For just the third time in a couple months, those seeking the start time for a NASCAR race are doing so in order to catch real, live action rather than a virtual competition. And it helps that Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only race on the modified Cup Series schedule for 2020 that will be run on its originally scheduled date and at its originally scheduled time.
Due to the same coronavirus pandemic-related issues that shut down live sports in March, NASCAR created a modified slate of races for May and June that continues tonight at 6 p.m. ET in Concord, N.C., at the sport's home track. Like all races currently on the schedule, the Coca-Cola 600 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 night's Coca-Cola 600, 6 p.m. ET with a green flag time of 6:28 p.m. ET, is the traditional start time for NASCAR's longest race. An event that will begin in sunlight will last roughly 4 1/2 hours and evolve into a cooler, faster night race.
Below is all you need to know about the schedule for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and beyond.
MORE: Watch tonight's Coca-Cola 600 live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Race: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Date: Sunday, May 24
- Start time: 6 p.m. ET (6:28 p.m. ET green flag)
Including the Darlington race a few nights ago, Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 is one of five night races currently set on NASCAR's modified schedule for 2020. Of the five, it features the earliest start time since it's such a long race.
The Coca-Cola 600 in 2020 will maintain its format as the only NASCAR race that features four stages rather than three. Each stage will be 100 laps around the 1.5-mile oval.
NASCAR has scheduled a second Cup Series points race at Charlotte this week as a replacement for the canceled June 14 Sonoma race. That event will run Wednesday with a start time of 8 p.m. ET and will be only 312 miles in length.
What channel is NASCAR on today?
- TV channel: Fox
- 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. The Coca-Cola 600, though, as well as three more Cup Series races currently on the schedule for June, will broadcast live on Fox.
Last week's Darlington race Sunday, which was the first for NASCAR since the coronavirus pandemic shut down live sports in March, drew 6.32 million viewers with its 3:30 p.m. ET start time on Fox. That was a 38 percent jump over the last Cup Series race, which ran March 8 at Phoenix Raceway. Another Sunday race on Fox's cable network should bring similarly strong TV ratings.
Below are the top 40 TV markets in the Unites States and the local Fox affiliate for each.
| Market | Fox affiliate (digital/virtual channel) |
| New York | WNYW (5) |
| Los Angeles | KTTV (11) |
| Chicago | WFLD (32) |
| Philadelphia | WTXF-TV (29) |
| Dallas-Ft. Worth | KDFW (4) |
| San Francisco/Bay area | KTVU (2) |
| Washington D.C. | WTTG (5) |
| Houston | KRIV (26) |
| Boston | WFXT (25) |
| Atlanta | WAGA-TV (5) |
| Phoenix | KSAZ-TV 10 |
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | WTVT (13) |
| Seattle | KCPQ (13) |
| Detroit | WJBK (2) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | KMSP-TV (9) |
| Miami | WSVN (7) |
| Denver | KDVR (31) |
| Orlando | WOFL (35) |
| Cleveland | WJW-TV (8) |
| Sacramento | (KTXL 40) |
| Charlotte | WJZY (46) |
| Portland | KPTV (12) |
| St. Louis | KTVI (2) |
| Pittsburgh | WPGH-TV (53) |
| Baltimore | WBFF (45) |
| Raleigh-Durham | WRAZ (50) |
| Nashville | WZTV (17) |
| San Diego | KSWB-TV (69) |
| Salt Lake City | KSTU (13) |
| San Antonio | KABB (29) |
| Kansas City | WDAF-TV (4) |
| Columbus | WTTE (28) |
| Milwaukee | WITI (6) |
| Cincinnati | WXIX-TV (19) |
| Las Vegas | KVVU-TV (5) |
| Jacksonville | WFOX-TV (30) |
| Oklahoma City | KOKH-TV (25) |
| New Orleans | WVUE-DT (8) |
| Memphis | WHBQ-TV (13) |
| Buffalo | WUTV (29) |
NASCAR live stream for Coca-Cola 600
Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can stream Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 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 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 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 | 7:30 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 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)