Here’s how to watch NASCAR’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend
Here’s how to watch NASCAR’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend
Catch all the action from practice to race day — here’s your full weekend viewing guide.
The NASCAR Jack Link’s 500 heads to Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday, April 26, and this one should be pure chaos in the best way. The green flag drops at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, and Talladega is a totally different animal from the short tracks and intermediate ovals we’ve been watching lately. At 2.66 miles with steep 33-degree banking in the turns, it’s the biggest track on the Cup Series schedule, and it always turns into a white-knuckle mix of huge packs, wild drafting, and drivers trying to survive as much as dominate.
Tyler Reddick comes in as the points leader after another huge win, but Talladega has a way of leveling everything out and giving aggressive superspeedway racers a real shot. Expect four-wide racing, huge momentum swings, and at least a little fear that the big one is coming. You can stream all the racing action with Sling TV’s multitude of subscription options.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Jack Link’s 500
- When: Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 3 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 Jack Link’s 500:
What is the broadcast schedule for the 2026 NASCAR Jack Link’s 500?
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 25 | 10:30 a.m. | Qualifying | Prime Video |
| Sunday, April 26 | 3 p.m. | Jack Link’s 500 | Fox |
Why we like Sling TV for watching the NASCAR Jack Link’s 500
If you’re bouncing between NASCAR, basketball, hockey, live events, and the latest show everybody suddenly won’t stop talking about, Sling TV is one of the simplest ways to keep everything together without spending a fortune. It’s still one of the most affordable major live TV streaming services around, and it has the channels that matter when a NASCAR weekend rolls around.
What really helps Sling stand out is that it gives you more ways to subscribe than the other big live TV streaming platforms. You can sign up for just one day for as little as $5, go with a three-day or one-week option, choose a slimmer package built around the channels you actually need, or get Sling’s full standard channel lineup for $61 per month, which is still meaningfully cheaper than most of the competition.
And if you’re mainly showing up for the Jack Link’s 500 and don’t want to commit to a full month, Sling also has short-term one-day, weekend, and week-long passes. That’s a pretty nice option. Just make sure FOX is offered in your local market before you sign up, since availability depends on where you live.
- 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 Jack Link’s 500 for free?
If you want to catch the Jack Link’s 500 without signing up for yet another monthly service, there are still a handful of free trial options to consider. The catch is that they’re not all equally straightforward. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all advertise free trials, but the actual length can depend on when you sign up and what kind of offer you’re shown.
The safest bet is usually DIRECTV STREAM. It reliably offers a five-day free trial, which is plenty of time to watch the race and back out afterward if you’re only there for the weekend. Hulu + Live TV is also a decent option, since new subscribers generally get a three-day free trial, which should still cover race day just fine.
Fubo is a bit murkier. As The Streamable’s David Satin has noted, it’s not always obvious how long the free trial lasts even while you’re signing up. Some users only see a one-day offer, while others are presented with trials that run closer to a full week.
YouTube TV has a similar issue. It regularly promotes trials lasting “up to two weeks,” but some first-time subscribers say they’re only offered two days which can make things a little harder to plan around.
| 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 recap of last week’s NASCAR Cup Series race
About the 2026 NASCAR Jack Link’s 500 race
Talladega is where a NASCAR race can turn upside down in about two seconds. Because the draft matters so much here, drivers can go from buried in traffic to battling for the lead in a lap or two, which makes the whole thing feel unstable in the best way. This place tends to produce long trains of cars, sudden momentum swings, and the kind of late-race chaos where nobody feels safe, no matter how strong their car has looked all day. That’s also why surviving matters almost as much as speed. One small mistake can trigger the kind of wreck that wipes out contenders fast.
It also comes at an interesting moment in the season. Tyler Reddick is coming off a huge win after fighting through all kinds of problems at Kansas, and the current top of the standings includes names like William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott, all within striking distance. But Talladega has a way of scrambling the usual script. Superspeedway races often reward patience, timing, and a little luck right along with raw talent, so this one could easily shake up the points picture and hand somebody an unexpected massive day.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Jack Link’s 500 from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2026 NASCAR Jack Link’s 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