The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season came to a close on Sunday, Nov. 8 with Kyle Larson securing his third championship.
The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet became the first driver to win back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006 through 2010. The 34-year-old Larson clinched the championship by earning seven points in the opening stage of the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Larson’s title defense — and his pursuit of a fourth championship — will begin in just three months.
The 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season will begin on Feb. 13 at Daytona International Speedway with the preseason Clash. The season then begins in earnest with the Great American Race, the 69th Daytona 500, on Feb. 21.
Tyler Reddick,
who won six races this past season — the most of any driver in the Cup Series this year — is the defending Daytona 500 winner.
The 2027 schedule also features a points-paying race returning to Dover Motor Speedway. Drivers will take on the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware, in the ECOSAVE 400 on May 16. The following weekend, the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in the hills of northwestern North Carolina will host the annual All-Star Race.
For the second consecutive year, NASCAR will also race on an active military base, running the road course at Naval Base Coronado just outside of San Diego, California, on Aug. 1. That will come the week after the Brickyard 400 on July 25. Both races are part of the In-Season Challenge, which is back for a third season.
Two iconic races shift back into the regular season, as the Bristol Night Race will be held on Aug. 14, while the regular season will conclude with the Southern 500 in Darlington on Sept. 5. Gateway also moves out of the Chase.
The three tracks shifting into the postseason Chase are Watkins Glen, Richmond and New Hampshire. The new date for Watkins Glen, Sept. 19, means the Chase will feature a road course race after not having one in it this past season.
The season will once again conclude at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 14.
Here’s the full schedule for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season:
2027 NASCAR Cup Series schedule
Chase races designated with an asterisk. Non-points races designated with a hashtag. In-Season Challenge designated by a dollar sign.
- Feb. 13 — Wheatley Vodka Clash at Daytona #
- Feb. 18 — Daytona Duels #
- Feb. 21 — Daytona 500
- Feb. 28 — Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway (Hampton, Georgia)
- March 7 — DuraMax Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (Austin, Texas)
- March 14 — Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Phoenix Raceway
- March 21 — Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- April 4 — Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway
- April 11 — Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
- April 18 — Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway
- April 25 — Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
- May 2 — Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Texas)
- May 9 — AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas)
- May 16 — ECOSAVE 400 at Dover Motor Speedway (Dover, Delaware)
- May 23 — All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway #
- May 30 — Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- June 6 — Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (Lebanon, Tennessee)
- June 13 — Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway (Long Pond, Pennsylvania)
- June 20 — Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, Michigan)
- June 27 — eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (Joliet, Illinois)
- July 4 — Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway (Newton, Iowa) $
- July 11 — Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway $
- July 18 — Dollar Tree 400 at EchoPark Speedway (Hampton, Georgia) $
- July 25 — Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway $
- Aug. 1 — Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado (San Diego, California) $
- Aug. 14 — Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Aug. 22 — Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, Illinois)
- Aug. 28 — Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway
- Sept. 5 — Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
- Sept. 11 — Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway*
- Sept. 19 — Watkins Glen*
- Sept. 26 — New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, New Hampshire)*
- Oct. 3 — Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas)*
- Oct. 10 — South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway*
- Oct. 17 — Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway*
- Oct. 24 — Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway*
- Oct. 31 — Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway*
- Nov. 7 — Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway*
- Nov. 14 — Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway*
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2027 NASCAR Cup Series schedule: When is the Daytona 500?
