Upcoming NASCAR dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
NASCAR and the Cup Series, in brief
NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is the sanctioning body for American stock car racing. Bill France Sr. founded it in 1948, and it is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. When fans buy NASCAR tickets, they almost always mean the NASCAR Cup Series, the top division, which runs 36 points-paying races a season plus two non-points events, the preseason Clash and the All-Star Race.
Below the Cup Series sit the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, which often race at the same track on the same weekend. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota compete in all three national series.
The 2027 season opens with the Daytona 500 on February 21, 2027, and ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 14, 2027. The Clash returns to Daytona International Speedway on February 13, and the All-Star Race returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway. The full 2027 schedule includes 32 ovals, three road courses and one street course.
How the season and the Chase work
The Cup season has two parts. The first 26 races are the regular season. After that, the top 16 drivers in points enter the Chase, a ten-race finish in which the points gap between them is reduced and the driver with the most points at the end wins the title. NASCAR brought the Chase format back for 2026, replacing the elimination-round playoff system it used from 2014 to 2025.
Races are split into stages. The top ten at the end of each of the first two stages earn bonus points, which is why you will see a caution flag thrown on a set lap even when nothing has happened on track. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the longest race of the year, runs four stages instead of three.
For ticket buyers, the calendar shape matters. Demand peaks at the Daytona 500 in February, on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte, at Bristol's night race in August and in the final races of the Chase in the fall, when the title is on the line.
How NASCAR tickets are sold
NASCAR does not sell one league-wide ticket. Each race is ticketed by the track that hosts it. NASCAR itself owns many of the tracks, including Daytona and Talladega, after it bought International Speedway Corporation and its 12 tracks in 2019. Speedway Motorsports, owned by the family of Bruton Smith, is the second-largest operator, with tracks including Bristol, Charlotte, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Texas, Dover, Nashville Superspeedway and New Hampshire. Policies differ between the two groups and from track to track.
Most tracks sell the same building blocks:
- Reserved grandstand seats, sold by section, row and seat for race day or as a weekend package that includes support-series races.
- Infield and camping, sold separately at many tracks. Talladega, for example, sells infield camping for up to five nights of race week.
- Pre-race access to the garage, pit road or a fan zone. These are add-ons, not seats; at Talladega the Garage Experience and at Daytona the Fanzone pass both require a race ticket as well.
- Parking, scanner rentals and hospitality, sold as extras.
Resale demand follows the race, the track and the weather. A crown jewel or a title-deciding race sells well ahead; a mid-summer race at a big intermediate track usually has plenty of inventory, and prices often soften in the final days. Children's pricing is common: as of the 2025–26 season, Talladega lets children 12 and under in free on Friday and Saturday, though everyone needs a ticket for the grandstands.
One caution on weather: some tracks offer a rain exchange program for postponed races, but these programs may cover only tickets bought directly from the track. Talladega's Weather Protection Program, for example, excludes secondary-market tickets. A rescheduled race is a separate question: at Daytona, for example, current Daytona 500 tickets are honored for a rescheduled 500.
Where to sit: superspeedways, short tracks and road courses
The Cup Series races on very different tracks, and the right seat changes with each type.
Superspeedways and big ovals
On Daytona's 2.5-mile tri-oval and Talladega's 2.66-mile track, banked as steeply as 33 degrees, height matters more than proximity. From low rows you see the cars flash by and the catch fence fills your view; from high up you can follow the draft around the whole lap and see a crash develop on the far side. Seats near the start/finish line also see pit road and restarts. The same logic applies at the large intermediate ovals such as Charlotte, Las Vegas and Texas.
Short tracks
On short ovals such as Bristol (0.533 miles) and Martinsville (0.526 miles, the shortest track on the schedule), the whole track is in view from most seats, and contact is part of the show. Higher rows still help you read the race, and seats near the start/finish line put you over pit road, which is where short-track races are often won.
Road courses and the street race
On road courses such as Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Circuit of the Americas, no seat sees the whole lap. Pick a grandstand at a heavy braking zone, where passing happens, or buy general admission and move around. The Cup Series also races on a street course at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, added in 2026.
What to avoid
- The lowest rows on a big oval, unless you want the noise and speed above all else.
- Ignoring the sun. Most races run in daylight on open grandstands; check where the sun will be and bring a hat and sunscreen.
What to bring and what race day is like
NASCAR is one of the few major sports that lets fans bring their own food and drink, though the rules vary by track. As of the 2025–26 season, both Daytona and Talladega allow one soft-sided cooler per person up to 14 by 14 by 14 inches, ban hard-sided coolers and glass, and let ticketed fans leave and re-enter by scanning out and back in. Check the specific track's FAQ before you go; for example, see Talladega's fan FAQ.
- Rent or bring a scanner. Listening to drivers and spotters turns a blur of cars into a story. Talladega rents scanners through Racing Electronics, ordered before race weekend.
- Bring hearing protection, for adults and especially for children.
- Arrive early. Race traffic is heavy, and tailgating and camping are a big part of the day at many tracks.
- Download the track's app. At Daytona and Talladega, tickets are delivered through the NASCAR Tracks app.
Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee, which helps when a race is part of a longer trip.
A short history of NASCAR
Stock car racing grew out of Prohibition-era moonshine runners in the Southeast, who modified their cars for speed and later raced them for pride and prize money. Bill France Sr. organized races on the Daytona Beach road course in the 1930s and founded NASCAR on February 21, 1948, at a series of meetings at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach.
The Cup Series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock division, became the Grand National division in 1950 and was renamed the Winston Cup in 1971 when R. J. Reynolds became the title sponsor. Later names included the Nextel Cup and the Sprint Cup, and the series has been simply the NASCAR Cup Series since 2020. Martinsville Speedway is the only track from the 1949 schedule still on the calendar.
Richard Petty holds the record with 200 Cup wins, and he shares the championship record of seven titles with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson. The current Next Gen car arrived in 2022, and Talladega still holds the series' speed marks, including Bill Elliott's qualifying lap of 212.809 mph in 1987.
Frequently asked questions
When does the NASCAR season start and end?
The Cup Series runs from February to November. The 2027 season opens with the Daytona 500 on February 21, 2027, and ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 14, 2027.
Where are the best seats at a NASCAR race?
On big ovals and superspeedways, sit high and near the start/finish line to see the whole track and pit road. On short tracks most seats see the whole oval, and on road courses pick a braking zone or move around with general admission.
Can you bring a cooler to a NASCAR race?
At many tracks, yes. As of the 2025–26 season, Daytona and Talladega allow one soft-sided cooler per person up to 14 by 14 by 14 inches and ban hard coolers. Rules vary, so check the track's current policy.
What is the NASCAR Chase?
The Chase is the ten-race finish to the Cup season. After 26 regular-season races, the top 16 drivers in points compete for the title, and the driver with the most points after the final race is champion.
Do pit passes or garage passes include a seat?
No. Pre-race garage, pit road and fan zone passes are add-ons. At tracks such as Talladega and Daytona you also need a grandstand or infield ticket to use them.
What happens if a NASCAR race is rained out?
The race is usually rescheduled, often to the next day; at Daytona, current tickets are honored for a rescheduled 500. Some tracks also offer exchange programs for postponed races that apply only to tickets bought from the track.