Don’t miss the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway this weekend
Don’t miss the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway this weekend
Catch all the action from practice to race day — here’s your full weekend viewing guide.
The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the desert this weekend for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway, with the race set for Sunday, March 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. This one always brings a different kind of challenge. Phoenix is a flat one-mile track where track position, clean restarts, and smart pit strategy can decide everything. After three straight dominant races to open the season, Tyler Reddick arrives with a massive lead in the standings, but Phoenix has a habit of producing unpredictable finishes. Last year’s race even came down to a photo finish between Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin after a late two-lap shootout. If this weekend follows that script, we’re probably in for another wild one in the desert. You can stream all the racing action with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 500
- When: Sunday, March 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV: Race on FS1, 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 Straight Talk Wireless 500:
What is the broadcast schedule for the 2026 NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 500?
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, March 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Straight Talk Wireless 500 | FS1 |
Why we like Sling TV for watching the NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 500
If you’re bouncing between NASCAR, basketball, hockey, random live events, and whatever new show your friends won’t stop texting about, Sling TV is an easy way to keep everything in one place without running up your monthly bill. It’s still one of the more affordable major live TV streaming services out there, and it carries the channels you’ll want when race weekend rolls around.
Right now, Sling is offering 50% off your first month, which drops the base plan from $46 per month to just $23 for month one. That’s a pretty strong deal. FS1, which is airing the Straight Talk Wireless 500, is included in the Sling Blue package. You can also combine Sling Orange and Sling Blue if you want the full lineup. The bundled plan normally costs $61 per month, but with the current promo, your first month comes down to $30.50, which still lands well below most other live TV streaming services.
If you want another option, 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 markets. And if you’re only tuning in for this weekend’s race, Sling still offers day, weekend, and week-long passes, which is a nice flexible way to watch without committing to a full subscription.
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 Straight Talk Wireless 500 for free?
If you’re only trying to catch the Straight Talk Wireless 500 and you don’t feel like adding another monthly subscription, you’ve still got a few free trial options. Just know they aren’t all equal. DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV all advertise trials, but the actual length you get can change based on timing and whether you’ve subscribed before.
The most reliable option is usually DIRECTV STREAM. They tend to offer a five-day free trial, which is plenty of time to stream the race and cancel afterward if that’s all you need. Hulu + Live TV often gives new users three days, which also works well for a race weekend.
Fubo is more of a coin flip. As The Streamable’s David Satin has noted, it’s not always obvious how long your trial is even during sign-up. Some people see one day. Others get closer to seven, so it varies.
YouTube TV can be the same deal. They’ll promote trials “up to two weeks,” but some users end up with only two days which makes it harder to plan around. So before you commit to any of these, it’s worth checking what the trial actually shows you during signup.
| 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 race
About the 2026 NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 500
Phoenix Raceway is one of those tracks that looks simple on paper but ends up being incredibly tricky once the racing starts. It’s a flat one-mile oval out in Avondale, Arizona, and the layout forces drivers to get creative, especially through the famous dogleg on the frontstretch where cars fan out and dive low on restarts. The banking isn’t very steep, so grip is always a challenge, and that usually turns the race into a chess match between track position, tire wear, and perfectly timed pit stops. This year’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 is the fourth race of the 2026 season, and it runs 312 laps around the desert oval, which means teams will have plenty of chances to gamble on strategy as the race unfolds.
Early in the 2026 season, Tyler Reddick has been the story of the garage after ripping off three straight wins to start the year and building a huge points lead. But Phoenix has a way of leveling the playing field, and with contenders like Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and William Byron all historically strong at this track, this weekend could easily turn into one of the first big shakeups of the season.
How to watch the 2026 NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 500 from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the 2026 NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 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