Our Vision for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

There is historic precedence for the Cup Series starting its season with a road course race. It did so for 11 years from 1970 to 1981 at Riverside International in California. It did so this year too, with the pre-season Daytona Clash moving from the superspeedway to the Rolex 24 course. Under this concept, the Clash at Daytona would be made a points race. Imagine the reactions to the finish in February if it has been a points-paying race and it clinched a playoff spot for Kyle Busch while placing best friends Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney at odds. The Clash is no longer a Daytona 500 preview so simply make it count.

It’s the Great American Race. Enough said. It loses no luster as the second race of the season, especially now that the Duel at Daytona pays championship points and is an extension of the Daytona 500. In fact, the Duel then becomes the de factp preview for the 500 that the Clash used to be.

Las Vegas becomes the kick-off event for the FOUR-race west coast swing. The Neon Garage, bright lights and a city that never sleeps is a good start for what feels like the true start to the season in the aftermath of the Daytona 500.

It’s not realistic, but perhaps the Truck Series race could kick off the weekend on the venue’s short track — the LVMS Bullring.

The spring race at Phoenix continues to be a fun ticket and a generally enjoyable race.

It’s not a new race, but it would certainly feel like one moving Sonoma Raceway to the end of an expanded west coast swing. This would accommodate Bristol’s moving to early summer and away from its rainy season. Conversely, this is Sonoma’s rainy season, which could make for a more entertaining race alongside its picturesque visuals.

The rendering provided was just a rough concept of what Speedway Motorsports Inc. intends to do with the Atlanta Motor Speedway property. It includes a casino and shopping complex but fans were most excited about what appeared to be a speedway transformed into a true oval not too dissimilar to its pre-1997 layout. NASCAR could use another track like Homestead-Miami and an oval Atlanta would age wonderfully once its new surface weathers in.

The date might be too early for night racing in southern Virginia, but it seems poised to stick as the Martisnville race that begins and ends under the new LED lighting system for years to come.

The racing is undeniably better during the day at Richmond when cars have less grip and it makes for a different overall experience than nighttime in the summer. It’s still early enough in Virginia that it’s typically chamber of commerce weather in April.

It’s the unofficial start to summer — NASCAR superspeedway racing in Alabama in May.

To differentiate the May race experience from the playoff race, place this one under the lights under the cool spring breeze of early summer in the heartland.

It just feels right having two Cup Series races at Darlington. Perhaps the Throwback race is starting to lose its luster, but simply having two races again is throwback enough to satisfy most NASCAR diehards.

Hear me out: Dover International Speedway but paved with asphalt rather than concrete.

Hopefully, NASCAR at Circuit of the Americas is a huge success this year because the Cup Series belongs at one of the most pristine and relevant courses in the United States. It’s no secret that COTA could be for sale to the right buyer too, and maybe this agreement becomes a lease to own with Eddie Gossage becoming the full-time promoter at Austin in addition to Texas Motor Speedway.

The Food City Dirt Race will continue into 2022 and seems poised to become a mainstay for years to come. Instead of having The Night Race and the other race, Bristol Motor Speedway will now have two marquee events that warrant attention and fanfare. The later date allows it to move into prime time and with much better racing conditions for a dirt track.

NASCAR’s longest race and crown jewel will continue to test team and machine for years to come.

One of NASCAR’s strongest television markets finally gains a Cup Series race in addition to the post-season awards banquet, but here’s to hoping it’s not the only race the market has well into the future …

This one will be controversial and perhaps the least unrealistic, but Pocono loses a race, meaning no more doubleheaders. In a perfect world, maybe the compromise is giving Mattco Inc. a Truck Series race at pristine South Boston Speedway, but for the sake of the rest of this Cup Series schedule, Pocono can only have one race.

Already the most Cup Series ready venue in dirt racing, Knoxville Raceway already seats 25,000 for the annual Knoxville Nationals Sprint Car race and also has several luxury suits. That number is probably good for a modern Cup race, but could be extended to over 30,000 with temporary seats. It will be interesting to see how the venue’s first Truck Series race this summer goes. This is also where Pocono’s second independently owned date went in this fantasy schedule.

After several years at Road America and with the absence of Chicagoland Speedway, the Chicago market is ready for the first ever Cup Series street course race following the intrigue created by the televised iRacing event.

Even before the televised iRacing event was announced, NASCAR had previously engaged in conversation with the Second City about a street race near Soldier Field. It’s no coincidence that Chicago is the city under consideration for such an event.

With the expected renovations and additions, including legalized betting in Georgia, it makes all the sense in the world for Atlanta Motor Speedway to retain two dates well into the future.

The racing at Loudon has been spectacular over the past several years, even as the track has lost a date, and there’s room for the unique Magic Mile on the Next-Gen schedule.

It’s not the most tenured road course on the Cup Series schedule, but the upstate New York 2.45-mile circuit feels like an OG venue. It’s location and continued success means its not going anywhere for a long time.

Even if it’s not the most captivating race, the Brickyard 400 belongs on the legendary 2.5-mile super oval. Perhaps the road course event will work out in 2021, but there are arguably too many road courses on the schedule and the highest level of this discipline belongs on the same circuit as the Indianapolis 500. Make it work. Additionally, return the Xfinity and Camping World Series to nearby IRP as it was for years. That was a perfect weekend that built up to a crescendo of importance. The short track action made up for the 400.

With Fontana soon undergoing a transformation into a half-mile, Michigan will be the only two-mile superspeedway remaining on the schedule. That, combined with its importance to the manufacturers will make MIS a mainstain for years to come.

The race to the playoffs begins with the Richmond Night Race.

It’s summer personified and the Southern 500 doesn’t need to be in the shadow of the Cup Series playoffs. Give it some extra intrigue as the penultimate race of the regular season and make it the last crown jewel before all eyes turn towards crowning a champion.

The drama of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona last year was indisputable. NASCAR made it the final race of the regular season and drivers were doing whatever it took to qualify for the Round of 16. It just hits different when you know this is the absolute last shot to win your way into the playoffs that’s a new tradition that supersedes July 4 weekend.

There’s no way NASCAR will spend all the money it will take to revitalize Auto Club Speedway and not give it two dates. If it does, it makes perfect sense to have the track host the first race of the playoffs with its media day taking place in Downtown Los Angeles.

In some ways, the Bristol Night Race gets overshadowed by being in the playoffs, but at the same time, NASCAR should want some of its most action-packed tracks included in its final 10 rounds. This works.

Imagine the opening three-race round of the playoffs beginning at two high-speed half-miles and ending with the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Kansas is a playoff mainstay by this point, will have two dates for a long time due to the Hollywood Casinos on-site, and the final 10 races still needs at least three intermediate tracks.

What was the date belonging to the All-Star Race becomes a points-paying date and moves to SMI’s renovated Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Given the importance of the Nashville market, it makes sense to have another marquee short track in the playoffs schedule, and October is far enough removed from the summer date at the nearby superspeedway.

It’s often the most thrilling race of the playoffs and it should be the conclusion to a three-race round to maximize drama in the same way Daytona as the regular season finale does.

Eddie Gossage always finds a way to make the playoffs running through Fort Worth and this fantasy schedule will be no exception, especially with previous races taking place at Talladega, Nashville Fairgrounds, Bristol and the Charlotte Roval.

Hopefully, once NASCAR gets its renovation money back, it will realize that Phoenix is a fine track but not one that should decide the championship. The short cut begs for tomfoolery and the market lacks the sort of personality of South Florida.

November’s race at Martinsville proved why it was the best location for the penultimate event of the season. The bullring nature of the half-mile provides one last chance for payback if there’s any lingering animosity from the season and allows for last chance acts like Kevin Harvick attempting to intentionally crash Kyle Busch to pick up the point he needed to advance. It’s cold but the action is hot.

It’s NASCAR’s best intermediate track and was the perfect location for a championship race. It has just one date meaning there’s no notebook from earlier in the season. It’s unlike any other 1.5-mile track due to its abrasiveness and lack of a dogleg. It’s South Florida in November.