

But there were other surprises that will shake up the schedule — the All-Star Race in Dover, Delaware, for the first time, the first points-paying race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 30 years and a return to Chicagoland Speedway after seven years away.

North Wilkesboro had hosted the All-Star Race for the last three seasons. The Chicago Street Course and Mexico City were removed for 2026, but Chicagoland fills the gap in nearby Joliet, Illinois.

Ahead of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, iRacing executive vice president Steve Myers shared how the simulator game is making an impact in the real world.

There will be two off weekends, one more than the 2025 season, on April 5 for Easter and Aug. 2.

The season once again begins with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the second straight year at the iconic North Carolina short track. After the exhibition race, the regular-season begins with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

FOX Sports will broadcast the Clash and Daytona 500, plus the next 12 races — wrapping up with the May 17 All-Star Race at Dover. Amazon Prime Video takes over the next five races, starting with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and ending with the San Diego street race.

After that, the broadcasting shifts to TNT Sports for five races — Sonoma Raceway through the Brickyard 400 on July 26. TNT’s portion of the schedule will be when the In-Season Challenge takes place, the second straight year of the bracket-style tournament.

NBC Sports will once again carry the final 14 races of the season, beginning at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 9 and running through the 10-week playoffs. The championship at Homestead-Miami is set for Nov. 8.

Here’s the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with the broadcast partner for each race:

• San Diego and Chicagoland in, while Mexico City and Chicago Street Race drop out
• Homestead-Miami confirmed as championship finale with Phoenix in playoffs
• Watkins Glen receives new race date in May
• New Hampshire moves to penultimate regular-season race

Nascar has confirmed its 2026 Cup Series schedule, headlined by the All-Star Race moving to Dover Motor Speedway.

In turn, North Wilkesboro Speedway will stage a full-points Cup Series event for the first time since 1996.

Beyond that, the lineup features few surprises. The additions of San Diego and Chicagoland were already anticipated, while neither Mexico City nor the Chicago Street Race return as expected. Both, however, are being targeted for 2027.

As announced in May, Homestead-Miami Speedway will host the 2026 championship finale, with the playoff event at Phoenix Raceway moving to 18th October.

That means that Homestead-Miami will no longer form part of the early-season running. Instead, Watkins Glen International moves to a much earlier date on 10th May to accommodate the reshuffle. Because of this, New Hampshire Motor Speedway – which loses its playoff event next year – will run as the penultimate race of the season.

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“This is a landmark schedule that demonstrates Nascar’s continued innovation with a strong mix of beloved venues and exciting new and returning racetracks for race fans from coast to coast,” said Ben Kennedy, Nascar’s chief venue and racing innovation officer.

“The 2026 Nascar national series schedules celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary with Nascar San Diego, welcome back Cup Series points races to Chicagoland Speedway and North Wilkesboro, takes the Nascar All-Star Race to the Northeast for the first time and brings the Nascar Championship back home to Homestead-Miami Speedway.”

The broadcast schedule will mirror the 2025 season. Amazon Prime Video starts its five-race run with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on 24th May, while TNT will cover the In-Season Challenge beginning at Sonoma Raceway on 28th June.

Fox and NBC will once again bookend the season, splitting the remaining races across their broadcast and cable networks.

The 2025 NASCAR season is ongoing, but it’s time to look ahead to 2026.

NASCAR released its full schedule for next year on Wednesday, with several surprise changes.

There were already some confirmed moves, including a street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego and the championship returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time since 2019.

But there were other surprises that will shake up the schedule — the All-Star Race in Dover, Delaware, for the first time, the first points-paying race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 30 years and a return to Chicagoland Speedway after seven years away.

North Wilkesboro had hosted the All-Star Race for the last three seasons. The Chicago Street Course and Mexico City were removed for 2026, but Chicagoland fills the gap in nearby Joliet, Illinois.

Ahead of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, iRacing executive vice president Steve Myers shared how the simulator game is making an impact in the real world.

There will be two off weekends, one more than the 2025 season, on April 5 for Easter and Aug. 2.

The season once again begins with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, the second straight year at the iconic North Carolina short track. After the exhibition race, the regular-season begins with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

FOX Sports will broadcast the Clash and Daytona 500, plus the next 12 races — wrapping up with the May 17 All-Star Race at Dover. Amazon Prime Video takes over the next five races, starting with the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and ending with the San Diego street race.

After that, the broadcasting shifts to TNT Sports for five races — Sonoma Raceway through the Brickyard 400 on July 26. TNT’s portion of the schedule will be when the In-Season Challenge takes place, the second straight year of the bracket-style tournament.

NBC Sports will once again carry the final 14 races of the season, beginning at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 9 and running through the 10-week playoffs. The championship at Homestead-Miami is set for Nov. 8.

Here’s the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with the broadcast partner for each race:

Carson Kvapil

No. 1 – Jarrett Chevrolet

Kvapil 2025 NXS Stats

Starts: 23

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 5

Top 10s: 10

Laps Led: 64

Avg. Finish: 13.8

Points: 6th

Carson Kvapil will make his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Daytona International Speedway ton Friday night. In his first start earlier this year, Kvapil earned his first top-five of the season after finishing fourth in the 2025 season-opening event.

On tracks two miles and greater in length, Kvapil has made seven starts, earning one top-five and three top-10s in his young NXS career.\

In five career NXS starts on the drafting tracks of Daytona, Talladega Superspeedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kvapil has earned a best finish of second, coming at Atlanta in June.

Kvapil will pilot his Jarrett Chevrolet under the lights on Friday. Jarret, a leading 3PL partner strives to deliver exceptional outcomes by providing world-class service.

Carson Kvapil

“It was nice to have a weekend off to recharge, but this No. 1 team is ready to go at Daytona this weekend. We had a lot of success there earlier this season and I feel as though we have learned a lot since then, so I know we will unload a fast Chevrolet on Friday. There are only a few more races left in the regular season, so we are putting in the work to make sure our Jarrett Chevrolet is up front at the end when it counts.”

Justin Allgaier

No. 7 Hellmann’s / Round Canopy Parachuting Team Chevrolet

Allgaier 2025 NXS Stats

Starts: 23

Wins: 3

Top 5s: 11

Top 10s: 14

Laps Led: 689

Avg. Finish: 12.9

Points: 2nd

Justin Allgaier is a previous NXS winner in the summer event at “The World Center of Racing,” taking the checkered flag in a dramatic photo finish in 2023.

Overall, in 29 career NXS starts at Daytona, Allgaier has amassed eight top-fives and 14 top-10s to accompany the victory in 2023.

Additionally, Allgaier has led at least one lap in six consecutive races at Daytona, dating back to this event in 2022.

This weekend, Allgaier’s familiar Hellmann’s No. 7 will instead carry the logo of the Round Canopy Parachuting Team for the third consecutive year. As part of this year’s scheme, the name of Thomas “Tommy” Harvey will be memorialized on the passenger side name rail. Harvey was a pilot for the RCPT-USA and helped train several members of the team prior to his passing.

Justin Allgaier

“Anything can happen at Daytona. It’s such an unpredictable race where you can go from the lead to the back of the pack in a split second. JRM has always built some incredible speedway cars and I know we are going to have another fast one on Friday night. Hopefully we can avoid any potential trouble out there and work well with our teammates to be up front and fighting for the win when it counts. It’s great to also be carrying the Round Canopy Parachuting Team logos once again on board our Hellmann’s Chevrolet. We’ve had great luck with them in the past, and my goal is to replicate that again this weekend.”

Sammy Smith

No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet

Smith 2025 NXS Stats

Starts: 23

Wins: 1

Top 5s: 4

Top 10s: 12

Laps Led: 44

Avg. Finish: 14.1

Points: 10th

Sammy Smith will take the green flag Friday evening at Daytona for the seventh time in his NXS career at the famed superspeedway.

Of Smith’s 20 NXS career starts on speedways measuring two miles or greater, he has tallied one win (Talladega, 2024), two top-five and six top-10 finishes.

As a part of The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and The NASCAR Foundation, Smith will be honoring two cancer heroes on the name rails of his Pilot Chevrolet this weekend, including Carolyn Barsetti Malsam, his great aunt on the driver’s side.

Sammy Smith

“Daytona is a unique track. You never know what’s going to happen so it really is anyone’s race and with the Playoffs so close, we have to be strategic to stay out of the big wrecks. Having the off-week has been nice to be able to prepare and focus on our Daytona package to get this No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet up front when it counts.”

Connor Zilisch

No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet

Zilisch 2025 NXS Stats

Starts: 22

Wins: 6

Top 5s: 12

Top 10s: 14

Laps Led: 547

Avg. Finish: 9.5

Points: 1st

Connor Zilisch heads to Daytona for the second time in his NXS career on Friday night.

Zilisch enters Daytona fresh off his sixth victory of the 2025 season at Watkins Glen International. He led eight times for 60 laps and won his second consecutive NXS race at the New York road course. Zilisch leads all NXS drivers in race wins this season.

Zilisch’s victory at Watkins Glen broke a tie with Allgaier in the NXS driver standings, as he now leads his teammate by seven points. Additionally, the No. 88 team has a 56-point edge in the owner standings.

Watkins Glen was the 11th consecutive top-five by Zilisch, an impressive streak that began in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His average finish in those nine races is a sizzling 2.18, which includes five victories (Pocono, Sonoma, Dover, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen).

Connor Zilisch

“I’m looking forward to getting down to Daytona this weekend with our WeatherTech Chevrolet. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and everyone on this JRM team have been working really hard through the off weekend to get us ready to go. We’ve got a good plan in place and I’m ready to get back to the track.”

JRM Team Updates

JR Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Daytona International Speedway a combined 120 times in the NXS since 2006. In those starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, the organization has recorded eight wins, 30 top-fives and 47 top-10s. The average finish is 16.2.

Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS-Byron/Bowman souvenir rig on Friday, Aug. 22 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.

Cancer Heroes Honored on JRM Cars by virtue of The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and The NASCAR Foundation:

No. 1 – Carson Kvapil

Mike Frank

Ric Bauman

Stephanie Kearns

No. 7 – Justin Allgaier

Pilot John Hixon

No. 8 – Sammy Smith

Carolyn Barsetti Malsam

Brandon Malcom

No. 88 – Connor Zilisch

Stephanie Kearns

JRM PR