For the fifth time in the span of just 15 days, those seeking the start time for a NASCAR Cup Series race are doing so in order to catch real, live action rather than a virtual competition. Both the start time and the date for this year's day race at Bristol Motor Speedway are later than originally scheduled.
Due to the same coronavirus pandemic-related issues that shut down live sports in March, NASCAR created a modified schedule of races for May and June that continues today at 3:30 p.m. ET at the world's fastest half-mile. Like all races currently on the schedule, Sunday's race at Bristol will run without fans in the stands and with a limited number of team and NASCAR personnel allowed to attend.
The start time for Sunday's race at Bristol, 3:30 p.m. ET, is later than NASCAR's original time (2 p.m. ET) for its spring Cup race at the track, but the distance remains the same — 500 laps and 2066 miles with stage lengths of 125, 125 and 250 laps.
Below is all you need to know about the schedule for Sunday's race at Bristol and beyond.
MORE: Watch today's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Race: Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Date: Sunday, May 31
- Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The 3:30 p.m. ET start time for Sunday's race at Bristol is the second such start time on NASCAR's modified Cup Series schedule for 2020, as the series' return to racing at Darlington a couple weeks ago featured a late afternoon green flag. The race at Homestead on June 14 also is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The other two day races on NASCAR's confirmed short-term schedule (Atlanta and Talladega) will start at 3 p.m. ET. The mid-week night race at Martinsville scheduled for June 10 will start at 7 p.m. ET.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel: FS1
- Live stream: Fox Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Like the schedule itself, the TV channels for Cup Series races after June are up in the air. Sunday's race at Bristol, though, as well as one more Cup Series race currently on the schedule for June (Martinsville on the 10th), will broadcast live on FS1.
As is the case for all the Cup Series races on Fox and FS1 this season, Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon will call Sunday's race at Bristol. Until further notice, they will do so remotely from the Fox studio rather than the booth at the track.
Including Sunday's race at Bristol, Fox will broadcast the next five Cup Series races before NBC is scheduled to take over as the broadcast network for the second half of the season. However, four of Fox's races remain postponed. (More on those later.)
MORE: Full betting preview for Sunday's Bristol race
NASCAR live stream for Charlotte race
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's race at Bristol 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 major OTT TV streaming options that carry FS1 — 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 schedule 2020
NASCAR on May 14 released its revised Cup Series schedule for May and June of 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 |
| Sun., May 17 | Darlington | Cup | 400.2 miles | 90-95-108 | FOX | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| 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 | 266.5 miles | 125-125-250 | FS1 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Sun, June 7 | Atlanta | Cup | 500 miles | 105-105-115 | FOX | 3 p.m. ET |
| Wed, June 10 | Martinsville | Cup | 263 miles | 130-130-240 | FS1 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Sun, June 14 | Homestead-Miami | Cup | 400 miles | 80-80-107 | FOX | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Sun, June 21 | Talladega | Cup | 500 miles | TBD | FOX | 3 p.m. ET |
(NASCAR warns that the stage lengths and start times for the races above are tentative and subject to change.)
To start, NASCAR scheduled races within driving distance of the Charlotte area, where most race teams are headquartered. That eliminated most of the travel-related logistics issues associated with running multiple races in one week.
Because those tracks are hosting more races than originally scheduled, NASCAR had to take races away from Chicagoland, Richmond and Sonoma. Below are the details of those changes:
— Chicagoland’s Cup Series race, originally set for June 21, was reassigned to Darlington on May 17. The Xfinity Series race that was scheduled June 20 at Chicagoland instead was held May 19 at Darlington.
— Richmond Raceway’s spring Cup Series race on the initial schedule for April 19 was moved to Darlington on May 20. The track’s Sept. 11-12 race weekend remains on the schedule.
— Sonoma Raceway’s Cup Series date for June 14 was moved to Charlotte on May 27 (and then May 28 after a rain delay). 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)