The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series has reached its last scheduled break before a marathon of fourteen races that will decide the champion.
The final off weekend
The action kicks off at Iowa Speedway, the venue that will host the first of a series of back‑to‑back events, before the season’s traditional climax at Daytona International Speedway in late August.
NBC will broadcast four of those races live, while the remainder will be shown on USA Network, ensuring a wide reach for fans across the country.
A notable change for 2026 is the single points reset applied to the sixteen playoff drivers after the regular season, a move intended to tighten the competition heading into the final stretch.
The playoff schedule will see races at Talladega Superspeedway in late October, followed by Martinsville Speedway and Homestead‑Miami Speedway in early November, wrapping up a year that began with TNT Sports’ final Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.