NASCAR unveiled the 2026 schedule on Wednesday, introducing many changes. From the addition of the San Diego road course on a temporary street circuit at Naval Base Coronado to the removal of the Mexico City race, the return of North Wilkesboro as a points event, and the All-Star Race shifting to Dover, all of it has been spoken about at large by the fraternity. However, Austin Cindric had his focus on one specific change in the calendar.
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Cindric, who punched his playoff ticket this year with a win at Talladega, spoke on SpeedFreaks that what stood out most in the 2026 schedule was the two-week break built into the regular season.
Officials added a pause between Martinsville on March 29, 2026, and Bristol on April 12, 2026. The second weekend off arrives after the Indianapolis race on July 26, 2026, with no Cup action on August 2. The series will pick up at Iowa on August 9, 2026.
Cindric applauded the sanctioning body for the breaks, while elaborating on the grind of the season. “Number one is two off weeks. That’s badass. We need one in the middle of something,” he said, when pressed about the highlights of the new slate.
“You think about it, we’ve been racing since Easter, which I love. I love that, but god, it is a grind for everybody involved. A lot of people I work with all have families, and those things are very important to have, [to] have a little bit of that time off. So, I think that’s big for the whole industry to have that,” added Cindric.
Cindric also spoke about the novelty of racing on a naval base. He praised North Wilkesboro’s elevation to a points race, too, terming it as well-earned. Cindric also addressed the road-course debate.
This season featured six road course events, with five already in the books. And Shane van Gisbergen swept four. The New Zealander’s dominance stirred up criticism that the Cup Series, built on ovals, may be tilting too far toward road racing. For 2026, the sanctioning body locked in five road course races, beginning in the third week of the season.
“I think there’s a balance for sure, and I know the conversations come up more with Shane’s success. I mean, I feel like that should be celebrated more than maybe criticized as far as taking tracks off the schedule,” said Cindric.
“But I think if we should go to road courses, we need to go to tracks that suit our cars. Because there are some tracks that don’t suit our cars, if I’m being honest. I mean, our cars are not very nimble. They’re high-horsepower, heavy,” he continued
“They do promote some sort of tire fall-off… We can get very physical… I think we need to go to circuits that complement our cars more than just destinations, speaking as a purist and a race fan. But I know it’s more than just that,” added the Team Penske driver.
It’d be interesting to see how veterans like Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, both persistent defenders of ovals, respond to the shakeup.
