2026 NASCAR Chase Schedule: Every Playoff Race, Start Time and TV Channel

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - MARCH 23: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23, 2025 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

The NASCAR Cup Series championship fight is officially underway.

After 26 regular-season races determined the 16 drivers eligible to compete for the title, NASCAR’s revamped Chase will decide the 2026 Cup Series champion over the final 10 races of the season.

The road begins with one of NASCAR’s crown jewels, the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6, and doesn’t end until the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8.

Unlike the elimination-style playoff system NASCAR used in recent years, there are no elimination rounds in the 2026 Chase. All 16 championship-eligible drivers remain in contention throughout the 10-race stretch, with the title ultimately going to the Chase driver who finishes the season with the most points.

So when and where are all 10 races?

Here’s the complete 2026 NASCAR Chase schedule, including race dates, start times, tracks and television information.

Full 2026 NASCAR Chase Schedule

All 10 Chase races are also scheduled to stream on HBO Max. Radio coverage is available through MRN or PRN, depending on the track, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

How Does the 2026 NASCAR Chase Work?

The championship format looks considerably different in 2026.

NASCAR abandoned the elimination-style playoff format and revived The Chase, with 16 drivers qualifying based on their position in the regular-season standings after the first 26 races.

There is no longer an automatic championship berth simply for winning a regular-season race.

Once the 16-driver field is established, points are reset ahead of Darlington. The regular-season points leader begins The Chase with 2,100 points, followed by 2,075 for second place and 2,065 for third. The gaps continue down the standings until the 16th seed begins with 2,000.

From there, every point matters.

There are no eliminations after three races, no Round of 12, no Round of 8 and no Championship 4.

Instead, the same 16 drivers remain championship eligible for all 10 races. Race wins are worth 55 points, stage points remain available and the championship goes to whichever Chase driver has accumulated the most points when the checkered flag falls at Homestead.

That makes consistency across the entire schedule significantly more important.

Where Is the 2026 NASCAR Championship Race?

NASCAR will crown its 2026 Cup Series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 8.

The championship race is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Homestead’s return as the championship venue is another major change. The South Florida track previously hosted NASCAR’s season finale from 2002 through 2019 before Phoenix Raceway took over beginning in 2020.

Phoenix hasn’t disappeared from the championship picture, however. It now hosts the seventh race of The Chase on Oct. 18.

Before Homestead, drivers will have to survive a particularly unpredictable closing stretch.

Talladega hosts Race No. 8 on Oct. 25, followed by 500 laps around the tight confines of Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 1. One week later, NASCAR will crown its champion at Homestead.

There is no points reset before that finale.

That means Homestead isn’t a winner-take-all championship race between four drivers. It is simply the final opportunity for all 16 Chase competitors to score points toward the championship they have been pursuing since Darlington.

Ten races. No eliminations. One champion.

And for the first time in years, NASCAR’s title fight will be decided by performance across the entire postseason rather than a single final race.