Ken WillisDaytona Beach News-Journal
Aug. 14, 2026, 5:04 a.m. ET
- The first Saturday night Cup Series race of the 2026 NASCAR season is taking place at Richmond.
- Three of the next six races will be held on Saturday evenings, including events at Daytona and Bristol.
Doesn’t seem possible. I had to go back over the list twice just to confirm and reconfirm.
Hold on, let’s reconfirm that reconfirmation.
In fact, three of the next six races make up the three Saturday evening events of the 2026 Cup schedule, and the next two are also traditional under-the-lights affairs — Aug. 29 at Daytona and Sept. 19 at Bristol.
For this weekend, let’s assume you remember the drill and move everything up a day. Yes, Friday is qualifying day this week. It’s also a race day for the trucks, but a Friday night is nothing new to those cats.
Let’s check the list and see where you need to tune your color television.
Friday: Cup Series qualifying and a NASCAR truck race at Richmond
1 p.m.: Truck Series practice (FS2).
2:05 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying (FS2).
3:30 p.m.: Cup Series practice (Tru).
4:40 p.m.: Cup Series qualifying (Tru).
7:30 p.m.: Truck Series race, Black’s Tires 250 (FS1).
Saturday: No NASCAR race Sunday. It’s a Saturday night jam this week
7 p.m.: Cup Series race, Cook Out 400 (USA).
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