NASCAR Championship Race 2026: Start Time, Channel and Weekend Schedule
The 2026 NASCAR Championship Race is on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with NBC's coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET, which is 2 p.m. CT, 1 p.m. MT and noon PT. It's the last of the ten Chase races and the last Cup race of the season, and NBC has it along with the Martinsville race the Sunday before. Clocks go back on Sunday, Nov. 1, so the championship weekend is in Eastern Standard Time.
What time does the NASCAR Championship Race start?
| Session | Day | ET | CT | MT | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice | Fri, Nov. 6 | 5:30 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. |
| Qualifying | Sat, Nov. 7 | 2:30 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Driver introductions | Sun, Nov. 8 | 2:15 p.m. | 1:15 p.m. | 12:15 p.m. | 11:15 a.m. |
| Race (broadcast start) | Sun, Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 1 p.m. | Noon |
The race time and channel match in two places: NASCAR's official Cup Series feed and the FOX Sports Cup schedule. The practice, qualifying and driver-introduction rows come from the weekend schedule inside NASCAR's feed only, so treat them as NASCAR's listing until a broadcaster confirms them. We read the feed on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 2:30 a.m. ET and worked out the CT, MT and PT columns ourselves.
What channel is the NASCAR Championship Race on?
NBC. NASCAR's feed lists NBC as the television broadcaster for the race, and the FOX Sports schedule shows the same network. NBC is a broadcast network, so the race comes in free with an antenna. We haven't confirmed on an official page whether Peacock streams this race, so we're not listing it as an option.
| Race | Date | Start ET | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity 500, Martinsville Speedway | Sun, Nov. 1 | 2 p.m. (EST) | NBC |
| NASCAR Championship Race, Homestead-Miami Speedway | Sun, Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. (EST) | NBC |
How long is the championship race?
NASCAR's feed lists the race at 267 laps, or 400.5 miles, split into stages that end on laps 80 and 165. NASCAR doesn't publish an end time for a race, and the length depends on cautions, so the only fixed time is the start. For comparison, the Martinsville race the Sunday before is 500 laps and 263 miles, and it starts an hour earlier in the day.
When does the season end, and what comes next?
The Championship Race closes the 2026 Cup season. NASCAR's 2027 schedule is already posted: the Clash at Daytona is set for Saturday, Feb. 13, and the Daytona 500 for Sunday, Feb. 21. Start times for both are not yet announced.
For this week's race, see our NASCAR channel page. The weekend TV schedule lines up NASCAR with UFC and F1 on the same days, and the F1 race-time page covers the Brazilian Grand Prix on the same Sunday. The two-source rule explains how we check each time.
FAQ
Is the NASCAR Championship Race on Fox? No. NASCAR's feed and the FOX Sports schedule both list NBC for the Nov. 8 race.
What time is the NASCAR race on Nov. 8 in Pacific time? Noon PT, which is 3 p.m. ET.
Sources
- NASCAR, official Cup Series race feed (cf.nascar.com): race start, television partner, laps and weekend schedule, read Oct. 20, 2026.
- FOX Sports, NASCAR Cup Series schedule: race time and network, read Oct. 20, 2026.
- NBC Sports, NASCAR releases 2026 schedules: NBC and USA Network share the final 14 Cup races.