// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did the 2026 Freeway Insurance 500 go to therapy? It was feeling a little "crash"-ed.
| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 33 of 36 in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | October 18, 2025 | ||
| Location | Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.000 miles (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | USA | ||
| Announcers | Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and Todd Gordon | ||
| Turn announcers | Dan Hubbard (1 & 2) and Tim Catafalmo (3 & 4) | ||
The 2026 Freeway Insurance 500 is an upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race that will be held on October 18, 2026, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the 1.000 mi (1.609 km) oval, it will be the 33rd race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the seventh race of the NASCAR Chase.
Report
[edit]Background
[edit]
Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. Phoenix Raceway has also hosted the CART, IndyCar Series, USAC and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The raceway is currently owned and operated by NASCAR.
Freeway Insurance was announced as the title sponsor.[4]
Entry list
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Media
[edit]Television
[edit]USA Sports will cover the race on the television side. Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte will call the race from the broadcast booth. Reporters TBA will handle the pit road duties from pit lane.
| USA | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Leigh Diffey Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte | TBA |
Radio
[edit]MRN will cover the radio action for the race which will also be simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and former crew chief Todd Gordon will call the race when the field races past the start/finish line. Dan Hubbard will call the action from turns 1 & 2, and Tim Catafalmo will call the action from turns 3 & 4. Pit lane will be manned by Lead MRN Pit Reporter Steve Post, Chris Wilner, and Jacklyn Drake.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Mike Bagley Announcer: Todd Gordon | Turns 1 & 2: Dan Hubbard Turns 3 & 4: Tim Catafalmo | Steve Post Chris Wilner Jacklyn Drake |
References
[edit]- ↑ "2026 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Phoenix Raceway". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ↑ "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ↑ Srigley, Joseph (October 31, 2025). "Freeway Insurance Named Premier Partner of NASCAR". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved October 31, 2025.