What Is the NASCAR Cup Series?
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top tier of American stock car racing — the premier national championship that sits at the summit of the NASCAR ladder, above the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It is where the sport's biggest names, deepest-funded teams, and most-watched races live.
A Cup season runs from February to November and is built around a regular season followed by a playoff, with the championship decided at the season-ending finale. Three manufacturers field cars — Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota — and the marquee organizations spend the year chasing both individual race wins and the season-long title.
For the live, always-current order of the championship, see the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series standings — updated after every race.
The 2026 Championship Picture
Through the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, Tyler Reddick has turned 2026 into a runaway. The 23XI Racing driver leads the championship with 620 points and a series-best five wins, well clear of the field.
The chase behind him, as of the latest standings:
- Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) — the closest pursuer, one win on the year, and winner of the inaugural Dover All-Star Race.
- Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) and Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) — both inside the top four.
- Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) — two wins and the most popular driver in the sport.
- Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) — a top-six points driver carrying a lengthy Cup winless streak, the most-watched slump in the garage.
Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse's Shane van Gisbergen, and RFK's Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski round out the contenders. The full, live board is on the standings page.
Teams and Manufacturers
The Cup garage is defined by a handful of powerhouse organizations:
- Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) — the winningest team in series history; Elliott, Larson, William Byron.
- Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) — Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe.
- Team Penske (Ford) — Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric.
- 23XI Racing (Toyota) — co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan; home of points leader Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.
- Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) — Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain.
- RFK Racing (Ford), Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet), Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet), Kaulig Racing, and Legacy Motor Club fill out the field.
2026 Storylines
Reddick's runaway. Five wins and a commanding points lead have made the 23XI driver the dominant story of the season — the championship favorite by a wide margin heading into summer.
Remembering Kyle Busch. The 2026 season was marked by the death of two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch on May 21, 2026. The loss reverberated across every national series in the days that followed, with tributes throughout the Memorial Day race weekend at Charlotte. Richard Childress Racing renumbered his Cup entry from the No. 8 to the No. 33 in the aftermath. Busch's final victory had come just days earlier in the Truck Series at Dover.
Larson's winless streak. Kyle Larson, one of the sport's most talented drivers, has carried a long Cup winless run deep into 2026 — a storyline that follows him to every track.
Hamlin's All-Star night. Denny Hamlin won the first-ever Dover All-Star Race from the pole, a $1 million non-points exhibition and his second career All-Star victory.
The Hall calls. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 — Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Phillips — will be inducted in Charlotte in January 2027.
Crown Jewels and Notable 2026 Races
- Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) — NASCAR's longest race at 600 miles, run Memorial Day weekend under a "250 Years of America" theme and the Mission 600 military-honor program.
- Cracker Barrel 400 (Nashville Superspeedway) — the next stop on the Cup calendar.
- NASCAR San Diego Weekend — Anduril 250 "Race the Base" (Naval Base Coronado) — the Cup Series' first-ever race weekend at a U.S. naval installation, debuting in June.
The complete calendar is on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
How to Watch
Cup races are carried across NASCAR's broadcast partners, including FOX, FS1, and streaming on Amazon Prime Video (the Coca-Cola 600 aired on Prime Video). Radio coverage is on the Performance Racing Network (PRN), the Motor Racing Network (MRN), and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Check the schedule for the broadcast window of each race.
Why It Matters
The Cup Series is the summit of stock car racing — the championship every driver in the CARS Tour, the Craftsman Truck Series, and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series is climbing toward. It is the top of the ladder: the same drivers, teams, and tracks that shape regional racing all point here. Every Cup weekend sets the agenda for the entire sport.