Only three races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series season. All three will air on a different channel than the rest of the USA Sports schedule as part of an annual tradition.
Videos by FanBuzz
Sunday's Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET), the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET), and the Nov. 8 championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET) will all air on NBC instead of USA Network.
IT’S RACE WEEK, BABY pic.twitter.com/DPXUxfNlRa
— Talladega Superspeedway (@TALLADEGA) October 18, 2026
Prior to the 2026 Cup Series season, the newly-rebranded USA Sports and NASCAR revealed the channels on which the final 14 races would air, as well as the start times. This stretch made up the USA Sports portion of the season.
The Aug. 9 race at Iowa Speedway marked the first race of this stretch. It aired on USA Network. Nine of the next 10 races also aired on USA Network. The regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway served as the lone exception as it aired on NBC.
This is a strategy that the company has used in past seasons. USA Sports has put the majority of its races on USA Network while saving its marquee events for NBC. This is a strategy that Fox Sports also uses during its portion of the schedule while putting the majority of its Cup races on FS1.
The regular-season finale at Daytona brings its own intrigue. It is the final opportunity for drivers to secure a spot in the Chase, and it is the site of numerous underdog victories.
Talladega is NASCAR's biggest track, and it is another race where underdogs can score surprise wins. This track also hosts one of three remaining races in the season, and it can drastically shake up the championship standings.
Martinsville is no longer a cutoff race, so it doesn't exactly have the same drama as in past seasons. Still, it's a short track where championship contenders battle to remain in the hunt. It has plenty of storylines for USA Sports to showcase for a larger audience.
Obviously, the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway is one that belongs on NBC proper. It's the race that determines which driver celebrates a major achievement in his life, and it showcases the immense pressure that these teams face.
