NASCAR Announces Start Times for 2019 Cup Series December 12, 2018 NASCAR DAYTONA BEACH, FL – NASCAR officials have announced start times for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. While similar to previous years there are a few changes, including: Las Vegas Motor Speedway playoffs opener shifted to primetime. The March 31 event at Texas Motor Speedway will start one hour later in 2019, moving from a 2 p.m. ET start to 3 p.m. ET. The race also moves to FOX. The start time for New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s July 22 event will fire off one hour later, moving from 2 p.m. ET to 3 p.m. ET. Martinsville Speedway’s Oct. 28 race in the postseason shifts a half-hour later to a 3 p.m. ET start. The complete schedule including start times and broadcast partners follows: