NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is America’s top stock car championship, and it’s been running since 1949. Forty cars that look a lot like a Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang or Toyota Camry race door to door on ovals, road courses and even a street circuit on a Navy base. A 36-race season runs from February to November. Here’s what you’ll want to know: the 2027 calendar, the latest champions, the stories fans still argue about, how the new Chase format works, and the manufacturers and drivers who’ve won the most titles.
NASCAR Cup Series at a Glance
First season 1949 first race June 19 at Charlotte Speedway
Schedule 36 points races mostly ovals, February to November
Manufacturers Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota all on the Next Gen car since 2022
2025 champion Kyle Larson No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Next race October 25, 2026 YellaWood 500 at Talladega
Most wins 200 Richard Petty, 1960–1984
NASCAR Cup Series 2027 Calendar
NASCAR released the full 2027 schedule on August 26, 2026, so you can already plan next season. It opens with the Clash at Daytona on February 13, the Daytona 500 follows on February 21, and the season ends at Homestead-Miami on November 14. There are 36 points races plus three non-points events, and the last 10 races make up the Chase. A few things change from 2026: the Clash moves to Daytona, the All-Star Race goes back to North Wilkesboro, Dover returns as a points race, and the Chase now opens at Richmond. Start times and some race names haven’t been announced yet.
2027 NASCAR Cup Series schedule
| Round | Date | Race | Track | State | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Sat., Feb. 13 | The Clash (exhibition) | Daytona International Speedway | Florida | Upcoming |
| – | Thu., Feb. 18 | Duel at Daytona qualifying races | Daytona International Speedway | Florida | Upcoming |
| 1 | Feb. 21 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | Florida | Upcoming |
| 2 | Feb. 28 | Autotrader 400 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | Georgia | Upcoming |
| 3 | March 7 | DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | Texas | Upcoming |
| 4 | March 14 | Phoenix | Phoenix Raceway | Arizona | Upcoming |
| 5 | March 21 | Las Vegas | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Nevada | Upcoming |
| 6 | April 4 | Darlington | Darlington Raceway | South Carolina | Upcoming |
| 7 | April 11 | Bristol | Bristol Motor Speedway | Tennessee | Upcoming |
| 8 | April 18 | Cook Out 400 | Martinsville Speedway | Virginia | Upcoming |
| 9 | April 25 | Jack Link’s 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | Alabama | Upcoming |
| 10 | May 2 | Würth 400 | Texas Motor Speedway | Texas | Upcoming |
| 11 | May 9 | Kansas | Kansas Speedway | Kansas | Upcoming |
| 12 | May 16 | Dover | Dover Motor Speedway | Delaware | Upcoming |
| – | May 23 | All-Star Race (exhibition) | North Wilkesboro Speedway | North Carolina | Upcoming |
| 13 | May 30 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | North Carolina | Upcoming |
| 14 | June 6 | Nashville | Nashville Superspeedway | Tennessee | Upcoming |
| 15 | June 13 | Great American Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway | Pennsylvania | Upcoming |
| 16 | June 20 | Michigan | Michigan International Speedway | Michigan | Upcoming |
| 17 | June 27 | Chicagoland | Chicagoland Speedway | Illinois | Upcoming |
| 18 | July 4 | Iowa | Iowa Speedway | Iowa | Upcoming |
| 19 | July 11 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | California | Upcoming |
| 20 | July 18 | Dollar Tree 400 | EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) | Georgia | Upcoming |
| 21 | July 25 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indiana | Upcoming |
| 22 | Aug. 1 | Naval Base Coronado | Naval Base Coronado street course | California | Upcoming |
| 23 | Sat., Aug. 14 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | Tennessee | Upcoming |
| 24 | Aug. 22 | Enjoy Illinois 300 | World Wide Technology Raceway | Illinois | Upcoming |
| 25 | Sat., Aug. 28 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | Florida | Upcoming |
| 26 | Sept. 5 | Southern 500 (regular-season finale) | Darlington Raceway | South Carolina | Upcoming |
| 27 | Sat., Sept. 11 | Chase race 1 | Richmond Raceway | Virginia | Upcoming |
| 28 | Sept. 19 | Chase race 2 | Watkins Glen International | New York | Upcoming |
| 29 | Sept. 26 | Chase race 3 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | New Hampshire | Upcoming |
| 30 | Oct. 3 | Chase race 4 | Kansas Speedway | Kansas | Upcoming |
| 31 | Oct. 10 | Chase race 5 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Nevada | Upcoming |
| 32 | Oct. 17 | Chase race 6 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | North Carolina | Upcoming |
| 33 | Oct. 24 | Freeway Insurance 500 (Chase) | Phoenix Raceway | Arizona | Upcoming |
| 34 | Oct. 31 | YellaWood 500 (Chase) | Talladega Superspeedway | Alabama | Upcoming |
| 35 | Nov. 7 | Xfinity 500 (Chase) | Martinsville Speedway | Virginia | Upcoming |
| 36 | Nov. 14 | Championship finale | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Florida | Upcoming |
How the 2026 Chase is wrapping up
The 2026 season is still running. Seven of the 10 Chase races are done, and after Phoenix, Kyle Larson leads Christopher Bell by just 5 points, with Chase Briscoe 24 back and Denny Hamlin 31 back. Talladega and Martinsville come next, and the title will be decided at Homestead-Miami on November 8, 2026.
| Date | Race | Track | Winner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 6 | Southern 500 (Chase race 1) | Darlington Raceway | Christopher Bell | Done |
| Sept. 13 | Enjoy Illinois 300 | World Wide Technology Raceway | Kyle Larson | Done |
| Sept. 19 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | Joey Logano | Done |
| Sept. 27 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | Kyle Larson | Done |
| Oct. 4 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Chase Briscoe | Done |
| Oct. 11 | Bank of America 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Chase Briscoe | Done |
| Oct. 18 | Freeway Insurance 500 | Phoenix Raceway | Tyler Reddick | Done |
| Oct. 25 | YellaWood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | – | Upcoming |
| Nov. 1 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | – | Upcoming |
| Nov. 8 | Championship finale | Homestead-Miami Speedway | – | Upcoming |
NASCAR Cup Series Champions: 2025
The 2025 season ended at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025, and it’s the most recent completed season, so these are the reigning champions. The Cup Series crowns a driver, a car owner and a manufacturer, and in 2025 Chevrolet swept all three.
Drivers’ champion
Kyle Larson
No. 5 Chevrolet 2nd title
Larson went into the Phoenix finale as one of four title contenders and finished third, the best of the four, to win his second Cup title after 2021. A caution with two laps to go sent the race to overtime and wiped out Denny Hamlin’s chances after a slow final pit stop. Ryan Blaney won the race.
Owners’ champion
Hendrick Motorsports
Rick Hendrick 15th Cup title
Larson’s title was the 15th Cup drivers’ championship for Hendrick Motorsports, a record for any team, and every one of them has come in a Chevrolet. Hendrick drivers Larson and William Byron both made the Championship 4.
Manufacturers’ champion
Chevrolet
Camaro ZL1 5 in a row
Chevy won the 2025 manufacturers’ title, its fifth straight since 2021 and its 44th overall. Add the drivers’, owners’ and rookie titles and it was a clean sweep for the bowtie.
Rookie of the Year
Shane van Gisbergen
No. 88 Chevrolet 5 wins
The New Zealander won five races in his first full season, all on road courses, including the race at Sonoma you see here. He won five of the six road-course races on the schedule.
2025 champions at a glance
| Title | Champion | Team / car | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers’ champion | Kyle Larson | No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Owners’ champion | Rick Hendrick | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Manufacturers’ champion | Chevrolet | Camaro ZL1 | Chevrolet |
| Rookie of the Year | Shane van Gisbergen | No. 88 Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| Regular-season champion | William Byron | No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
The two support series crown their own champions: the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (called the Xfinity Series until 2025) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where Ram returned as a manufacturer in 2026.
NASCAR Cup Series History
NASCAR grew out of moonshine runners and beach racing in Daytona, and its top series has had a lot of names: Strictly Stock, Grand National, Winston Cup, Nextel Cup, Sprint Cup, Monster Energy Cup and, since 2020, simply the NASCAR Cup Series. What hasn’t changed is the idea: cars that look like the ones in the showroom, racing inches apart in front of huge crowds.
- 1947–1948 Bill France Sr. brings promoters, drivers and mechanics together at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach in December 1947. NASCAR is officially founded on February 21, 1948.
- 1949 The first “Strictly Stock” race runs at Charlotte Speedway on June 19. Glenn Dunaway crosses the line first but is disqualified for altered rear springs, so Jim Roper gets the win. Red Byron is the first champion.
- 1950 Darlington Raceway hosts the first Southern 500, NASCAR’s first 500-mile race on a paved superspeedway.
- 1959 Daytona International Speedway opens, and Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500 after a photo finish that takes three days to settle.
- 1971–1972 R.J. Reynolds’ Winston brand becomes the title sponsor, and the schedule is trimmed in 1972, the start of what fans call the modern era.
- 1979 CBS shows the Daytona 500 live from start to finish for the first time. A last-lap crash and a fight in the infield make it the race that sold NASCAR to the rest of the country.
- 1984 Richard Petty wins his 200th race at Daytona on July 4, with President Ronald Reagan at the track.
- 1988 Restrictor plates become mandatory at Daytona and Talladega after Bill Elliott’s 342.483 km/h (212.809 mph) qualifying lap and Bobby Allison’s crash into the catch fence in 1987.
- 1992 The Hooters 500 at Atlanta: Alan Kulwicki wins the title, Richard Petty races for the last time and Jeff Gordon makes his debut.
- 2001 Dale Earnhardt dies in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500. Head-and-neck restraints become mandatory later that year, and SAFER barriers soon follow at every track.
- 2004 The Chase for the Championship arrives, the first playoff format in NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson wins five titles in a row from 2006 to 2010.
- 2014–2017 The Chase becomes an elimination format with a winner-take-all Championship 4 finale. Johnson wins a record-tying seventh title in 2016, and in 2017 the format is renamed the Playoffs and stage racing starts.
- 2022 The Next Gen car arrives, with a spec chassis, independent rear suspension, a sequential gearbox and single-lug wheels.
- 2023 NASCAR runs its first street race, in Chicago. Shane van Gisbergen wins it in his Cup debut.
- 2025 Kyle Larson wins his second title, and Chevrolet sweeps the drivers’, owners’ and manufacturers’ championships.
- 2026 The Chase comes back: 16 drivers, 10 races, one points reset and no eliminations. The Cup Series also races on a Navy base in Coronado, California, and returns to North Wilkesboro for its first points race there since 1996.
Memorable Stories From the NASCAR Cup Series
After 75-plus seasons, every fan has a favorite race. These are the ones you’ll hear about most, from photo finishes to a move nobody had ever tried before.
1959
Three days to name a winner
Lee Petty Daytona 500
The first Daytona 500 ended with Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp side by side at the line. Beauchamp was declared the winner, but Bill France kept studying photos and newsreel film, and three days later Petty was named the official winner. It set the tone for the Great American Race.
1984
Petty’s 200th, with the President watching
No. 43 Pontiac Firecracker 400
Richard Petty beat Cale Yarborough to the caution flag to win the Firecracker 400 at Daytona on July 4, 1984. President Reagan gave the command to start engines from Air Force One and then watched from the track. It was Petty’s 200th and last Cup win, a record nobody has come close to.
1987
Too fast at Talladega
Bill Elliott 212.809 mph
Bill Elliott qualified at 342.483 km/h (212.809 mph) at Talladega in 1987, and it’s still the fastest lap in Cup history. In the race, Bobby Allison’s car got airborne and tore down the catch fence in front of the grandstands. Restrictor plates were mandatory at Daytona and Talladega from 1988, and the pack racing you see there today came with them.
1992
The greatest finale
Alan Kulwicki Hooters 500
Six drivers could still win the title at Atlanta. Bill Elliott won the race, but owner-driver Alan Kulwicki finished second and, by leading one more lap than Elliott, earned the bonus points that gave him the championship by 10 points. The same day, Richard Petty raced for the last time and a 21-year-old Jeff Gordon made his debut.
1998
Earnhardt finally wins the 500
No. 3 Chevrolet 20th try
Dale Earnhardt had won almost everything at Daytona except the Daytona 500. On his 20th try he finally did it, and crew members from nearly every team lined pit road to slap hands with him as he drove to victory lane.
2022
The Hail Melon
Ross Chastain Martinsville
Needing to gain spots on the last lap at Martinsville to make the Championship 4, Ross Chastain shifted up, jammed his Chevy against the outside wall and rode it around the last two turns. He passed enough cars to finish fourth and make the finale, and his 18.845-second lap was the fastest ever at the track. NASCAR banned the move the next year.
Want more? In 2023, Shane van Gisbergen flew in from Australia’s Supercars and won the first Chicago street race in his first Cup start. And at Kansas in May 2024, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds, the closest finish in Cup history and the smallest margin the timing system can measure.
NASCAR Cup Series Rules
NASCAR’s rulebook is built to keep the racing close: spec parts, matched horsepower and points for running up front all day, not just at the finish. Here’s how it works in 2026, the first year of the new Chase format.
The car and the grid
One car for everyone
Next Gen car
Since 2022 every team runs the same spec chassis and many shared parts from single suppliers. You get independent rear suspension, a five-speed sequential transaxle, a composite body and 18-inch aluminum wheels with a single center lug nut. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota each supply their own body shape and engine.
Pushrod V8s
Engines and power
Every car uses a 5.86-liter (358-cubic-inch) V8. In 2026 the cars make about 750 hp (559 kW) on road courses and tracks shorter than 2.4 km (1.5 miles), about 670 hp (500 kW) on intermediate ovals and about 510 hp (380 kW) on the big drafting tracks: Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta.
Charters and open cars
Teams and entries
Thirty-six cars hold charters, which guarantee a starting spot and a share of the money, and a few open cars race for the remaining spots in a field of up to 40. In December 2025, NASCAR settled the antitrust lawsuit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports and agreed to offer teams permanent charters.
How a race and the championship work
- Race weekend. Most weekends pack practice, qualifying and the race into two days. Qualifying sets the grid, usually with single-car laps and a final round for the fastest drivers. At Daytona the Duels qualifying races set most of the Daytona 500 grid.
- Stages. Each race is split into three stages. The top 10 at the end of stages 1 and 2 score 10 points down to 1.
- Race points. A win is worth 55 points in 2026, up from 40, and second place gets 35. With stage points, the most a driver can score in one race is 75.
- The Chase. After 26 races, the top 16 drivers in points make the Chase. Winning a race no longer guarantees a spot.
- One reset, no eliminations. Points reset once at the start of the Chase: the leader starts with 2,100, second 2,075, third 2,065, then 5 fewer per place down to 2,000 for 16th. Whoever has the most points after race 36 is champion.
- Open exemption provisional. NASCAR can add a 41st car for a world-class driver, as it did for Jimmie Johnson at the 2026 Daytona 500. That car can win, but it doesn’t score points.
- Safety. Head-and-neck restraints, SAFER barriers and a cockpit designed for the Next Gen car are mandatory. Cautions bunch the field, and a race that ends under yellow goes to overtime to try for a green-flag finish.
One more change for 2026: there’s no separate regular-season title and no playoff points to bank, so consistency over all 36 races matters more than it has in years.
Manufacturers With the Most Cup Titles
NASCAR has awarded a manufacturers’ championship every season since 1952. Chevrolet has won more than half of them, Ford is a distant second, and Toyota is tied for third with Hudson. Next come Dodge and Buick with two each.
44 manufacturer titles
Chevrolet
Most recent 2025 5 in a row, 2021–25
Nobody comes close. Chevy has won more manufacturer titles and more races than any other make, and its cars have carried drivers to 34 Cup championships, including the titles of Earnhardt, Gordon, Johnson and Larson.
17 manufacturer titles
Ford
Most recent 2020 Mustang today
Ford is second on the list, and its drivers have won 12 Cup titles, most recently Joey Logano for Team Penske in 2024. Today it races the Mustang, with Penske as its flagship team.
3 manufacturer titles each
Toyota and Hudson
Toyota: 2016, 2017, 2019 Hudson: 1952–54
Toyota joined the Cup Series in 2007 and won the title in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Hudson won the first three manufacturer titles ever awarded, with the Hornet in 1952–54. Toyota’s Camry is the most likely to break the tie.
Drivers With the Most Cup Titles
Three drivers share the record of seven Cup championships, so they share the top spot here. Jeff Gordon is next with four. Among active drivers, Joey Logano leads with three titles (2018, 2022 and 2024).
7 titles
Richard Petty
1964–1979 200 wins
“The King” won titles in 1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1979, mostly in Plymouths and Dodges, and his 200 wins are almost double the next driver’s total.
7 titles
Dale Earnhardt
1980–1994 76 wins
“The Intimidator” won in 1980, then six more times with Richard Childress Racing between 1986 and 1994, in the famous black No. 3 Chevrolet.
7 titles
Jimmie Johnson
2006–2016 83 wins
Johnson won five straight from 2006 to 2010, then again in 2013 and 2016, all in the No. 48 Hendrick Chevrolet. No one else has won more than three in a row.
Talk NASCAR With Other Fans
Planning your first Daytona 500, picking a winner for Homestead or still mad about a last-lap wreck? Share it with other stock car fans in the AutoGathering community.
- Daytona 500 trip planning
- Best tracks to visit
- Chase format debates
- Next Gen car talk
- Ford vs. Chevy vs. Toyota
- Classic NASCAR cars
- Short-track racing
- Race-day photos
NASCAR Cup Series FAQ
When does the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season start?
The season opens with the Clash at Daytona on Saturday, February 13, 2027, and the Daytona 500 is on Sunday, February 21. The championship finale is at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 14, 2027.
Who won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship?
Kyle Larson, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He finished third in the Phoenix finale, the best of the four title contenders, for his second championship after 2021.
When is the 2026 NASCAR championship race?
The 2026 finale is at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8, 2026. It’s the last of the 10 Chase races, and the driver with the most points after it is champion.
How does the NASCAR Chase work?
The top 16 drivers in points after 26 races make the Chase. Their points reset once, from 2,100 for the leader down to 2,000 for 16th, and there are no eliminations. The driver with the most points after 10 more races wins the title.
Who has won the most NASCAR Cup championships?
Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson are tied with seven titles each. Jeff Gordon is next with four.
Which manufacturer has won the most NASCAR titles?
Chevrolet, with 44 manufacturers’ championships through 2025, including five in a row from 2021. Ford has 17, and Toyota and Hudson have three each.
How fast do NASCAR Cup cars go?
On the big drafting tracks they run at more than 290 km/h (180 mph). The fastest qualifying lap ever is Bill Elliott’s 342.483 km/h (212.809 mph) at Talladega in 1987, before restrictor plates arrived.
What is the difference between the Cup, O’Reilly and Truck Series?
The Cup Series is NASCAR’s top level. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, called the Xfinity Series until 2025, is the second tier, and the Craftsman Truck Series races pickup-bodied trucks. Each crowns its own champion.
Explore the Tracks
Many Cup Series tracks are already in our North America circuit directory, from Daytona and Talladega to Bristol, Darlington and Sonoma, so you can look up where the series goes next. Start with Daytona, home of the Daytona 500.
Photo credits
- Header image: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Kyle Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Kyle Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- William Byron's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Shane van Gisbergen's No. 88 Trackhouse Racing…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Lee Petty's No. 42 1959 Oldsmobile 88,…: Shuta Multimedia, CC BY 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Richard Petty's No. 43 STP Pontiac that…: Shuta Multimedia, CC BY 3.0, cropped and resized.
- Alan Kulwicki's No. 7 Hooters Ford Thunderbird…: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo…: Chris Short from Detroit, MI, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Ross Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet…: Nick Jacuby Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- A pack of NASCAR stock cars racing…: Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Richard Petty's No. 43 1967 Plymouth Belvedere…: Phil Guest, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Dale Earnhardt's black No. 3 GM Goodwrench…: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet at…: Brian Shamblen, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.
- Ross Chastain's No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
- Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing…: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.