Bristol Night Races, NHRA, Sprint Cars, Short Tracks and Sports Cars Make for a Can’t-Miss Racing Weekend
With NASCAR heading to Bristol, the NHRA bringing its nitro show to Michigan, High Limit Sprint Car Series competitors taking on another dirt-track battle and IMSA settling in at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there is no shortage of major-league racing. And for fans who would rather watch a modified slide through a corner than a million-dollar sports car, the streaming schedule is just as loaded.
The beauty of modern motorsports is that you don’t have to choose between the big names and the grassroots races. FloRacing, RACER+, TrackTV and YouTube have made it possible to jump from a national touring series to a short track hundreds of miles away without ever leaving the couch.
So, grab the remote, fire up the laptop and get ready for a busy weekend.
Bristol Is Calling
Saturday night belongs to NASCAR.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway brings the NASCAR Cup Series to one of the sport’s most recognizable short tracks. The .533-mile bullring has a reputation for producing close quarters, high-speed action and plenty of tempers, making the Saturday night race one of the most anticipated stops of the NASCAR season.
The Cup Series takes the green at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on USA Network and HBO Max.
But the NASCAR weekend starts Friday, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competing at Bristol at 7:30 p.m. on The CW. Cup Series practice and qualifying also take place Friday, setting the stage for Saturday night’s main event.
For fans who love short-track racing but still want the stars of NASCAR, Bristol is the place to be this weekend.
NHRA Heads to the Great Lakes
Records are already being toppled as NHRA makes it’s first-ever visit to one of the best family-run drag racing venues in the country. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, for the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals.
Qualifying runs Friday and Saturday before eliminations take center stage Sunday. FS1 will carry the national-event coverage, with Sunday’s eliminations scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
And the drag racing doesn’t stop there. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is competing at Tulsa Raceway Park during a doubleheader weekend, with coverage available through NHRA.tv and the NHRA YouTube channel.
For drag racing fans, it is a weekend that offers plenty of opportunities to hear the header flames and smell the nitro—even if you’re nowhere near the track.
FloRacing Keeps the Dirt Fans Busy
If there’s one place where a racing fan can disappear for an entire weekend, it’s FloRacing.
The platform’s September 18-20 schedule features a little bit of everything, with sprint cars, late models, modifieds, touring series and grassroots racing filling the calendar.
The High Limit Sprint Car Series is among the major attractions for dirt-track fans, adding the country’s best winged 410 sprint car drivers to an already crowded weekend of dirt-track action.
Friday’s lineup includes the IRA Sprints at Jackson Motorplex, Maxxis Midwest Max Daddy Race at Fairbury Speedway, Pink Lady Classic at Meridian Speedway, NAPA All Star Circuit of Champions at Fremont Speedway and USAC National Sprint Cars at Circle City Raceway.
Saturday turns the volume up even further with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, SMART Modified Tour, USAC National Sprint Cars, MARS Late Models, CARS Tour West, Great Lakes Pro Am Series and IMCA Rod Wittkopf Memorial, along with additional grassroots events.
For dirt racing fans, that’s the real attraction. You can spend the afternoon watching sprint cars, switch over to late models and then finish the night with modifieds—all without having to find a parking spot.
IMSA Takes Over Indianapolis
While the dirt-track crowd is bouncing around between bullrings, sports car fans will have their own destination at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks brings the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to one of America’s most famous racing facilities.
The weekend features much more than the headline WeatherTech race. Mazda MX-5 Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo all add to a packed weekend of road racing.
Several sessions are available through YouTube and IMSA.TV, giving fans a chance to watch the action without waiting for a traditional television broadcast.
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship takes center stage Sunday, with the Battle on the Bricks scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
RACER+ Goes Road Racing
For fans who like their racing with a little more road course and a little less fender-banging, RACER+ has plenty to offer.
The platform features GRIDLIFE at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca throughout the weekend, bringing a different flavor of motorsports to one of America’s most famous road courses.
Mazda MX-5 Cup, Japanese Super GT and other road-racing programming also make RACER+ worth checking throughout the weekend.
It is another example of how the modern motorsports fan can build a personalized viewing schedule rather than simply watching whatever happens to be on the traditional sports networks.
Don’t Forget the Short Tracks
One of the biggest advantages of streaming is that it has opened the door to races that once would have been nearly impossible to watch outside the local area.
TrackTV continues that trend this weekend with a pair of events worth putting on the radar.Friday features the 65th Bettenhausen Memorial at Grundy County Speedway, featuring the Big 8 Late Models.
Saturday brings the CorvetteParts.net Glass City 200 at Toledo Speedway, featuring the ASA STARS Tour, followed by the ASA Midwest Tour’s Bettenhausen Memorial at Grundy County Speedway.
For RacingJunk readers, this is the stuff that makes streaming so important. These are the races where regional stars, longtime short-track veterans and the next generation of drivers share the same piece of asphalt.
YouTube Is More Than Cat Videos These Days
YouTube has become an increasingly important part of the motorsports landscape, and this weekend is another example.
Hot Rod Drag Week has been keeping productivity levels at an absolute minimum this week, with the final day of action taking place throughout the day on Friday on the MotorTrend Youtube Channel. One of the best free streams each season, be sure to tune in and see how it all shakes out.
IMSA will provide coverage of several support-series sessions and qualifying through YouTube and IMSA.TV, while NHRA fans can turn to the NHRA YouTube channel for additional Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series coverage.
Some of the best racing of the weekend is available without a traditional television subscription.
Football Can Wait
The nights are getting shorter, the temperatures begin to cool, and every event carries a little more weight. Championships are on the line, rivalries are reaching their peak, and racers who have spent months chasing glory are making their final pushes.
For grassroots racers, it’s also a time to make the most of every lap, every weekend with friends and every chance to compete before the trailers are parked for the winter. The season may be winding down, but the racing—and the stories that come with it—are often just getting better.
We’re nearing the finish line on the 2026 racing season, so embrace it while we’ve still got racing to watch.
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