What channel is the NASCAR race on today? What time does the NASCAR race start? These are the questions that plague race fans every Sunday, when each NASCAR Cup Series race will be on either Fox or FS1 for the first half of the 2020 season with differing start times.
As for Sunday’s Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR’s finest race and the event that caps the biggest week in stock car racing, the channel that will broadcast the race is Fox, and the race has a start time set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
The 2:30 p.m. ET start time for the Daytona 500 on Sunday is the only such start time of the Cup Series’ regular season; a couple playoff races also will start at 2:30 p.m. ET. As for the TV channel, the Daytona 500 is on Fox for the 14th consecutive year. It marks Fox’s first broadcast with its new, two-man booth setup with only Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon on the call.
Sunday’s Daytona 500 will consist of three stages: 65 laps, 65 laps and 70 laps. Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile oval that features 31-degree banking in the turns, three-degree banking on the backstretch and 18-degree banking in the trioval. Denny Hamlin won last year’s Daytona 500.
Below is all the info you need regarding how to watch Sunday’s Daytona 500.
MORE: Why is Donald Trump at the Daytona 500?
What channel is the Daytona 500 on today?
TV channel: Fox (TSN in Canada)
Live stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Fox’s prerace coverage will begin long before the green flag at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway is waved. The network’s Daytona 500 coverage will begin at 11 a.m. ET with “NASCAR Raceday” on FS1, and the show will move to Fox at 1 p.m. ET.
On the call of the 2020 Daytona 500 will be Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, marking the first race the duo has worked together since longtime Fox NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip retired. Joy will call his 41st Daytona 500, and Gordon will call his fifth.
“In a two-man booth, you’re much more focused on the call of the race and not looking for other storylines,” Joy told Sporting News when asked about the pros and cons of Fox’s new broadcast setup.
(NASCAR/Fox Sports)
Fox also will lean on additional analysis from Jamie McMurray. The recently retired driver will be joined by Larry McReynolds, the longtime Fox broadcaster who again will deliver information on race trends and team strategy, basically the crew chief of the broadcast.
The veteran reporting team of Matt Yocum, Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Regan Smith will provide stories and updates from pit road for the Daytona 500. Chris Myers and Adam Alexander will anchor Fox’s prerace coverage.
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) |
What time does the Daytona 500 start today?
Date: Sunday, Feb. 16
Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET
The “start time” for the Daytona 500 is 2:30 p.m. ET, but that’s the start time for the prerace ceremonies, including the invocation, the national anthem, the command to start engines and the pace laps.
The green flag time for Sunday’s Daytona 500 is 3:05 p.m. ET.
Below is Fox’s broadcast schedule for Sunday’s Daytona 500 coverage.
| Time | Program | TV channel |
| 11 a.m. ET – 1 p.m. ET | NASCAR RaceDay | FS1 |
| 1 p.m. ET – 2:30 p.m. ET | NASCAR RaceDay | Fox |
| 2:30 p.m. ET – 6:30 p.m. ET | Daytona 500 | Fox |
Daytona 500 live stream
Cord-cutters shouldn’t have a problem finding a live stream for the 2020 Daytona 500 — Sling, Hulu, YouTube TV, fuboTV and AT&T Now all carry Fox.
Another option: Anybody who has a cable or satellite subscription can access Fox’s live broadcast of the Daytona 500 via Fox Sports Go.
NASCAR TV schedule 2020
| Date | Race | Track | Start time | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Feb. 16 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| Feb. 23 | Pennzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 3:30 p.m. ET | Fox | PRN | – |
| March 1 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway | 3:30 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| March 8 | FanShield 500 | Phoenix Raceway | 3:30 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| March 15 | Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | Fox | PRN | – |
| March 22 | Dixie Vodka 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| March 29 | O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | PRN | – |
| April 5 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | PRN | – |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April 19 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond Raceway | 2 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| April 26 | Geico 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. ET | Fox | MRN | – |
| May 3 | NASCAR Cup Series Race at Dover | Dover International Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN | – |
| May 9 (Sat.) | NASCAR Cup Series Race at Martinsville | Martinsville Speedway | 8 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN | – |
| May 16 (Sat.) | All-Star Race | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 9 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN | – |
| May 24 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 6 p.m. ET | Fox | PRN | – |
| May 31 | Kansas 400 | Kansas Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN | – |
| June 7 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN | – |
| June 14 | Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | 3 p.m. ET | FS1 | PRN | – |
| June 21 | Chicagoland 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| June 27 (Sat.) | Kids Free 325 | Pocono Raceway | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| June 28 | Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350 | Pocono Raceway | 3:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| July 5 | Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC | IMS Radio | – |
| July 11 (Sat.) | Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart | Kentucky Speedway | 7:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN | PRN | – |
| July 19 | Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | PRN | – |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aug. 9 | Consumers Energy 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| Aug. 16 | Go Bowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| Aug. 23 | Drydene 400 | Dover International Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| Aug. 29 (Sat.) | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | 7:30 p.m. ET | NBC | MRN | – |
NASCAR schedule 2020: Playoff races
| Date | Race | Track | Start time | TV channel | Radio | Winner |
| Sept. 6 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | 6 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| Sept. 12 (Sat.) | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond Raceway | 7:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN | MRN | – |
| Sept. 19 (Sat.) | Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. ET | NBCSN | PRN | – |
| Sept. 27 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 7 p.m. ET | NBCSN | PRN | – |
| Oct. 4 | Alabama 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC | MRN | – |
| Oct. 11 | Bank of America ROVAL 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC | PRN | – |
| Oct. 18 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | 2:30 p.m. ET | NBC | MRN | – |
| Oct. 25 | Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. ET | NBCSN | PRN | – |
| Nov. 1 | NASCAR Cup Series Fall Race at Martinsville | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. ET | NBC | MRN | – |
| Nov. 8 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. ET | NBC | MRN | – |