How to Watch NASCAR without Cable

Can you watch NASCAR without a cable or satellite TV subscription? The answer is a resounding YES. So us cord-cutters, who also happen to be NASCAR fans, shouldn’t worry about missing the next big races without needing to pay that hefty cable TV bill.

In this guide, we will discuss how to watch NASCAR without cable TV, your available options, as well as our recommendations for the best OTA antennas available in the market today if you need to watch NASCAR on Fox and NBC.

What Channel is NASCAR On?

If you want to watch NASCAR without cable or satellite TV, the best way is to use a live TV streaming service or rely on OTA (over-the-air). However, to know which streaming services we need, we’ll need to know which channels air NASCAR races. Here are our options at the moment:

• NBC: NBC is one of NASCAR’s major network partners, and throughout the years have been home to some of NASCAR’s biggest races. NBC is an over-the-air (OTA) channel in many areas and can be picked up for free with an OTA antenna
• CNBC and NBCSN: Some NASCAR events are pushed to NBCSN (which is owned by NBC). However, some of NASCAR’s events are also pushed to CNBC, another of NBC’s sister network.
• Fox: Another of NASCAR’s major network partners, and has shown some of its biggest races since 2001.
• FS1, FS2, and Fox Business: Fox has the right to many NASCAR shows and some of them are pushed to Fox’s sister networks like FS1 and FS2.

How to Watch NASCAR via Online Live TV Stream

As we have just established, NBC and Fox have the rights to every NASCAR race. Some of these events are spread to their sister channels (as discussed above). Most if not all of the big races will air on NBC and Fox, but plenty of other races will air on channels.

One of the best options to get NBC and Fox channels without cable is via live TV streaming services. These services use internet streaming (like Netflix and Hulu) to broadcast live television, and here are the possible options:

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu has been one of the most popular streaming services in recent years with millions of subscribers. Their claim to fame is original content and on-demand TV shows, including popular series like The Handmaid’s Tale and Castle Rock.

As the name suggests, Hulu + Live TV is Hulu’s take on live TV streaming service, which has been around since 2017. By subscribing to Hulu + Live TV service, subscribers can access various live TV channels, including Fox, NBC, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and CNBC, which as mentioned, will show NASCAR events.

Highlights of Hulu + Live TV

• You get all on-demand access you normally receive with Hulu subscription
• Access to 60+ channels depending on the subscriber’s area
• Local channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox in most markets of the country
• Less than 4 seconds in channel switching time
• 50 hours of cloud DVR storage (can upgrade to 200 hours)
• 2 devices for simultaneous streaming (can upgrade to watch on unlimited screens)
• 6 customizable profiles
• Parental controls
• 7-fay free trial for Hulu + Live TV plan

Hulu + Live TV starts from $54.99 per month, and below is a table comprising various plans and add-ons offered by Hulu:

You can check out our full review of Hulu + Live TV here.

Sling TV

Sling TV is famous for its “skinny bundles”: affordable live TV streaming plans where you can add various add-ons on the existing plans. We can start with one or both of Sling’s basic packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Then, we can add extras and addons like “Sports Extra” (for more NASCAR) or others.

So, Sling TV is pretty versatile and you can build a bundle according to your budget and needs, making it quite easy to build a NASCAR-specific bundle that includes FS1, FS2, NBCSN, and CNBC.

However, you might or might not get Fox and NBC with Sling TV, depending on your area, so you might need to pair Sling with an over-the-air antenna to get NBC and Fox.

Sling Orange vs Sling Blue 

Sling TV based its service on two basic packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. The main differences between the two are the channel selection and the simultaneous stream limit:

• Sling Orange: $30/month. 33 channels including ESPN and Disney but not Fox and NBC channels. One simultaneous stream
• Sling Blue: $30/month. 48 channels including Fox and NBC channels, but not ESPN or Disney channels. Up to three simultaneous streams.
• Sling Blue+Orange: $45/month. All channels (total of 51), up to four simultaneous steam, but only one device can stream Orange channels at a time.

The biggest reason Sling TV is very affordable compared to other live TV streaming services is the fact that it has very few local channels.

Orange subscribers won’t get local channels like CBS, ABC, Fox, and NBC, and so if you want to enjoy NASCAR, you’d need to subscribe to either the Blue package or Orange+Blue package.

Blue subscribers can watch local Fox and NBC channels, but only in select markets. Check whether Sling TV does offer Fox and NBC in your location before subscribing.

You can check out our full review of Sling TV here.

Fubo TV

Fubo TV is a live TV streaming service that is specializing in sports networks and channels, making it a great channel for NASCAR fans since fuboT’s channel selection includes NBCSN, FS1, FS2, and depending on your locations, you can also get live local steams from Fox and NBC.

Fubo TV was originally launchpad as a live TV streaming service focused on soccer, but has pivoted into a more traditional live TV streaming service. However, it is still a sports-first streaming service with sports fans as their main target market.

Highlights of FuboTV

• 7-day free trial available
• 3 package plans with 1 add-on option
• 100+ channels depending on your location and plan
• 6 local channels
• Stereo audio
• Only 20-second live delay
• Less than 4 seconds in channel switching time
• 30 hours of cloud DVR
• Streaming capability during traveling
• 2 devices allowed for simultaneous streaming

Fubo TV packages

You can check out our full review of Fubo TV here for more comprehensive information about fuboTV’s plans and packages. However, here is our summary:

• Fubo Standard ($54.99/month)

The standard plan includes 71 channels and more than 130 events in 4K, with 30 hours of DVR storage. It also offers a variety of live shows, news, and most importantly sports, including NASCAR.

Some of the popular channels in the fubo Standard plan include Fox Sports (FS1 and FS2), CBS Sports, BeIN Sports, Bravo, Lifetime, FX, FXX, FXM, USA, Bravo, A&E, E!, National Geographic, Oxygen, Fuse, Lifetime, Sprout, History Channel, HGTV and more.

• Fubo Family ($59.99/month)

Fubo Family includes everything in the Standard package, plus 500 hours of cloud DVR space and extra simultaneous screens from two to three.

• Fubo Ultra ($79.99/month)

Fubo Ultra includes 140 channels and 130+ events, some of them available in 4K. It also includes 500 hours of cloud DVR, and 3 simultaneous screens. 36 entertainment channels, 9 Showtime channels, 24 extra sports channels.

You can check out our full review of Fubo TV here.

How to Watch NASCAR Via Antenna

If a NASCAR race is covered by Fox and/or NBC, then you’ll be able to watch it via your OTA antenna for free. Both Fox and NBC continue to broadcast free over-the-air in certain markets, so you might want to check our TV Station Locator tool here, where you can simply enter your ZIP code and check what towers and stations are available in your area.

Below is a video on how you can use our TV Station Locator tool.

Alternatively, you can use other tools like TVFool.com and AntennaWeb.org.

Using these tools can help you figure out what range do you need your antenna to have. In most cases, we’d recommend getting an outdoor antenna whenever possible. With antennas, higher is better, and an outdoor antenna placed on your roof can offer more reliability in signal reception.

However, if it’s simply impossible to install an outdoor antenna (for example if you live in an apartment), then there are also some pretty decent indoor antennas available.

With that being said, here are our recommendations for the best indoor and outdoor antennas to watch NASCAR without cable.

Best Indoor Antennas to Watch NASCAR Without Cable

Free Signal TV Marathon Indoor Antenna

Key Features

• Newly developed circuitry for improved reception and overall performance
• Advanced dual-leg amplification with powerful 40 dB gain coupled with ultra-low-noise levels
• Advanced mid-band notch filters
• Marathon Bi-Directional whole-house antenna platform with a lifetime replacement guarantee
• Connect up to 6 TVs
• Can use existing coaxial wiring

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Powerful 100-mile reception range with amplifier
• Indoor/outdoor placement capabilities
• Can be mounted at any height level without any performance drop
• Excellent customer service reputation
• One of the most reliable performance for high range

Cons:

• Expensive
• Slightly heavy

XFTREE Indoor Digital TV Antenna

Key Features:

• Affordable amplified indoor antenna with advanced Smart Boost technology to optimize the best signal transmission.
• Superb distance reception, can receive from 130+miles range.
• Protection against interference with other signals to maximize signal reception
• Extra-long 17ft coax cable for extra versatility
• Simple finger switch to select an appropriate mode to find more channels
• Black classic and trendy design to match your decoration

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• A relatively affordable option that offers an amplified signal booster
• Impressive reception range, can receive from 130+ miles
• Slim design with a black color tone can complement most home decors
• Lightweight and compact
• Easy to install
• 17-feet coaxial cable for more versatility in placements

Cons:

• Some noise on long-range setting
• Some have reported issues with signals over 50 miles

Best Outdoor Antennas to Watch NASCAR Without Cable

RCA Outdoor Yagi Satellite HD Antenna

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Very easy to assemble, almost fully assembled from the package
• Easy to install and setup
• High-quality reception for great picture and sound
• Great signal finder app to detect how we should set the antenna
• Flexible design, easy to direct the antenna
• Affordable

Cons:

• Not very durable and sturdy
• Cheap-looking

Antennas Direct 8-Element Bowtie TV Antenna

Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• Very reliable reception of weak signals
• Broad reception of UHF signals
• Can be pointed in two different directions for versatility and precision
• Very easy to assemble
• Doesn’t need a preamplifier in most situations

Cons: 

• Relatively large, require a strong mount
• Can’t receive VHF signals (need an additional element to receive VHF)

NASCAR 2020 Schedule

Below we will include the 2020 schedule of the NASCAR season after June 1, 2020. This schedule has been adjusted to accommodate the cancellation and postponement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic:

The Covid-19 pandemic has also postponed the announcement of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Typically the next season’s schedule was released in April, but now that the 2020 Cup series was scheduled to be concluded by November, we have to wait until further notice.

End Words

Now that NASCAR has returned after the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the time to consider your options for watching NASCAR races without cable TV. Your main options are either to subscribe to an online live TV streaming service or to invest in an OTA antenna. We have also included our recommendations for the best antennas available on the market today.