Daytona 500 2027 Shirts: Dates and NASCAR Trademark Rules

The 69th Daytona 500 runs Sunday, Feb. 21, 2027, at Daytona International Speedway, one week later than the 2026 race, according to the speedway. It opens a 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season that NASCAR released on Aug. 26, 2026, and it caps a Speedweeks schedule that starts with the Clash on Saturday night, Feb. 13. For a print shop, February means watch-party shirts, fan-club shirts, and road-trip shirts for one of the most-watched races of the year. It also means one of the most aggressive trademark owners in sports. This guide covers the 2027 dates, which names are registered for T-shirts, how NASCAR enforces them, and shirt ideas that stay clear.

Speedweeks 2027 schedule

NASCAR published the 2027 Speedweeks lineup on Aug. 4, 2026:

Not yet published as of Oct. 20, 2026: race start times, TV networks for the 2027 Daytona events, the Clash format, eligibility, and lap count, and the names of the Truck, O'Reilly, and ARCA races. The speedway's summer weekend returns Aug. 27-28, 2027.

The Clash moves back to Daytona in 2027 after three years at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2022-24) and two at Bowman Gray Stadium (2025-26), according to NASCAR. Tyler Reddick won the 2026 Daytona 500, and 2027 tickets went on sale June 10, 2026.

Also on race weekend: the speedway says the Full Throttle Festival returns to the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027, with its lineup not yet announced.

The rest of the 2027 season

NASCAR's 2027 Cup schedule runs from the Feb. 13 Clash to the Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2027. The early-season stops after Daytona are:

NASCAR also announced that the San Diego race returns for a second year at Naval Base Coronado, and that the Truck Series will race at Bowman Gray in August 2027. Shops near any of those tracks get a local version of the Daytona demand.

What NASCAR and the speedway have registered

USPTO records show the Daytona race marks are still held in the name of International Speedway Corporation, the track company NASCAR now owns. Several of them specifically cover T-shirts and other clothing (Class 25):

NASCAR's website terms also state that NASCAR and its logos are its trademarks. "Daytona" alone is used by other companies on unrelated goods (Rolex holds it for watches), but on shirts, the speedway's registration covers it.

Driver names and numbers are owned too. USPTO records show Richard Childress Racing's RCR Enterprises owns the number 3 as a trademark for T-shirts, jackets, and hats, and the name DALE EARNHARDT is registered for clothing by Teresa Earnhardt. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owns the number 1 for caps, and DALE EARNHARDT JR. is registered for clothing by DEJ Holdings. A driver's name, car number styled like the car, or likeness is not fan art; it is someone's merchandise line.

How NASCAR enforces

NASCAR has a long record of going after unlicensed merchandise in court.

• At the track. In NASCAR, Inc. v. Various John and Jane Does (W.D.N.C., 2008), a federal court entered a seizure order and then a preliminary injunction allowing seizure of counterfeit merchandise sold within ten miles of any racetrack from 48 hours before to 24 hours after a NASCAR race. The order notes the same kind of suit was filed every year from 2003 to 2007.
• Online. Court dockets show NASCAR, LLC filed at least nine "Schedule A" suits in the Southern District of New York between April and September 2026, a format used to target batches of online sellers at once, plus suits in North Carolina and Pennsylvania in July and August 2026.

NASCAR licenses apparel through NASCAR Team Properties, a licensing trust that, according to a 2024 NASCAR release, includes NASCAR, its tracks including Daytona International Speedway, and major teams. NASCAR does not publish an open licensing application, so a small shop is not going to get a license for a weekend of fan shirts. Design around the marks instead.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Shirt ideas that stay clear

Generic racing graphics. Checkered flags, a stock car silhouette with no number or sponsor, tire tracks, a pit board, a starting light. None of that belongs to anyone. Watch-party shirts. "Race Day Crew," "Left Turns Only," "Green Flag Party 2.21.27," "Pit Crew," the host's name. Avoid "Daytona 500," "The Great American Race," and "Speedweeks." Road-trip and camping shirts. Fans who camp in the infield or rent a house for race week want group shirts. Use the group's name, "Race Week 2027," and the beach or the Florida state outline instead of the speedway name or logo. Daytona Beach as a city name in a plain sentence describes a place, but on a shirt next to a race car it reads as the race, and DAYTONA is registered for clothing. Kids' shirts. "Future Racer," "Born to Go Fast," and a cartoon race car work for youth sizes. The placement guide covers youth print sizes. Fan-club shirts for a specific driver. These need a license from the driver's team. Point the customer to licensed merchandise or a design with the club's own name and no driver name or number.

Blanks and pressing

February in Daytona Beach can be cool in the morning and warm by afternoon. Tees and lightweight hoodies both sell, and black, white, and heather gray carry a checkered-flag design. Performance polyester tees are popular at the track; press them at a lower temperature to avoid scorching and dye migration. Settings by fabric are in the DTF temperature and time chart, and our dye migration guide covers red and black polyester.

Production timing

• Early to mid-January: quote watch-party, camping-group, and road-trip orders. Many race-week groups plan a month ahead.
• Late January: Super Bowl LXI and Valentine's Day both fall on Sunday, Feb. 14, the day after the Clash; our Super Bowl LXI and Valentine's Day guide covers NFL marks.
• Feb. 1 to Feb. 12: final orders before the Clash on Feb. 13 and Daytona 500 week.

Daytona 500 Sunday also lands on the same weekend as the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa; our Gasparilla 2027 guide covers that event.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Daytona 500 2027?

The 69th Daytona 500 is Sunday, Feb. 21, 2027, at Daytona International Speedway, according to the speedway. That is one week later than the 2026 race, which ran Feb. 15, 2026. Start time and TV network had not been published as of Oct. 20, 2026.

When is the Clash at Daytona 2027?

The Clash is Saturday night, Feb. 13, 2027, on the Daytona oval, according to NASCAR. It is a non-points exhibition, and NASCAR said its format and eligibility would be released later. It returns to Daytona after running at the LA Coliseum and Bowman Gray Stadium.

Can I put "Daytona 500" on a shirt I sell?

Not without a license. USPTO records show DAYTONA 500 is registered for caps and T-shirts, and THE GREAT AMERICAN RACE, SPEEDWEEKS, DAYTONA, and NASCAR are also registered for clothing. NASCAR has sued unlicensed sellers at racetracks and online.

Is a driver's car number trademarked?

Some are. USPTO records show Richard Childress Racing owns the number 3 as a trademark for T-shirts and hats, and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owns the number 1 for caps. Driver names such as Dale Earnhardt are registered for clothing too.

What should a Daytona 500 party shirt say?

Generic racing phrases work best: "Race Day Crew," "Left Turns Only," "Green Flag Party," or the host's name with a checkered flag. Leave off Daytona 500, The Great American Race, Speedweeks, NASCAR, driver names, and car numbers.

Where this fits in the DTF Database

For fast race-week runs, the DTF supplier directory lists shops that print gang sheets with quick turnaround. For other sports trademark rules, see our March Madness 2027 guide, our Kentucky Derby 2027 guide, and the licensed character and trademark guide.