Don’t miss the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA this weekend for the Duramax Grand Prix
Don’t miss the NASCAR Cup Series at COTA this weekend for the Duramax Grand Prix
Catch all the action from practice to race day — here’s your full weekend viewing guide.
The DuraMax Grand Prix heads to Circuit of the Americas this Sunday, March 1, and this one’s a totally different animal than the superspeedway chaos we just saw. The green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, and COTA is all about precision. It’s got 17 turns, tight braking zones, and technical corners that punish even the smallest mistake. It’s NASCAR’s first road course of the season, which means strategy, pit timing, and pure driving skill are about to take center stage. Shane van Gisbergen has quickly become the name to beat on these tracks, but there’s no shortage of heavy hitters lining up to challenge him in Austin. You can stream all the racing action with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix
- When: Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Race on FOX, qualifying on Prime Video
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to Sling TV.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about the 2026 DuraMax Grand Prix:
What is the broadcast schedule for the 2026 NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix?
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, March 1 | 3:30 p.m. | DuraMax Grand Prix at COTA | FOX |
Why we like Sling TV for watching the NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix
If you’re flipping between NASCAR, basketball, hockey, random live events, and whatever new series your group chat is obsessing over, Sling TV makes it easy to keep it all under one roof without blowing up your monthly budget. It’s still one of the more affordable major live TV streaming platforms out there, and it includes the key channels you’ll want when race weekend hits.
At the moment, Sling is running 50% off your first month, which brings the base plan down from $46 per month to just $23 for month one. That’s a solid deal. You can go with Sling Orange, Sling Blue, or combine the two. The bundled plan usually costs $61 per month, but with the promo, your first month drops to $30.50, which is still under most other live TV streaming services.
If you’re really just here for the DuraMax Grand Prix and don’t want to commit long term, Sling also offers day, weekend, and week-long passes. That kind of flexibility is hard to beat. Just make sure to double-check that FOX is offered in your local area before signing up, since availability can vary by market.
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Chicago
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Detroit
- Gainesville
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- New York
- Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa/St. Petersburg
- Washington, DC
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Can you watch the NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix for free?
If you’re just trying to watch the DuraMax Grand Prix without signing up for yet another monthly bill, there are still a few free trial plays out there. Just don’t assume they all work the same way. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all talk about free trials, but how long you actually get can depend on timing and whether you’ve signed up before.
The safest bet is usually DIRECTV STREAM. They pretty regularly offer a five-day free trial, which is more than enough time to watch the race and bail if that’s the move. Hulu + Live TV tends to give new subscribers three days, which also lines up nicely with a race weekend.
Fubo’s a little more hit or miss. As The Streamable’s David Satin pointed out, the free trial length isn’t always super clear even during sign-up. Some people say they only got one day. Others see something closer to seven. It kind of depends.
YouTube TV can be similar. They’ll advertise trials that last “up to two weeks,” but some new users report only getting two days which can make planning tricky. So yeah, definitely double-check before you bank on it.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| Fox | + $19 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Watch a preview of the DuraMax Grand Prix
About the 2026 NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix
The DuraMax Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas feels like a completely different challenge compared to the oval tracks NASCAR usually visits. COTA is a 2.4-mile, 17-turn road course tucked into the hills of Austin, Texas, and it was originally built to host Formula One. That DNA shows because the layout is tight, technical, and full of heavy braking zones that punish even the smallest mistake. Speeds are much lower than what drivers see on superspeedways, but that doesn’t make it easier. If anything, it demands more discipline. One missed apex or late brake point can cost multiple positions in a hurry. This race runs 95 laps, split into stages of 20, 25, and 50 laps, which adds even more strategy into the mix.
Since NASCAR debuted here in 2021, the racing has been intense and surprisingly physical for a road course. Pit calls, tire strategy, and late-race restarts tend to decide everything. Last season came down to a three-driver fight to the finish, with Christopher Bell outdueling William Byron and Tyler Reddick in the closing laps to grab the win. Chevrolet has set the early standard at COTA, but Toyota has been closing the gap, and Ford is still searching for its first victory in Austin. It’s the first road course of the season, which usually sets the tone for how the rest of the year will play out on these tracks.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2026 NASCAR DuraMax Grand Prix as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world, with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Sling TV in order to stream the race with a VPN.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. I use it every single day to surf the web. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling (and my preferred option), there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available