The 2026 season marks year two of NASCAR’s seven-year media rights deal for the Cup Series, with four distribution partners, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and TNT Sports, sharing the load and spreading the sport’s reach across platforms. Here is what to know about watching or live-streaming NASCAR Cup Series races in 2026
The First 14 Races: February 4 to May 17
Practice and Qualifying: All-Star Race, the Clash, and the Daytona 500
FOX opened its schedule on Feb. 4 with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, before the field headed to the sport’s crown jewel. The Daytona 500 followed on Feb. 15, and FOX will continue to carry race coverage through the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 17 at Dover Motor Speedway, keeping the early stretch under one roof.
The main FOX network will also air Cup Series stops at Kansas Speedway on April 19 and Talladega Superspeedway on April 26. From there, the baton passes within the same family, with the remaining Cup events in this portion of the season shifting to FS1 as the season picks up.
Five Races: May 24 – Jun. 21
Practice and Qualifying: Feb. 21 – Jun. 21 (Except for the All-Star Race, the Clash, the Daytona 500, and the All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway)
Five Races: Jun. 28 – July 26
The Final 14 Races: Aug 9 – Nov. 8
Four races will be broadcast on NBC and run in tandem on Peacock: the fall Daytona race on August 29, the fall Talladega race on October 25, the fall Martinsville race on November 1, and the season finale at Homestead-Miami on November 8, giving fans a front-row seat across both platforms as the season heads for the wire.
The remaining 10 races will air on USA Network, keeping the stretch run within the same broadcast fold as the title fight comes to a head.
Practice and Qualifying: Jun. 28 – Nov. 7
In Car Cameras (MAX only): All Season Long
All Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions for the second half of the season, beginning at Sonoma, will run in tandem on HBO Max and truTV, placing every lap and every run on two screens at once as teams dial in their setups and drivers chase time.
For viewers with cable or satellite subscriptions, the majority of the work is already complete, given that you have access to FS1, TNT, and USA Network. If you are on the go, these networks’ apps, like the FOX Sports App, Watch TNT, and the USA Network App, will have coverage with a verified provider login.
For viewers without cable or satellite subscriptions, a range of live TV streaming platforms will carry live broadcasts. FS1, TNT, truTV, along with USA Network, are available on DIRECTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, and YouTube TV, giving fans multiple paths to the same finish line.
For races streaming on Amazon Prime, fans can tap into the action with a 30-day trial, a window that opens the door without an upfront bill.
For races on Peacock, fans will need to visit peacocktv.com and choose a plan starting at $7.99 per month to unlock live sports. That subscription covers the four Cup events that run in tandem on Peacock, allowing viewers to follow the race on any device without missing a lap.
For coverage on HBO Max, fans must subscribe to the Standard tier at $18.49 per month or the Premium tier at $22.99 per month to access NASCAR, which gives access to practice and qualifying sessions from the second half of the season and the full season of in-car camera feeds.
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