Once upon a time in Daytona Beach, Florida, there was a real "Daytona Speedweek." In 2026, it still exists, but in a condensed fashion.
The current schedule begins the Wednesday before the Daytona 500, beginning with qualifying. It then ends, of course, with the big race itself.
Racing Territory posted a great flashback on X to a time when the SPEED Channel still existed. This week was nothing like what is now in place.
For 10 days, there were daily events lasting for at least four hours in total. This included practice, qualifying, modified racing, K&N Series racing, and so much more. It was a great marketing tool to generate tremendous hype for the incoming nine-month season.
What Happened to Daytona Speedweek?
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There are many factors as to why the event has been largely consolidated, including the Super Bowl.
In 2021, the NFL expanded its schedule to reach 18 total regular-season games. In turn, this moved the Super Bowl back one week, now being the Sunday before the Daytona 500.
That drastically affects viewership for Speedweek events, thus making it less worth the while to host, given the cost of doing so.
NASCAR has also put a focus on reducing costs in recent years. This is best highlighted with the NextGen Car being introduced in 2022. The NextGen Car was introduced with the main purpose to reduce team spending costs. Teams now buy their standardized parts from specified sources, condensing every aspect of cost, logistics, and engineering.
With these factors now in play, NASCAR and Daytona have removed Speedweeks, only to be replaced by a much shorter version, with the Clash just two weeks prior.
Fans hope to see it back after the weather issues at the Clash. Many NASCAR drivers have also vocalized their wishes, even if the Speedweek does not return to its strung-out version.
Speedweeks in 2026
Daytona does still market a shortened version of Speedweek. The event kicks off on Wednesday with Cup Series Practice No. 1 and Qualifying. However, qualifying applies to the Duels (more on that here).
Thursday will then bring practice sessions for ARCA and the Craftsman Truck Series, followed by the Duels at Daytona.
Friday brings ARCA Qualifying, Trucks qualifying, O'Reilly Series and Cup Series practices, culminating with the Truck Series Fresh from Florida 250.
Once the weekend hits, Daytona will continue with qualifying and races, ending with the Great American Race itself, provided the weather holds up.