The NASCAR Cup Series Chase heads to Bristol this weekend for another edition of the playoff circuit — the Bass Pro Shops Night Race comes to screens on Saturday.
As the Chase continues, the stakes keep getting higher and higher. Veteran Kyle Larson secured a major victory at Gateway last weekend, snapping a winless streak and placing himself only nine points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
A handful of drivers in the playoff circuit are starting to fall out of title contention, like Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron. History shows that starting position is important at Bristol, so those with strong qualifying results will have a big advantage come Saturday.
Who will add a playoff win to their record?
Here’s everything you need to know about the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, including TV channel and streaming options for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel: USA Network
- Live stream: DIRECTV
The 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.
Cord-cutters and fans without cable can also stream the action live on DIRECTV, which offers a free trial for all new users.
Bass Pro Shops Night Race start time
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
The 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race will get started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 19. The race will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN.
NASCAR Cup Series schedule 2026
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Race | Track | Time | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 4 | Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray | Bowman Gray Stadium | 6 p.m. | Ryan Preece |
| Feb. 12 | Duel 1 at Daytona | Daytona International Speedway | 7 p.m. | Joey Logano |
| Feb. 12 | Duel 2 at Daytona | Daytona International Speedway | 8:45 p.m. | Chase Elliott |
| Feb. 15 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | 1:30 p.m. | Tyler Reddick |
| Feb. 22 | Autotrader 400 | EchoPark Speedway | 3 p.m. | Tyler Reddick |
| March 1 | DuraMax Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3:30 p.m. | Tyler Reddick |
| March 8 | Straight Talk Wireless 500 | Phoenix Raceway | 3:30 p.m. | Ryan Blaney |
| March 15 | Pennzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 4 p.m. | Denny Hamlin |
| March 22 | Goodyear 400 | Darlington Raceway | 3 p.m. | Tyler Reddick |
| March 29 | Cook Out 400 | Martinsville Speedway | 3:30 p.m. | Chase Elliott |
| April 12 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. | Ty Gibbs |
| April 19 | AdventHealth 400 | Kansas Speedway | 2 p.m. | Tyler Reddick |
| April 26 | Jack Link’s 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 3 p.m. | Carson Hocevar |
| May 3 | Wurth 400 | Texas Motor Speedway | 3:30 p.m. | Chase Elliott |
| May 10 | Go Bowling at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. | Shane van Gisbergen |
| May 17 | All-Star Race | Dover Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. | Denny Hamlin |
| May 24 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 6 p.m. | Daniel Suarez |
| May 31 | Cracker Barrel 400 | Nashville Superspeedway | 7 p.m. | Denny Hamlin |
| June 7 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 3 p.m. | Denny Hamlin |
| June 14 | Great American Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway | 3 p.m. | Denny Hamlin |
| June 21 | Anduril 250 | Naval Base Coronado | 4 p.m. | Corey Heim |
| June 28 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | 3:30 p.m. | Shane van Gisbergen |
| July 5 | eero 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | 6 p.m. | Chase Briscoe |
| July 12 | Quaker State 400 | EchoPark Speedway | 7 p.m. | Ryan Blaney |
| July 19 | Window World 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | 7 p.m. | Joey Logano |
| July 26 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 2 p.m. | Corey Heim |
| Aug. 9 | Iowa Corn 350 | Iowa Speedway | 3:30 p.m. | Ty Gibbs |
| Aug. 15 | Cook Out 400 | Richmond Raceway | 7 p.m. | Joey Logano |
| Aug. 23 | Dollar Tree 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. | Ryan Blaney |
| Aug. 29 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | 7:30 p.m. | Ryan Preece |
NASCAR Cup Series playoff race schedule 2026
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Race | Track | Time | Watch/Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 6 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | 5 p.m. | Christopher Bell |
| Sept. 13 | Enjoy Illinois 300 | World Wide Technology Raceway | 3 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Sept. 19 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Sept. 27 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Oct. 4 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 5:30 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Oct. 11 | Bank of America 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Oct. 18 | Freeway Insurance 500 | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. | USA, DIRECTV |
| Oct. 25 | Yellawood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. | NBC, fubo |
| Nov. 1 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. | NBC, fubo |
| Nov. 8 | Cup Series Championship Race | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 3 p.m. | NBC, fubo |
