NASCAR Cup practice switches to one 50-minute session after team talks
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 23, 2026
Cup practice change
NASCAR will overhaul Cup Series practice and move to a single 50-minute session starting this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The change ends the divided-group format used at most events and puts every entered car on track together in one session. NASCAR said the new setup will stay in place for the rest of the season on non-superspeedway, non-extended-practice weekends. Superspeedway races will keep their current format, and the Homestead-Miami season finale will also remain under its existing practice plan. The move gives teams a longer, more continuous stretch of track time and shifts Cup practice from 25 minutes to 50 minutes under the new rule. That is a clean reset for the weekend schedule and a clear signal that NASCAR wants practice to look and feel more like a full-session test than the split runs teams have used at many stops.
Practice session details
The new format comes with several built-in limits. NASCAR will not stop the 50-minute session for a mandatory break, so teams must manage every lap within one uninterrupted block. Teams will still be barred from going back to the garage during practice, and any changes they want to make must happen on pit road. That keeps the focus on quick decision-making and efficient adjustments, since crews will have to react in real time instead of stepping away from the car and regrouping in the garage. Impound rules will also remain in place, which still restricts what teams can do after qualifying. NASCAR is adding an extra set of practice tires to each applicable weekend allotment as part of the new package. Taken together, those pieces create a practice session that is longer than before but still tightly controlled. The cars get more time on track. The teams do not get more freedom off it.
Team feedback shift
NASCAR said the decision came after discussions with teams and other industry members who wanted more continuous track time. The sanctioning body also said the change was supported by a substantial majority of teams. That backing matters because the new format came out of direct feedback from the people who work the cars and prepare them for race day. The split-group setup had been standard at most Cup events, but teams pushed for a single run that gives them a better flow and more useful track data. NASCAR answered by extending the session, keeping all entered cars together and preserving the garage restriction that forces adjustments onto pit road. The result is a compromise built around more time on track without loosening the broader control of the weekend. It also keeps the rulebook pointed in the same direction for most of the schedule, with superspeedway races and the Homestead-Miami finale left on their own practice plans.
