NASCAR in 2026 will race on a new street course in San Diego, return Chicagoland Speedway to the schedule, move the All-Star race to Delaware and end its 38-race season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Miami.

The schedule released Wednesday includes two off weekends on a calendar that stretches from February to November. It begins with the Clash on February 1 at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the second consecutive year, with the season-opening Daytona 500 to follow on February 15.

“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 xecutive vice president, chief venue & 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 season ends November 8 in Florida at Homestead, which hosted the championship-deciding finale for 18 consecutive years before NASCAR shifted it to Phoenix Raceway in 2020. The race at Phoenix was given a different date in the playoffs and NASCAR is expected to rotate the season finale to various venues in ensuing years.

Chicagoland is reopening after a six-year hiatus and a switch back to the track located in suburban Joliet after three seasons on a temporary street circuit in downtown Chicago. The San Diego event will be held on a military base in Coronado. NASCAR dropped the Chicago street race and will not return to Mexico City, where a return in 2026 became difficult to schedule because of the FIFA World Cup.

NASCAR also moved Watkins Glen in New York from its traditional August date to Mother’s Day weekend and the all-star race from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, to Dover so that North Wilkesboro will be a points-paying Cup race for the first time in 30 years. New Hampshire lost its playoff race to become the penultimate race of the regular season.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will race for the first time as part of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend next year on February 28. Both the Truck Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will also participate as part of a tripleheader of national-series events in their debut in San Diego’s Naval Base Coronado alongside the NASCAR Cup Series, June 19-21.

The Craftsman Truck Series will share the bill in its St. Petersburg visit with the NTT IndyCar Series, which has opened its season on the 1.8-mile street course the last four years.

“Obviously, with the street races that we have now at the Cup Series, racing in San Diego, racing at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, we want to make sure that our development series are racing at track types that allow them to advance and be prepared for the Cup level,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR managing director, competition operations. “So, making sure we have a street race at the Truck Series level was something that we evaluated. Obviously, they have the first two street races they’ll have in their 30-year history, kicking off with the St. Pete Grand Prix, so it allows us to evaluate that market. Tampa/St. Pete is another huge media market.”

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

February 1: Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium
February 15: Daytona 500
February 22: Atlanta
March 1: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
March 8: Phoenix
March 15: Las Vegas
March 22: Darlington, South Carolina
March 29: Martinsville, Virginia
April 12: Bristol, Tennessee
April 19: Kansas
April 26: Talladega, Alabama
May 3: Texas
May 10: Watkins Glen, New York
May 17: All-Star Race (Dover)
May 24: Coca-Cola 600 (Concord, N.C.)
May 31: Nashville, Tennessee
June 7: Michigan
June 14: Pocono in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
June 21: San Diego
June 28: Sonoma, California
July 5: Chicagoland
July 12: Atlanta
July 19: North Wilkesboro
July 26: Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
Aug. 9: Iowa
Aug. 15: Richmond, Virginia
Aug. 23: New Hampshire
Aug. 29: Daytona, Florida
Sept. 6: Darlington
Sept. 13: Gateway in Madison, Illinois
Sept. 19: Bristol
Sept. 27: Kansas
Oct. 4: Las Vegas
Oct. 11: Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18: Phoenix
Oct. 25: Talladega
Nov. 1: Martinsville
Nov. 8: Homestead, Florida

Automotive media company Motorsport Network has named industry veteran Alejandro Agag as a strategic advisor to the chairman of the board.

Agag’s role includes providing guidance on global initiatives, commercial transactions, brand positioning, market expansion and corporate development. oss motorsport, media and investment communities to identify new opportunities and maximize value for the business. Agag has built a career in the E racing space, founding Formula E and Extreme E and H series, as well as E1.

“Racing today sits at the intersection of sport, technology, media and business,” said Agag. “Motorsport Network is perfectly positioned to thrive in this new era of innovation and fandom. I’m excited to help drive the company’s next chapter of growth and success.”

Agag’s experience spans across commercial rights management, brand storytelling, investor relations and strategic dealmaking across multiple sectors. Recent initiatives include the Motorsport Network Global F1 Fan Survey with Formula 1, delivering insights into fan engagement and emering audience trends. The company has also launched Autosport Business Exchange, a leadership series.

“Alejandro brings entrepreneurial vision and industry expertise to Motorsport Network,” said Gary Fegel, chairman and controlling shareholder of Motorsport Network. “His unique experience, insights and enthusiasm will be a powerful force as we accelerate our business across media, live experiences, and global partnerships.”

This weekend’s Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway will break Major League Baseball’s single-game, regular-season attendance record, according to the league.

The game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on August 2 has sold more than 85,000 tickets. Fans have purchased tickets from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and nine countries on four continents.

The first American or National League game played in Tennessee will eclipse the previous paid attendance record of 84,587, set on September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.

It will be a Reds home game with the first two being played at Cincinnati preceding the Saturday matchup and Sunday held as a potential rain makeup date.

The Speedway Classic will be more than a baseball game. As part of the U.S. Navy’s upcoming 250th birthday in October, the U.S. Navy will be featured throughout pregame ceremonies. Four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from VFA-103 of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach will conduct a flyover.

The game will include a ceremonial first pitch between two Hall of Famers: Chipper Jones (Braves) to Johnny Bench (Reds). There will also be a full day of musical performances, with Tim McGraw, Pitbull and Jake Owen taking the stage for concerts.

The spectacle will have a strong NASCAR integration with racing traditions and crossover elements featured throughout the game including a pregame player parade, taking inspiration from NASCAR-style driver introductions, racing-themed between-inning activations and an on-field, NASCAR “Victory Lane” celebration for the winning team with a custom Speedway Classic trophy presentation.

Bristol Motor Speedway has hosted major auto races, football games and many other events. Tennessee features four professional baseball teams, including the Triple-A Nashville Sounds and the Memphis Redbirds of the International Leagues along with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and the Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League.

Formula E and the FIA, the global governing body for motorsport, have signed an agreement through the 2038 season for the continued promotion of the FIA Formula E World Championship within the all-electric single-seater category.

“Formula E’s growth since its inception has been nothing short of extraordinary, with hundreds of millions of fans and world-class teams and drivers deciding to choose highly competitive electric racing,” said Formula E Chief Executive Officer Jeff Dodds. “This long-term extension of the partnership enables us to continue building the brand, investing in the product and delivering some of the most captivating racing that has made us famous. With this long-term extension, the opportunity that Formula E now has to impact world motorsport will be truly transformational.”

The Miami International Autodrome will host Formula E racing for the first time as part of the provisional 2025–2026 season calendar. The Formula E World Championship will feature 18 races across 12 cities, and the event at Miami International Autodrome at Hard Rock Stadium, where Formula 1 races each year, marks the second time since Season 1 that the circuit has come to South Beach; Formula E raced earlier this season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We’ve believed in Formula E since day one and this extension reaffirms our confidence in where it’s headed,” said Mike Fries, chief executive officer of Liberty Global, which owns the series. “With this new agreement in place, Formula E is now positioned better than ever to define the future of motorsport — more innovative, more inclusive, more sustainable — and to inspire the next generation of fans, drivers, and partners around the world.”

Since its first race in Beijing in 2014, Formula E now features 11 teams and races through locations including Monaco, Tokyo, London and Shanghai. Under current plans, Formula E is set to continue its development strategy for its racing cars, which showcases the increased relevance to consumers and the wider EV market.

“The extension of the agreement governing the FIA Formula E World Championship is a fantastic outcome for the sport and a clear reflection of our ongoing strategy at the FIA to foster long-term stability, innovation and growth across all areas of motorsport,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “We are delighted to be continuing this journey with Formula E and I look forward to seeing it grow even further, both on and off the track, in the years to come.”

The 2026 MotoGP schedule will have 22 Grand Prix events across five continents and a late March stop in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Thailand Grand Prix is scheduled to open the season again on March 1 before the second race of the season will be March 22 at the returning Brazilian Grand Prix at the Ayrton Senna circuit, replacing a race in Argentina that will return to the schedule on 2027.

The US Grand Prix in Austin will take place a week later, before MotoGP heads to the Middle East and Qatar. The first European round will be the Spanish Grand Prix, followed by the French Grand Prix at Le Mans and then the Catalan Grand Prix with Barcelona moved to a May slot.

Another back-to-back follows, with Italian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix. There is then another doubleheader with the Czech Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix before the German Grand Prix in mid-July.

The British Grand Prix returns in August before the Aragon Grand Prix followed by the San Marino Grand Prix in September. The Austrian Grand Prix’s date is moved to mid-September before the season closes with races in Japan, Indonesia, Australia and Malaysia with the championship brought to a close with a Portugal/Valencia doubleheader in November.

Swerve off I-85 and turn onto Bruton Smith Boulevard, because it’s race weekend and there’s things y’all gotta pick up first.

Take a quick spin onto Fireball Roberts Road and get some Cheerwine over at the gas station because the temperature says 78 but the sun laughs at you and says “nah man, that sunscreen ain’t gonna protect you one bit” and you need to hydrate.

Hunger can’t wait? Get it smothered, covered and chunked right near over at Waffle House. If it’s meat and three you’re looking for, head over to Jim ‘n’ Nicks for a plate and tea (it’s always sweet in the South). Need something stronger? The Michael Waltrip Tap Room is packed and it’s only 2 p.m. Whole family waiting in the RV lot? Get that Bo’ Box and get back on Bruton, past the dealerships with the Hendrick seal of approval, past the fans in the Chase Elliott gear leaving the hotel, the ones with Kyle Busch or even the ol’ timers with a black and white 3 or the rainbow 24.

It’s Saturday afternoon, the weekend is long and the time is slowin’ down outside the walls of the cathedral in Concord but the noise … that noise will ramp up off Darrell Waltrip Way, don’t you worry one bit.

This is what it feels like to be around the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend, where the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway may have a different city’s name on it but make no mistake, you are in Concord, North Carolina, and you are in Cabarrus County.

Home to NASCAR History

This spot has one of the longest ties to the old NASCAR, the one that granddaddy remembers fondly. The venue in Concord and Cabarrus County stands as one of those that anybody who’s anybody and anybody who’s wished to be somebody has to challenge, right next to Daytona and Darlington.

For legends to be driving on it, it helps to have a legendary backstory. In Concord, the venue was built in less than a year’s time, a dream sold by a local businessman, Curtis Turner, and a promoter named Bruton Smith who goes down in NASCAR lore.

Dynamite needed to bust open granite? Ka-boom, y’know. Hornets descending upon the site? Buzzworthy, one could say. Random snowstorm? It’ll melt eventually, keep on building.

Oh, and there’s this one; the man who busted up the granite, his name’s W. Owen Flowe. Well, one day as the venue was almost ready — at least as ready as ever gonna’ be — Owen decided he hadn’t been paid what he was owed and was fixin’ to do something ‘bout it. So he went to the track and told Turner and Smith that it was time to pay up.

Now, there are some that still dispute what happened next. Flowe would claim that Smith and Turner threatened to shoot him and others if the work wasn’t finished. Smith not entirely disputes it, admitting that Turner did have a shotgun but insists somebody grabbed the weapon before it became an active participant.

Anyways, the track was done and the inaugural race was run. Barely. And now, who could have imagined the history that would be held? The Coke 600 has been run for 65 years in this spot, where the locals pass down their fandom through generations and tens of thousands pay homage throughout the year.

Through the years the capacity has been like an elevator, as much as 170,000 in the late 1980s and now only 95,000. The venue itself is less a track and more a home to any type of racing you can think of with its clay short track, a dirt track, a drag strip outside the complex and an infield road course used later this year when NASCAR’s Cup Series comes by for the Bank of America “Roval” during the playoffs.

Where Drivers Become Legends

“You think anybody gonna get caught on the interstate with all these state troopers here?”

So says the Uber driver as she crawls toward the track, dozens of police cars with lights on, before you hop off and take a look around.

This is NASCAR in the South, where the air smells like a pit smoker goin’ slow and low, surrounded by people sitting in a lawn chair, drink in hand after a long, deep gulp because you don’t sip ‘round here. On Memorial Day weekend, the RV lot is filled with those who laugh at the idea of air conditioning and fandom means flying the flag with your favorite driver’s number even higher than the U.S. flag.

This is history and legacy and the end to the day known as Motorsports Christmas and there’s a weight in being able to sniff the gas, the BBQ and soak in an experience that only Cabarrus County on this day can deliver.

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on NASCAR’s schedule, a test as much mentally as physically, which is saying something in the North Carolina heat even as the sun starts to set. Starting in the sun and ending in the dark of night until post-race fireworks re-illuminate the sky, NASCAR is the nighttime double shot of whiskey to chase the mimosa starter of F1’s Monaco GP and a beer at the Indianapolis 500.

This is where Dale Earnhardt made his debut in the Cup Series — Sr. and Jr., both. This is where David Pearson outlasted Richard Petty in a race shortened by the nation’s fuel crisis before Petty won years later. This is where Darrell Waltrip won five times (hence the street name). This is where drivers turn into legends; eight men have won this race three times or more in 600 history, all but one of them are Hall of Famers.

Here in the heart of Cabarrus County, this is where almost every Cup Series team still has a presence, the week of the 600 being one of the few chances that some of the workshops are open to the public. This is where the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and its Earnhardt-adjacent mustached baseball logo — the team from 2001 through 2019 was known as the Intimidators and it’s not hard to figure out why — sit just a short drive from the track with its prototypical Southern downtown walkability, a statue of Earnhardt proudly declaring it his hometown surrounded by immaculately tailored grass off the main stretch.

The Experience of Race Day

So what’s it like on race day? Crawl up Bruton Smith Boulevard on race afternoon and past the RV lots, where a guy waves a sign “You Honk — I Drink,” which he waves with a smile four hours before the green flag and makes you wonder if it sounds less like a boast and more like a very dangerous idea.

There’s plenty of time to kill before it goes racing and that means checking out the fan zone. There’s activations a plenty, some looking to make a buck and some looking to find some shade. NASCAR drivers, just a quick bit before going 200 miles per hour for hours at a time with cars just inches away from a competitor who’d rather wreck ‘ya than lose to ‘ya at the end, take the time to chat with fans whether it be the Ty Gibbs sponsor sit-down or Kyle Busch hanging out at the Explore Cabarrus spot surrounded by dozens of fans.

Inside smells a mix of exhaust and BBQ sauce, both mustard and vinegar, a generous heaping of cornbread and any other fixins’ you can conjure up with red cups as the drink carrier of choice. From the terrace at Turn 1 you see the entire track and the mass of humanity scattered through the infield, where some have rented spots with Winnebago’s, some with a pickup truck with a big ol’ piece of plywood covering the cab and a couple of lawn chairs set up for an elevated view. Fun fact: what you think is grass in the infield is more than just that, it’s a special surface developed to withstand the heat, gas and anything else that could come out the bottom of a car as it skids across without setting the area on fire.

There may be no sport where the experience is as auditory as NASCAR … and that’s even when you have ear plugs in. When that green flag drops, the ground shakes under your feet as the unmistakably primal sound of engines roaring blows your mind. Sit close enough to the track, as you can when with the folks over at Explore Cabarrus, and you get a bit of breeze during the races because that’s when the cars are whipping around, close enough that you can feel small pieces of tires flipping in the air, making one wonder what would happen if there’s a wreck in turn 1 and how the mix of brakes screeching, crowds cheering and metal twisting would feel like because this is NASCAR, where rubbin’ is racing’ and if you ain’t cheating then you ain’t tryin’.

For nearly four hours, fans hear the hypnotic rhythm of cars speeding by, too fast sometimes to see more than a number and the main sponsor (sorry, secondary sponsors). On this night, at a track where legends are made, you see history as Ross Chastain becomes the first person to win the Coke 600 having started at the absolute end of the line. As Chastain does the Polish Victory Lap (so named because of going the opposite direction) and the fireworks explode overhead, there’s a thought that getting back to the hotel will take time, with the near-100,000 people on hand.

But really, not so much. There are the RV lots, and the secondary lots, and people just wanting to hang out into the night and watch the seconds tick by and turn from p.m. to a.m. The racing’s done on the track in Cabarrus County but stay a while, the fans are saying, and relax, make yourself feel at home for a bit longer.

NASCAR will hold a street race on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego next June to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy by hosting all three of its national series over a three-day weekend.

It will be NASCAR’s second street race in the sport’s history, following a three-year run in Chicago and first on an active military base. The course layout is not complete but is expected to be around 3 miles.

“This a huge win for San Diego and we are so grateful to NASCAR for their partnership,” said Mark Neville, Sports San Diego chief executive officer. “Without a doubt, the NASCAR San Diego Weekend will have a significant and favorable impact on San Diego’s tourism and hospitality industry. On top of that, being the first ever NASCAR race on an active military base is going to be quite the spectacle and you can’t beat Naval Base Coronado.”

NASCAR is partnering with Sports San Diego on operational and promotional support for the race weekend. The San Diego weekend will be a replacement for its downtown Chicago event that ran the past three years. The move to the San Diego area does not eliminate a return to Chicago, where NASCAR will still maintain an office and effort an eventual return, perhaps as early as 2027.

“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” Ben Kennedy, executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, said Wednesday. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”

The base is known as the “West Coast Quarterdeck” and is a consortium of nine Navy installations that stretch from San Clemente Island 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach to the Mountain Warfare Training Facility 50 miles east of San Diego.

NASCAR named Amy Lupo, who has been with the series since 2021, as president of the race. She spent more than 20 years at ESPN expanding the X Games when she lived in San Diego early in her career.

IndyCar Series team Ed Carpenter Racing has announced plans to relocate its operations to Westfield, Indiana, and build a new racing headquarters as part of the Grand Park District Master Plan at the Grand Park Sports Campus.

The new headquarters and performance campus will be located south of the Grand Park Event Center on the west side of Grand Park Boulevard. The 76,000-square-foot facility will serve as the central hub for ECR’s racing operations and house engineering and technical development spaces with a retail and fan engagement component.

ECR competes full-time with drivers Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen. Carpenter gets behind the wheel each May to round out the team’s lineup in the Indianapolis 500. Groundbreaking is expected early 2026 with completion in 2027.

“The opportunity to build a world-class facility within Grand Park was something we could not pass up,” Carpenter stated. “The demographic of Grand Park and its annual visitors is not only a great opportunity for our team to reach new fans, but also a great opportunity for IndyCar itself as we continue to capitalize on the current momentum of our sport. We are very focused on building a unique and best-in-class facility that will support our team and also showcase our brand to visitors each and every day.”

Founded in November 2011, Ed Carpenter Racing is in its 14th season of IndyCar Series competition. The team’s ownership group is comprised of four Indiana businessmen: Ed Carpenter, Ted Gelov, Tony George and Stuart Reed.

“Establishing ECR’s permanent home at Grand Park is a defining moment for our organization,” said Gelov. “This new headquarters will not only serve as the foundation for our racing operations and technical development, but also as a place where fans can truly connect with our team, our partners and the sport of IndyCar. As a long-time Hamilton County resident and business owner, I’m proud to invest in this community and help bring a new level of energy, innovation and opportunity to Westfield.”

The facility will feature a public viewing area into the team’s operations as well.

“ECR’s decision to relocate and expand at Grand Park is a major milestone for our city and a testament to the strength of our vision for Grand Park’s future,” said Westfield Mayor Scott Willis. “Attracting a professional sports team like ECR further solidifies Grand Park as a premier destination for sports and innovation. We are excited to welcome ECR to our community.”

The FIM World Supercross Championship has announced a multi-year partnership with global travel management provider Destination Sport Travel to manage all global travel requirements for competition staff, teams, suppliers and partners.

The partnership comes as World Supercross recently announced a 2025 calendar featuring rounds across five continents, including Malaysia, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, the Gold Coast and Cape Town.

“Bringing Destination Sport Travel on board as our official travel supplier is a significant step forward for World Supercross,” said Scott McCubbin, chief commercial officer of Bia Sports Group. “Travel is a huge part of what makes this championship global, and having an expert partner who understands the unique demands of international motorsport is invaluable. This partnership will help us deliver even greater efficiency and support for our teams and partners as we continue to grow the series around the world.”

The partnership will help deliver travel efficiency, specialist expertise and competitive rates for World Supercross. Destination Sport Travel forms part of the wider Destination Sport Group, a collection of businesses providing services to teams, governing bodies, organizations and fans worldwide

“The World Supercross Championship is a truly global competition and we’re thrilled to partner with a championship that matches our ambition and international reach,” said Rob Slawson, managing director at Destination Sport Travel. “We’re passionate about delivering our specialist knowledge and unrivaled travel solutions, supporting the World Supercross teams and partners and exploring opportunities to enhance the fan experience through potential travel packages in the future.”

The NASCAR Clash, the season opening race of the Cup Series schedule that has rotated around sites in recent years, will return to Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to start the 2026 season on January 31 and February 1.

The Cook Out Clash at ‘The Madhouse’ this past February was the first Cup Series race at the track since 1971. Chase Elliott, 2020 Cup Series champion, won the main event at the venue which was first built in 1937 and is the longest-running weekly racetrack in NASCAR history.

“We wrote a new chapter in the storied history of motorsports at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash this year,” said Joey Dennewitz, NASCAR Regional managing director. “As NASCAR’s first weekly racetrack, we are proud to bring the 2026 Cook Out Clash back to the original home to grassroots racing. Thanks to the city of Winston-Salem and Winston-Salem State University for their continued partnership.”

In 1949, Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two founding fathers of NASCAR, brought motorsports to Bowman-Gray as the first weekly racetrack and first paved racetrack that NASCAR competed on. The racetrack hosted 29 NASCAR races from 1958 to 1971 and  hosted several East Series races from 2011 to 2015. In 2024, NASCAR took over management of racing operations at Bowman Gray Stadium in partnership with the city of Winston-Salem.

“The City of Winston Salem is deeply honored to have been chosen to host the 2026 Cook Out Clash,” said Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines. “The 2025 race was an immensely successful event for all parties involved. We will work hard to ensure that the 2026 Cook Out Clash is even more successful.”

Based in the Winston-Salem area since 1989, Cook Out is the entitlement partner for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway and the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway..