The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series is back at Phoenix this weekend, and all of the action kicks off with practice and qualifying today, Saturday, March 7.
Today's session will see single-car qualifying procedures in place and determine the starting lineup for Sunday's race, titled the Straight Talk Wireless 500.
The big talking point heading into the weekend is whether 23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick can pull off a four-peat, having won the first three races of the campaign.
The driver of the No. 45 Toyota won pole at Circuit of the Americas last time out before going on to take the win in Texas, and he'd love to repeat that once again.
He'll face stiff competition, though. Last spring, William Byron was the man to take pole at Phoenix, while in the fall, it was Denny Hamlin who came out on top in qualifying ahead of the championship race.
It will certainly be interesting to see who is fastest this time around.
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What time is NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Phoenix?
NASCAR Cup Series qualifying from Phoenix Raceway takes place on Saturday, March 7, at 1:10 p.m. ET.
This follows immediately after the one and only Cup Series practice session this weekend, which starts at 12 p.m. ET.
Here are the start times converted to your local time zones.
| City (Time Zone) | Practice Start Time | Qualifying Start Time |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC (ET) | 12:00 P.M. | 1:10 P.M. |
| New York, NY (ET) | 12:00 P.M. | 1:10 P.M. |
| Columbia, SC (ET) | 12:00 P.M. | 1:10 P.M. |
| Charleston, WV (ET) | 12:00 P.M. | 1:10 P.M. |
| Augusta, ME (ET) | 12:00 P.M. | 1:10 P.M. |
| Chicago, IL (CT) | 11:00 A.M. | 12:10 P.M. |
| Pierre, SD (CT) | 11:00 A.M. | 12:10 P.M. |
| Nashville, TN (CT) | 11:00 A.M. | 12:10 P.M. |
| Des Moines, IA (CT) | 11:00 A.M. | 12:10 P.M. |
| Montgomery, AL (CT) | 11:00 A.M. | 12:10 P.M. |
| Denver, CO (MT) | 10:00 A.M. | 11:10 A.M. |
| Salt Lake City, UT (MT) | 10:00 A.M. | 11:10 A.M. |
| Albuquerque, NM (MT) | 10:00 A.M. | 11:10 A.M. |
| El Paso, TX (MT) | 10:00 A.M. | 11:10 A.M. |
| Los Angeles, CA (PT) | 9:00 A.M. | 10:10 A.M. |
| Las Vegas, NV (PT) | 9:00 A.M. | 10:10 A.M. |
| Seattle, WA (PT) | 9:00 A.M. | 10:10 A.M. |
| Portland, OR (PT) | 9:00 A.M. | 10:10 A.M. |
| San Francisco, CA (PT) | 9:00 A.M. | 10:10 A.M. |
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What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup Series on today?
Today's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying action from Phoenix will not be broadcast live on traditional TV. Instead, it will be shown live on Prime Video.
You can download the Prime Video app on your handheld device from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store.
You can also download the app on your TV on devices such as the following:
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- VIZIO Smart TV
- LG TV
- Chromecast
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Samsung Smart TV
Today's qualifying session will also be broadcast live on the radio, with MRN and SiriusXM having the call.
Live stream options
The best live stream option for today's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Phoenix is Prime Video.
For the first half of the season through San Diego (June 21), Prime Video is set to air all Cup Series practice and qualifying, with the exception of the Clash, Daytona 500, and All-Star Race.
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Entry List and Qualifying Order
Here is the full list of Cup Series drivers set to take part in this weekend's event at Phoenix, listed in the order in which they will qualify.
| Qualifying Pos | Driver | Car No. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Alfredo | #48 |
| 2 | Erik Jones | #43 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | #19 |
| 4 | Austin Cindric | #2 |
| 5 | Cody Ware | #51 |
| 6 | Ross Chastain | #1 |
| 7 | Austin Hill (i) | #33 |
| 8 | Cole Custer | #41 |
| 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #47 |
| 10 | Zane Smith | #38 |
| 11 | Josh Berry | #21 |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar | #77 |
| 13 | Todd Gilliland | #34 |
| 14 | Riley Herbst | #35 |
| 15 | Austin Dillon | #3 |
| 16 | Noah Gragson | #4 |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | #17 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | #7 |
| 19 | Connor Zilisch | #88 |
| 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | #42 |
| 21 | Brad Keselowski | #6 |
| 22 | Ryan Preece | #60 |
| 23 | Ty Dillon | #10 |
| 24 | Kyle Busch | #8 |
| 25 | Denny Hamlin | #11 |
| 26 | William Byron | #24 |
| 27 | Joey Logano | #22 |
| 28 | Christopher Bell | #20 |
| 29 | Kyle Larson | #5 |
| 30 | AJ Allmendinger | #16 |
| 31 | Bubba Wallace | #23 |
| 32 | Ty Gibbs | #54 |
| 33 | Ryan Blaney | #12 |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | #71 |
| 35 | Chase Elliott | #9 |
| 36 | Shane van Gisbergen | #97 |
| 37 | Tyler Reddick | #45 |
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