Short answer: NASCAR's Cup Series season is split between four US media partners, and the one you need depends on the time of year. Fox has the spring, Prime Video and TNT take early summer, and NBC Sports has the last 14 races, including the whole 2026 Chase. The catch for cord-cutters right now: most of the remaining Chase races are on the USA Network cable channel, not Peacock, so Peacock only covers the final three races on NBC.
At a glance
NASCAR Cup Series in 2026
| February to May | Fox and FS1 |
| Late May to June | Prime Video (five races) |
| Late June to July | TNT Sports and HBO Max (five races) |
| August to November | NBC, USA Network, Peacock |
| Championship | 8 November, Homestead-Miami, NBC |
How the season is split
2026 is the second year of NASCAR's seven-year media deal, which spreads 36 points races (plus exhibition events) across four partners.
| Partner | Races | How to stream |
|---|---|---|
| Fox / FS1 | First 14, including the Daytona 500 and All-Star Race | Fox One or a live TV service |
| Prime Video | Five, late May to June | Amazon Prime membership |
| TNT Sports | Five, late June to July (in-season challenge) | HBO Max |
| NBC Sports | Final 14, including all ten Chase races | NBC races on Peacock; USA Network via a live TV service |
The practical upshot: a fan who wants every race needs several services across the year, but only one or two at any given time.
The 2026 Chase: what's left and where
The ten-race Chase started at Darlington on 6 September. The remaining races, as scheduled at the end of September:
| Date | Track | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 4 October | Las Vegas | USA Network |
| 11 October | Charlotte | USA Network |
| 18 October | Phoenix | USA Network |
| 25 October | Talladega | NBC and Peacock |
| 1 November | Martinsville | NBC and Peacock |
| 8 November | Homestead-Miami (championship) | NBC and Peacock, 3pm ET |
For UK viewers, afternoon US races typically start around 7pm to 8pm UK time. Outside the US, NASCAR is carried by different broadcasters in each country; NASCAR.com lists them.
How the new Chase format works
NASCAR revived the "Chase" name for 2026 and changed how the title is decided. The main points:
- 16 drivers qualify on regular-season points after 26 races.
- No elimination rounds. All 16 stay in contention for the full ten races.
- Points decide the champion across the ten races, rather than a single winner-takes-all final race among four drivers.
- The finale returns to Homestead-Miami, the traditional championship venue.
For viewers, it means every Chase race matters for the title, which makes the USA Network races in October just as important as the NBC finale.
Watching without cable
For the rest of this season, the essential channel is USA Network. It's included in the main live TV streaming services: YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Sling TV (Blue). Sling is usually the cheapest of these; the others cost roughly $80 a month or more.
Peacock (from $12.99 a month after the August 2026 increase) streams the NBC races live, which covers the last three Chase races, including the championship.
Across a full season, a cord-cutter's year looks like this: Fox One or a live TV service in spring, Prime Video in early summer, HBO Max in July, and a live TV service plus Peacock from August. Rotating monthly subscriptions keeps the cost down.
If you're choosing a streaming device for race days, our guide to the best streaming boxes compares the main options.
O'Reilly Series, Trucks and extras
- O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (the second tier, formerly Xfinity): most races are on The CW, a free broadcast channel, with streaming on The CW app.
- Craftsman Truck Series: Fox and FS1, with some sessions on streaming platforms.
- Practice and qualifying: spread across the partners' channels and apps; HBO Max has carried sessions for some NBC race weekends.
- Radio: MRN, PRN and SiriusXM cover every Cup race, useful on the road or as an alternative commentary.
Free and low-cost options
An antenna picks up NBC, Fox and The CW for free in most of the US, which covers the championship race, many spring races and most O'Reilly Series races.
Free trials exist on some services, but they change frequently, so check the current terms rather than relying on older guides.
What to avoid. Unlicensed "all channels" IPTV services and free streaming sites advertise every race, but they aren't authorised, frequently fail mid-race, and carry malware and payment risks. The legal options for a full season cost more, but you can pause them between the parts of the season you care about. Our guide to legal IPTV in the US explains the difference.
Race-day tips
- Check start times weekly. Times move for TV, and weather delays are common.
- Sign in to the network app in advance (NBC Sports, USA Network or Peacock) to avoid sign-in problems at the green flag.
- Use a wired connection or 5 GHz Wi-Fi for long races; a three-hour stream on weak Wi-Fi will buffer.
- Keep a radio feed ready via the MRN or PRN apps as a backup if your stream drops.
Choosing a device for race weekends
Every app in this guide runs on the mainstream streaming platforms, but a few details matter more for motor racing than for most sport.
Match the device to the service of the moment. Peacock, Prime Video, HBO Max, Fox One and the big live TV services all have apps for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and the major smart TV brands. If your television's built-in apps feel sluggish, a current streaming stick or box usually gives a smoother picture and faster app switching, which helps when you move between a live TV service and Peacock on the same weekend.
Motion handling. Cars crossing the screen at close to 200mph expose weak motion processing. Turn off heavy "motion smoothing" if it produces artefacts, and use your TV's sports or standard picture mode rather than vivid.
Multiview and in-car cameras. Some partners have offered extra feeds, such as in-car cameras on HBO Max during TNT's summer stretch. These features tend to appear first on the newer, more powerful streaming devices, so check the service's help pages if you want them.
Second screen. Many fans follow live timing, scanner audio or the NASCAR app on a phone while the race plays on the TV. It's the easiest way to keep track of pit strategy and the Chase points picture, which changes lap by lap under the new format.
Plan for long races. A Cup race plus pre-race coverage can run four hours. Make sure the device is on a stable connection, and restart it before the green flag if it has been on for days, which clears memory and reduces the chance of a mid-race freeze.
What a full season costs
A rough guide to following every Cup race without cable, using late-2026 list prices:
- February to May: Fox One at $19.99 a month, or a live TV service, for about four months.
- Late May to June: Prime Video, included with an Amazon Prime membership.
- Late June to July: HBO Max for about two months.
- August to November: a live TV service with USA Network plus Peacock for the NBC races.
Rotating services this way typically costs a few hundred dollars across the season, well under a year of cable. Fans who only care about the Chase can limit spending to the autumn months.
The cheapest legal approach of all is an antenna plus Peacock in the autumn: it covers the NBC races, including the championship, for about $13 a month. You'll miss the USA Network races, but you can follow them on MRN or PRN radio, which is free, and catch highlights on NASCAR's official YouTube channel afterwards.
Quick answers
What channel is NASCAR on today? From August to November it's NBC or USA Network. Earlier in the year it's Fox and FS1, then Prime Video, then TNT and HBO Max.
Is NASCAR on Peacock? Only the races that air on NBC. In the 2026 Chase, that's Talladega, Martinsville and the championship at Homestead.
How do I watch USA Network races without cable? With a live TV streaming service such as Sling, YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or DirecTV Stream.
When is the 2026 NASCAR championship race? Sunday 8 November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, at 3pm ET on NBC and Peacock.
How does the 2026 Chase work? Sixteen drivers compete over ten races with no eliminations, and the champion is decided on points.
Which NASCAR races are on Prime Video? Five Cup races from late May to June.
Can I watch NASCAR for free? Races on NBC, Fox and The CW are free with an antenna. Cable and streaming-only races need a subscription.
Race dates, start times and channel assignments can change, including for weather, and streaming prices change frequently. Check NASCAR.com's weekly TV listings before each race. Checked September 2026.