NASCAR is back. The Cup Series returned on Sunday with Kevin Harvick taking home his first win and fifth top-10 finish of the season. Now it's time for the Xfinity Series to make its 2020 return. NASCAR is staying at Darlington Raceway for the Toyota 200.
On Monday night, NASCAR announced a time change for Tuesday's race. Instead of starting at 8 p.m. ET, the race will be moved two hours earlier to avoid potentially inclement weather in South Carolina.
MORE: Watch the Toyota 200 live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The Toyota 200 is the first Xfinity Series race after a two-month absence due to the coronavirus pandemic. Along with a new race time, Tuesday's race also includes other changes. Practices won't be held before the race and the lineup is set by a random draw. On the track, procedures have been changed to fit government regulations.
JR Motorsports fills the first row of the starting lineup with Noah Gragson starting in first and Michael Annett in second. Kyle Busch, who raced on Sunday in the Real Heroes 400, starts in 26th. Busch will also race on Wednesday in the Cup Series' second race in four days.
Sporting News collected everything you need to know on how to watch NASCAR's Xfinity Series race at Darlington, including the TV channel and live stream options.
MORE: Weather updates for Xfinity Series race at Darlington
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- Race: NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway
- Date: Tuesday, May 19
- TV channel: FS1
- Live stream: Fox Sports Go, fuboTV (7-day free trial)
- Radio: MRN
The Toyota 200 will air on Fox Sports 1. Despite the time change of the race, the coverage and TV channel won't be affected. Everything is being moved up two hours to avoid the possibility of bad weather coming through Tuesday night.
What time does the NASCAR Xfinity Series race start today?
- Date: Tuesday, May 19
- Start time: 6 p.m. ET
The Xfinity Series race is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 19. It was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. ET but NASCAR announced on Monday it would be moved up to beat potential bad weather.
Tuesday's race at Darlington is scheduled for 200 miles. 147 total laps make up the race, with stages after Lap 45, Lap 90 and Lap 147.
NASCAR live stream for Darlington race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's Darlington race live via Fox Sports Go. This should be the preferred route for a viewer who has such a subscription but isn't able to get in front of his or her TV.
For those who don't have a cable or satellite subscription, there are five OTT TV streaming options that carry Fox — Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV, fuboTV and AT&T Now. Of the five, Hulu, YouTubeTV and fuboTV offer free trial options.
Below are links to each.
NASCAR Cup Series schedule 2020
NASCAR on May 14 released its revised Cup Series schedule for May 2020. It remains committed to running 36 races, four of which were completed before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world. According to Fox Sports, NASCAR hopes to keep its 10 playoff races in the fall intact and at their original tracks.
Below is the schedule revision for the Cup Series:
Date | Track | Series | Distance | Stage lengths (laps) | TV channel | Start time |
Wed., May 20 | Darlington | Cup | 311.4 miles | 60-65-103 | FS1 | 7:30 p.m. ET |
Sun., May 24 | Charlotte | Cup | 600 miles | 100-100-100-100 | FOX | 6 p.m. ET |
Wed., May 27 | Charlotte | Cup | 312 miles | 55-60-93 | FS1 | 8 p.m. ET |
Sun, May 31 | Bristol | Cup | 266 miles | TBD | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
Sun, June 7 | Atlanta | Cup | 500 miles | TBD | FOX | 3 p.m. ET |
Wed, June 10 | Martinsville | Cup | 263 miles | TBD | FS1 | 7 p.m. ET |
Sun, June 14 | Miami | Cup | 400 miles | TBD | FOX | 3:30 p.m. ET |
Sun, June 21 | Talladega | Cup | 500 miles | TBD | FOX | 3 p.m. ET |
To start, NASCAR is scheduling races within driving distance of the Charlotte area, where most race teams are headquartered. That eliminates most of the travel-related logistics issues associated with running multiple races in one week, which appears necessary for a full season of racing.
Because those tracks are hosting more races than originally scheduled, NASCAR had to take races away from Chicagoland, Richmond and Sonoma. Via NASCAR, below are the details of those changes:
— "Chicagoland’s NASCAR Cup Series race, originally set for June 21, has been reassigned to Darlington on May 17. The 1.5-mile Illinois track’s Xfinity Series race that was scheduled June 20 will be held May 19 at Darlington. Chicagoland was also set to host the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (June 19) and ARCA Menards Series (June 18); officials indicated that those races will be reassigned at a later date."
— "Richmond Raceway’s springtime Cup Series event on the initial schedule for April 19 has been moved to Darlington on May 20. A Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race that was to be run April 18 remains postponed, with officials saying details would come later for rescheduling. The .75-mile Virginia track’s Sept. 11-12 race weekend remains on the schedule."
— "Sonoma Raceway’s Cup Series date for June 14 has been moved to Charlotte on May 27. Officials for the road course said in a release that they had worked with NASCAR to find an alternate date on the schedule, but that a suitable replacement could not be reached, 'given the ongoing uncertainty around large events in California.'"
Below are the four NASCAR Cup Series races that are currently postponed (and their original dates on the schedule):
- Texas (March 29)
- Dover (May 3)
- Kansas (May 31)
- Michigan (June 7)
Sporting News' Tadd Haislop contributed to this story.