The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule once again runs directly into the NFL season, and several races this fall will be fighting for viewers against America’s biggest and most lucrative sporting league, the NFL.
Unlike previous years, where NASCAR occasionally found breathing room with night races or late starts, much of this year’s Chase calendar lands directly against the NFL’s traditional Sunday afternoon slate. Meaning, several races could lose casual viewers once football returns in full force on September 13.
Here are all the NASCAR Cup Series races that overlap with NFL action in 2026.
Date: Sunday, August 9
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
No NFL overlap. The NFL preseason does not begin on Sunday until August 23, giving NASCAR a clean national window at Iowa.
Date: Saturday, August 15
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
The NFL preseason games on August 15 are spread throughout the day, with most in the afternoon.
Date: Sunday, August 23
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
No major overlap. Although this is the NFL’s first Sunday preseason slate of 2026, the games are scheduled much earlier in the day.
Date: Saturday, August 29
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Minimal NFL impact. Daytona’s late start helps avoid most preseason football competition.
Everything changes once the NFL regular season opens on September 13.
From that point forward, NASCAR’s Chase races are placed directly against the NFL’s highest-rated Sunday afternoon windows.
Date: Sunday, September 6
Start Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
No regular-season NFL overlap as Darlington weekend benefits from landing one week before the NFL regular season begins.
Date: Sunday, September 13
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
The race overlaps directly with the NFL’s opening Sunday afternoon slate, which begins at 10.30 p.m. ET, including:
Date: Saturday, September 19
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
No major NFL overlap.
Date: Sunday, September 27
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
The overlapping NFL schedule includes:
Date: Sunday, October 4
Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Coming to the first weekend of October, NASCAR’s return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway overlaps with the NFL’s late-afternoon games and the buildup to Sunday night coverage, set to commence at 7.00 p.m. ET.
NFL matchups include:
Date: Sunday, October 11
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Competing NFL games include:
Date: Sunday, October 18
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
The NFL schedule includes:
Date: Sunday, October 25
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Talladega starts almost simultaneously with NFL afternoon football, including:
Date: Sunday, November 1
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
The NFL’s first matchup is at 11.30 p.m. ET.
Games that day include:
Date: Sunday, November 8
Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
The championship race faces major competition from the NFL.
While NASCAR crowns its champion in the afternoon, the NFL schedule that day includes several strong television draws later in the evening, including:
There is also an international matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons in Madrid earlier in the day.
