The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, unveiled in August 2025, marks notable changes with three tracks removed from the previous lineup. The adjustments include replacing Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and the Chicago Street Course, while a longstanding venue returns after several years. These modifications aim to reshape the racing calendar and reflect NASCAR’s evolving priorities.
New and Returning Venues on the Calendar
Following just one season on the calendar, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was cut from the schedule and supplanted by a fresh street race set at Naval Base Coronado. This new race will maintain its original timing in mid-June, coinciding with Father’s Day weekend. Meanwhile, the Chicago Street Course, NASCAR’s initial urban circuit which featured for three seasons, was removed. It has been replaced by Chicagoland Speedway, a familiar oval track that last hosted a Cup Series race in 2019 but missed its planned 2020 event due to pandemic-related schedule disruptions.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Adjusts Its Fall Playoff Event
A third venue undergoing change is the Charlotte Motor Speedway, long a fixture in NASCAR with two races annually since 1960, except for an expanded schedule in 1961. Since 2018, one of those races has been held on the track’s infield road course known as the Roval. The Roval hosted an additional race only once in 2020 due to exceptional circumstances arising from COVID-19 restrictions. Starting in 2026, however, the traditional oval will once more host the October playoff race instead of the Roval configuration.
“NEWS: Charlotte NASCAR playoff race to shift off the Roval and will return to the oval beginning this season, sources tell @TheAthletic.”
?Jordan Bianchi, Journalist
Impact of the Playoff Format Modification
This alteration in Charlotte’s racing surface reflects a broader shift in NASCAR’s postseason structure. The series is retiring the four-round, 10-race playoff format that had been utilized since 2014. The playoff will revert to the classic “Chase,” as last seen in 2013, now featuring 10 events exclusively on oval tracks with no road course competitions. This new alignment reduces the diversity of race types in the playoffs, favoring traditional oval racing over road and street circuits.
Reduction in Road Course Events Across the Season
The 2025 schedule included five road courses and one street course, but the 2026 campaign will scale back to three road courses—Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen International, and Sonoma Raceway—and a single street race at Naval Base Coronado. This reduction brings the total number of non-oval events in 2026 to four, the fewest since 2020 when only the Charlotte Roval and Daytona International Speedway road course were featured.
The original addition of the Charlotte Roval in 2018 took place amid a schedule that previously included just two road courses at Watkins Glen and Sonoma. The upcoming season’s reconfigured balance clearly prioritizes oval tracks in the series.
Season Opening and Broadcast Details
The 36-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series will kick off on Sunday, February 15, with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox will provide live television coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, continuing its role as a major broadcast partner. This event continues to anchor the start of the season at the famed “World Center of Racing.”
NEWS: Charlotte NASCAR playoff race to shift off the Roval and will return to the oval beginning this season, sources tell @TheAthletic. https://t.co/MtkGDipxxz
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) January 26, 2026
