NASCAR offers some of the most thrilling action in sports, but there's nothing thrilling about paying through the nose for cable TV. Fortunately, it's possible to watch NASCAR without cable, meaning that you can get more bang for your buck and enjoy live NASCAR action without any pitfalls (or pit stops). Here's how to watch NASCAR without cable.
What channel is NASCAR on?
As we'll see momentarily, the best way to watch NASCAR without cable is to use a live TV streaming service, or “skinny bundle,” to access livestreaming television channels. But to know which services we’ll need, we first have to know which channels we need. And in order to know that, we have to know which channels air NASCAR races!
- FOX: This major network has been home to some of NASCAR's biggest races since 2001. FOX is an over-the-air channel in many areas.
- FS1, FS2, and FOX Business: FOX has the rights to more NASCAR than can fit on its flagship channel. That's why FOX pushes some NASCAR broadcasts to its sister networks, most notably the sports-focused networks FS1 and FS2.
- NBC: NASCAR's other major-network partner is NBC. Some of the year's biggest races will hit the airwaves on this channel, which can be picked up for free with an antenna in many areas.
- NBCSN and CNBC: Some NASCAR events are broadcast on NBCSN, which is NBC's sports-focused network. But not all of the NASCAR events fit on even that network, so NBC bumps some broadcasts to CNBC.
Now that we know which channels we're looking for, we just need to figure out how to watch those channels without cable.
How to watch NASCAR online and over the air
As we just established, NASCAR races air on a number of different channels. NBC and FOX have the rights to every race, but they'll be spreading the wealth across their channels: You can expect the biggest events to air on NBC and FOX themselves, but plenty of other can't-miss races will air on channels like NBCSN and FS1.
So what does this mean for those hoping to watch NASCAR without cable? Well, it means that you have a few different options for watching key NASCAR races without paying big bucks. It also means that you'll have to focus on one particular type of solution if you're determined not to miss a single race.
You can watch NASCAR without cable for free with over-the-air TV, which we'll get to in a moment, but that will only help you get the races on FOX and NBC. For races not on network television — the ones on FS1 and NBCSN and the other channels that you may think you need cable to watch — you'll need a live TV streaming service.
Live TV streaming services use internet streaming (the same technology Netflix uses) for live network television. In essence, they offer a version of cable that lives online. But there are no infrastructure costs (and no regional monopolies).
Not every live TV streaming service allows you to watch NASCAR without cable, but a bunch of them do. We've listed all of those below, along with free, over-the-air TV. Read on!
In addition to the popular on-demand streaming service, Hulu + Live TV includes access to a selection of live network television channels. Among the channels offered are FOX, NBC, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and CNBC. You can read our Hulu + Live TV review to learn more.
fuboTV is a live TV streaming service built with sports fans in mind. For NASCAR fans, at least, it lives up to its ambitions: fuboTV's channel selection includes FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and (in select markets, as is typical for major networks) livestreams of FOX and NBC as well. You can read our review of fuboTV to learn more.
With Sling TV, subscribers build their own custom skinny bundle. You start with one (or both) of Sling TV's two base packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. From there, you can add genre-specific extras like Sports Extra and Hollywood Extra, which include small groups of channels and allow you to tailor your skinny bundle so that it delivers your ideal selection of channels — without forcing you to pay for channels you don't want. That makes it easy for NASCAR fans to build a bundle that includes FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and CNBC. The catch? As of this writing, Sling TV offers NBC and FOX affiliates, but only in a handful of markets. If you live in one of those markets, you can watch the NBC and FOX races on Sling TV.
YouTube TV
Google's version of the live TV streaming service is another strong option for fans of NASCAR. If you sign up for YouTube TV's subscription plan, you'll have access to the livestreams of FOX, NBC, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and CNBC.
Free over-the-air TV
NBC was here before cable was, and it built a network of broadcast towers before connecting a TV to a long cable was even a thing. FOX came along later, but it has a robust network of local affiliate channels with their own broadcast towers, too. This means that it's possible – just as it was in the old days – to pick up these channels for free with an antenna, no cable required.
This method won't work with FS1 and NBCSN, so you'll get only the big races that are bumped up to the flagship networks. But you can't beat the price: After you buy an antenna, you'll be able to watch NASCAR without cable for free. You'll just need to find out how far away you are from the nearest FOX and NBC broadcasting towers, buy an antenna with the appropriate range, connect it to your TV, and scan for channels (you do that last bit in your TV's menus, using your TV remote to navigate).
Can I Watch NASCAR on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
NASCAR races are big events, and they deserve to be viewed on your big screen. So, naturally, you'll probably want to use a smart TV or streaming device that runs one of the major streaming platforms. Well, good news! We’ve got a chart below that details which platforms work with which services.
| Roku | Fire TV | Apple TV | Android TV | Chromecast | iOS | Android | Web browser | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| fuboTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sling TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
More to Watch for NASCAR Fans
Fans love NASCAR in large part because of just how ridiculously fast the cars speed around the track. When drivers are going almost 200 mph, a situation that looks fine one second can turn into “the big one” before viewers realize what’s happened.
Now, hockey moves fast, but it doesn’t move quite that fast, luckily. But it’s still tremendously fun to watch, and it often takes a slow-motion replay or two to figure out exactly how that winger got the puck past the goalie. If you haven’t yet experienced the joy of NHL hockey, now’s a great time to do so. Our guide to watching NHL games without cable can get you started.
Purchased the Blue package at Sling TV with DVR cloud. Come to find out today, you can’t DVR Fox Sports 1 or 2. Wish I’d known that, really need to be able use DVR cloud. Does anyone know if you can on DirecTV Now. Can’t use YouTube TV, cause I have 3 Roku’s to stream with!
Look into “play on cloud DVR,” claims to record anything.
No one tells you that NBCSN blacks out Cup races in many areas, they let you see truck and Xfinity races and Cup qualifying and practice. When the Cup race is on they substitute some non-interesting programming. This affects Hulu and DirecTV NOW, beware of RSN, regional sports networks.
I’ve had PlayStation Vue going on one year, been very pleased, none of the races have been blacked out, did have a local college basketball game blacked out. I live in central NC. I have CBS live, waiting to get Fox, NBC. I had Dish before, went from 95$/mo to 45$/mo, have no plan to move…
I’ve had PS Vue for about 18 months mostly on a Fire TV. The included unlimited cloud DVR is good and a must have for some users. The service gets better with every update. I’m also grandfathered in on the old ‘core’ plan for $44. It includes a bunch of channels, including Golf, that are now only offered on the $55 plan in my area. I use an antenna for locals because the video and audio is better than an streamer, cable service or DTV. My local cable company offering a 10 channels, plus locals for low $20s. Perfect, except no Golf Channel.
This is way to complacated for us old non techies. Ive been watching nascar since Bill Elliot and David Pearson. I watched with my grandson, he loved Boogidy,Boogidy, lets go racing, but last year i watched drive on my little phone, my daughter got rid of cable,Nascar just lost a currant fan and a future fan, and wonder why they are loosing fans and thus corporate sponsors.Sponsors dont buy comercials and car deals when veiwers are limited. Empty seats are visible and sponsors see that. People who dont watch dont buy hats, jackets, and so forth of drivers they don’t watch. Nascar got to greedy and paid the price.
I so agree with you on nascar got greedy. I remember watching the races when dale sr was running. I had went to Kansas city races for many years but now that I can’t afford it I watch on tv again. But low and behold very few races are n normal tv.
What you’ve said E.luikart is sooooo true. I’ve been a die hard Nascar fan for many many years. I am now retired and on a fixed income, and thus had to shut my cable off because of the high cost. I will always be a race fan but Nascar has made it impossible for us longevity fans to continue to be a part of the sport. I miss watching all the races sooo very much but I just can’t afford cable. What happened to the days that you could watch all the races on local channels with an antenna? Nobody can tell me that that is impossible to do anymore!! Nascar is dancing their selves right out of their own venue! Individual states that have tracks need to revamp, get rid of all the glitz, glamour, hoopla and bull crap and give the sport back to the fans! Do it and we will come!!
I’m glad I stopped watching and going to races when the chase started now the moved so far away from their old fan base we all have left it in the dust. They got greedy for more money when fans was filling the stand every week end for the races. Now they have taken lots of seats out to make less seating to make it look like they are filling the stand what a crock that is. I remember in Daytona when their was back streach seats I had seats there once at the first night race. Great race was damp and cool I got sick came back home went to hospital. Those seats are gone now along with others they was talk of putting in more seats there on the back side. But that went away with the chase and 2002 Nascar dead. Not been any good racing out of it since. To many stupid rules on the cars and on the drivers too. Can’t get mad can’t bump and run the chase is stupid was from the first year it started till now and it sounds like it has gotten stupider then it was. Round 1 and 2 in the same race. And more road races come on Nascar was never road racers so why now. To bring excitement to it again because it has more turns and more wrecks well spin outs in the turns. Tares up the cars but don’t hurt anything but the car that’s good. That great all for safety on the track for the drivers but they don’t race no more it is boring to watch no bumping no bump and run no pushing the car in front of you. You cant move anyone out of your way. They have a flag for that if they use it and you have to be the leader of the race for that to happen. But racing is gone it dead in2002 for a lot of fans really in 2001 it dead too for a lot of fans but they went to Dale Jr if it wasn’t for him more would have left. Now he is gone Jeff is gone Tony is gone all the ones that raced in the 1990 s are retired or dead. So all the old school racers are gone we got these new drivers that don’t say or doing anything wrong at all. It’s ok if they get a check for 1 million or more who cares if they don’t win more then 1 race a year just enough to get to the chase to be kicked out of it by one race that goes bad you hit the wall go to back up car you out of the chase because the car that was good is in the hauler waiting to go back home. I’m so glad I stopped watching Nascar or going to the races I have more money to spend on other things now because it was nothing to spend 2500.00 for one race on Sunday. Now I bet it’s a lot more maybe but then again it may be cheaper because not many going anymore. So the hotels have rooms and tracks has tickets they can’t sell. Make me laugh all the way to my bank. That my money is no longer going to Nascar that don’t care about the fans at all. So why should the fans care about them. From a old fan good bye you may not be around that year or so because the fans are done with this chase crappy you call racing when it’s not.
I hope u returned as a fan. Todays races r better than ever.I started watching Nascar back when all we had on TV was the high lites.I am 83 and a Brad K fan.
We’re sorry. You should talk to someone.
Every word is true. I could not said it any better. You covered all
all of the reasons. No wonder they have 1/2 filled stands. I been
with NASCAR since 1960 when Bristol was built and I live near that
track. It is not National Association Stock Car Racing anymore. Back in old day a driver drove his race car to the track and removed
the tail lights and headlight and modified other things and drove the vehicle on the track. After the race, if it could it could be drove home they would install the lights and tail lights and drive it home.
Nascar is the only sport without a rule book. It seems like the rules change day to day. Speeding on pit row? Only Nascar knows who is speeding. I say it is rigged! The single file racing format is BORING!!!!!!! This year DISH, in our area, is not showing FOX. I had to get Fire tv to watch the Superbowl this year. Usually, I record the Nascar race and watch on fast forward, stopping on caution flags. Nascar has lost another fan. Bring the Dodgers back, but Dodge has had enough of Nascar and so have I. Adios Nascar!
Im consider myself fairly tech savvy.. But have yet to find a simple plan to be guaranteed to see every nascar cup race. With every other race on different channels and network one has to change plans so often and such.. Even if money was no problem it would take a super computer just to figure the right subscription for every race in time to see it. I would probably pay $20+ per month just to watch nascar cup.. Despite reasons above. Why doesnt anyone offer this? Cause its not enough money for them. They got to make at least twice that due to greed.
Simple fix. Nascar network. Like WWE network. All Nascar content new and old for like $10 a month.
I have cable and was getting all the races until they stopped for pandemic now most of them are blacked out since they restarted. I had to stop going to the races because of my health and the rise in ticket prices. Now they tell me I have to pay more just to get one channel. SOMEONE is so CRAZY and it is not ME. I have been a an of racing for almost 60 years and miss getting to see the good old boys go at it.
WWic
Is there a way to stream FS1 and NBCSN without paying for CNN and MSNBC at the same time?
Nascar needs to broadcast on one network only. Everyone is so greedy these days, I already pay $200+ a month for dish network and now my local NBC channel is blacked out due to money hungry people. I shouldn’t have to pay for some other streaming service just to watch a nascar cup race when I’m already paying for it $200+ dollars a month!!!
I am a past racer of cars, motorcycles, and dabbled a few times with boats, and snowmobiles. Not on a national level but a racer just the same. This thing they call NASCAR is a different breed of cat. If ever there was a turn-off to NASCAR, this version is a great example. BORING, NOT RACING.
I will not even take the time to go to an actual race because of this, even if it was free. Go to your local track and I guarantee the racing will be great and you won’t be lining the “big boys” pockets with tons of cash. Can anyone say “greed”, because that is what is killing NASCAR. It killed Indy Car Racing and NASCAR is close behind.
Nascar needs to find another network to show some of their shows other than NBC. When one or MORE!! of their races and/or post-race shows goes beyond 6:00 PM, NBC just transfers coverage to Peacock TV which cannot be recorded for some of us who can’t watch the end of the show live. It used to be that NBC would switch viewers over to CNBC, which at least can be recorded!! I’m sick of NBC cutting coverage short. I think NASCAR should stay with FOX and FS1 and FS2 year-round. At least they tell us ahead of time if late running coverage is going to one of their other channels.