USA Sports kicks off its coverage of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series this weekend with the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, airing live on USA Network on Sunday, Aug. 9 starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage on Countdown to Green begins at 3 p.m. ET.
This is the first race of USA Sports’ NASCAR coverage in 2026, which includes 14 races of the 2026 Cup Series season and includes full coverage of “The Chase,” with USA Sports producing 10 races on USA Network and four on NBC, including the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race in Miami in November.
Long-time motorsports play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey will lead USA Sports’ NASCAR broadcasts alongside “The Mayor” Jeff Burton, who was recently elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, as well as Steve Letarte, former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. And Jeff Gordon.
Marty Snider will host USA Sports’ Countdown to Green pre-race coverage starting at 3 p.m. ET and the post-race show alongside Burton, Letarte, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett. Snider, Kim Coon and Dave Burns will report from pit road along with 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne who makes his debut with USA Sports this season.
In addition to his work on pit road, Bayne will also serve as USA Sports’ pace car analyst, a new broadcast innovation this season in which Bayne will report live from the pace car leading to the green flag and ahead of pivotal restarts throughout the season. USA Sports’ pace car analyst role marks the latest fan-first broadcast innovation from USA Sports’ production team, which introduced enhancements such as burnout interviews, radio-style broadcasts at road course races, extended post-race shows, and “My Track My Roots,” highlighting grassroots racing across the country.
Following Sunday’s post-race coverage, USA Sports will premiere the first episode of NASCAR AMERICANA on USA Network. The three-part limited documentary series explores NASCAR’s unique place in the American story and is produced by the critically acclaimed makers of The Last Dance and OJ: Made in America and executive produced by Peyton Manning and Omaha Productions.
— USA Sports —