Here's a first look at NASCAR's 2026 Cup Series schedule and where San Diego, Chicagoland and North Wilkesboro's new points race fit in.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is expected to be similar to its 2025 iteration, but there will be a few significant changes.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season comes to a close in dramatic fashion on Saturday night in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. With t

The flipside, of course, is that North Wilkesboro will indeed be getting a points race, which is scheduled for July 19 – just two weeks after NASCAR returns to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019.

Along with the usual 36 full-time drivers and teams, there are four part-time entries filling out the field. Richard Childress Racing will enter the No. 33 Chevrolet as a third entry with Austin Hill. The Xfinity Series regular has four wins at Daytona in the lower two divisions.

The Athletic claims that it has obtained next year's 38-race schedule, complete with a new regular-season race at North Wilkesboro.

CONCORD, N.C. - In terms of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Saturday night's race at Daytona International Speedway will be a final hurrah. And while the 10-race sprint to a championship still looms on the other side, the Hendrick Motorsports contingent are hoping to close on a high note under the lights in Volusia County, Florida.

NASCAR says Michael Jordan is suing to gain a permanent charter that no other teams have. In a Monday court filing, NASCAR says neither 23XI Racing nor Front Row Motorsports has been harmed by racing as “open” entries.

Byron’s first regular season title comes in his fifth season with Rudy Fugle as his Cup crew chief. They were together in 2016 when an 18-year-old Byron won seven races in his only full-time season in the Truck Series. They were reunited in 2021 in Cup when Byron was 23 years old.