Overview

• Homestead-Miami will host the Championship 4 on Nov. 8, ending Phoenix’s six-year run as the season finale.
• Naval Base Coronado in San Diego joins as a new street race on June 21, while Mexico City and the Chicago street course come off the 2026 Cup calendar.
• North Wilkesboro lands its first points-paying Cup race since 1996 on July 19, as Dover loses its points date and becomes the All-Star Race host on May 17.
• The playoff map is revised with Las Vegas moving to the Round of 12, Phoenix opening the Round of 8 on Oct. 18, and New Hampshire shifting out of the postseason.
• Operational tweaks include Watkins Glen moving to May 10, a second Cup off-week added in early August, Trucks debuting a street race at St. Petersburg on Feb. 28, and the Xfinity Series rebranding to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with broadcast windows split across FOX, Prime Video, TNT, and NBC/USA.