Here’s how to watch NASCAR’s Food City 500 at Bristol this weekend
Here’s how to watch NASCAR’s Food City 500 at Bristol this weekend
Catch all the action from practice to race day — here’s your full weekend viewing guide.
The NASCAR Cup Series is back this weekend with the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and this one always delivers chaos in the best way. The race goes down Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, and Bristol is about as intense as it gets. It’s a half-mile concrete short track where drivers are constantly in traffic, beating and banging for position with basically no time to breathe.
This is the traditional 500-lap spring race, which means things are going to heat up fast as the laps pile on. Kyle Larson comes in as the defending winner, and probably the guy to beat again, but Chase Elliott is riding momentum after his Martinsville win and is still looking for his first Bristol victory. And with Denny Hamlin always lurking at tracks like this, there’s no shortage of contenders. If this turns into a late-race battle, expect tempers to flare and cars to get moved. You can stream all the racing action with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Food City 500
- When: Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET
- TV: Race on FS1, practice and 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 Food City 500:
What is the broadcast schedule for the 2026 NASCAR Food City 500?
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, April 12 | 3 p.m. | Food City 500 | FS1 |
Why we like Sling TV for watching the NASCAR Food City 500
If you’re jumping between NASCAR, basketball, hockey, live events, and whatever new show everyone’s talking about, Sling TV makes it easy to keep everything in one spot. You get a ton of live content without paying a premium, and it’s still one of the more affordable live TV streaming services out there. More importantly, it has the channels you actually need when race weekend hits.
There’s also a great deal right now where you can get 50% off your first month, bringing the base plan down from $46 per month to $23 for that first month. If you’re signing up just to catch this race, it’s a no-brainer. FS1, which is carrying the Food City 500, is included in the Sling Blue plan. And if you want more coverage, you can bundle Sling Orange and Sling Blue. That combo normally costs $61 per month, but with the promo, your first month drops to $30.50, which is still cheaper than most other live TV streaming options.
If you’d rather keep things simple, FS1 is also included in Sling’s Select package for $30 per month. That plan also gives you access to local ABC, NBC, and Fox stations in select areas. And if you’re only here for race weekend, Sling has day, weekend, and week-long passes, so you can watch without committing to a full month.
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 Food City 500 for free?
If you don’t want to commit to a full subscription, there are still a few ways to watch for free. Just know the trial situation can be a bit inconsistent. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but how long they last can depend on timing and whether you’ve used the service before.
The safest bet is usually DIRECTV STREAM. They consistently offer a five-day free trial, which is more than enough to cover race weekend and cancel after if you’re done. Hulu + Live TV is another solid option, typically offering a three-day trial that lines up pretty well with the schedule.
Fubo is a bit more of a wildcard. As The Streamable’s David Satin pointed out, it’s not always obvious how long your trial will be even during the sign-up process. Some people only get a day, while others get close to a full week, so it really varies.
YouTube TV has a similar setup. They promote trials “up to two weeks,” but some users only see a couple of days which can make planning around a single event tricky. It’s worth double-checking the trial length before signing up so there are no surprises.
| 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 | ||
| FS1 | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Watch a recap of last week’s NASCAR Cup Series race
About the 2026 NASCAR Food City 500
Bristol Motor Speedway is one of those tracks where history and intensity collide every single lap. It’s a concrete bullring with steep banking, which means speeds stay high even though the track is tiny. Drivers are constantly navigating traffic, working different grooves, and trying to manage tire wear as the track changes throughout the race. This event also carries a bit of nostalgia, as it marks the return of Bristol’s traditional spring setup after that brief run with the dirt surface a few years back.
Kyle Larson has owned this place in the Next Gen era with multiple wins and elite consistency, while Denny Hamlin is one of the few guys who’s been able to match that level of performance. On the flip side, not every driver has figured it out here. Some struggle to find rhythm in the chaos, which opens the door for big swings in track position and strategy as the race unfolds.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Food City 500 from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2026 NASCAR Food City 500 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