Clearwater Offshore Nationals 2026 — Schedule, Where to Watch, Sponsors & the Racing Network
Ninety race boats. Fourteen classes. Hulls up to 50 feet long running at 150 mph a few hundred yards off the sand.
The XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals returns to Clearwater Beach, Florida on September 25–27, 2026, and it is Round 3 of 4 on the Race World Offshore calendar.
Three days of offshore racing on the Gulf — September 25–27, 2026, Clearwater Beach.
This is one of the biggest offshore events on the American race calendar, and one of the very few where the whole thing is free to watch from a public beach.
Below is the schedule, where to stand, who is racing, who is backing it, and how to use the free Racing Network board to line up a ride, a crew spot, a hauler or a place to stay.
The Schedule
Race World Offshore publishes the full hour-by-hour schedule, including driver meetings, parade times and course maps, on its own site.
Here is the shape of the weekend.
Friday, September 25 — Test & Tune
Offshore testing runs roughly noon to 3:30 PM.
This is the day to meet the teams, walk the pits while crews are still working, and catch the welcome parties around the beach.
Saturday, September 26 — Qualifying
Qualifying sessions begin around 10:45 AM, followed by early-class heat races.
The fan zone is open and the beach party runs into the evening.
Sunday, September 27 — Championship Day
Championship final races across all classes, then the awards and closing ceremony.
Sunday is the day to be there if you are only coming once.
Times can move. Offshore racing runs on water conditions, not clocks.
Check the official posted schedule before you head out: raceworldoffshore.com/clearwater-schedule .
Where to Watch — and It Is Free
The race course is laid out on the Gulf directly off Clearwater Beach, which means the grandstand is the sand itself.
- Free viewing from Pier 60 northward. The public beach north of the pier gives you an open line on the course at no charge.
- Dry pits at Sand Key Park. This is where the boats live between runs — rigging, prop changes, engine work, drivers and crews. If you want to actually see the machinery, go to Sand Key.
- Get there early. Clearwater Beach parking fills fast on a normal September weekend. On race weekend it fills faster.
- Watching from home? Race World Offshore streams the racing free on its Facebook page .
Who Is Racing — 90 Boats, 14 Classes
The preliminary entry list runs 90 boats deep across 14 classes.
The preliminary entry list breaks down roughly like this:
- Class 1 — 6 boats · Class 2 / 500 — 7 boats
- Super Cat — 10 boats · Super Stock — 18 boats
- Modified Vee — 9 boats · Super Vee — 3 boats · Vee Limited — 3 boats
- Bracket 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 / 700 — 3, 3, 5, 10, 4 and 7 boats respectively
- Cat 300 — 2 boats
Super Stock is the deepest field on the sheet at 18 entries, and Super Cat and Bracket 500 both stack up at ten apiece.
Names on the list include Club Car Wash / BPR, WHM Motorsports, MONSTER ENERGY / MCON, Outta Pocket Racing, the XINSURANCE boat, Marine Technology / GC Racing, Good Boy Vodka, Jackhammer, Dirty Money Racing, Wicked, Howe2Live Offshore, Raymarine, Huk Racing, Celsius / Valvoline, El Bandido Tequila, and the As the Prop Turns / Ultimate Boat Racing Experience entry.
Entry lists change right up to the weekend. The live, official version is here: raceworldoffshore.com/clearwater .
Sponsors & Partners
An event this size does not happen without the companies and the city behind it.
- XINSURANCE — presenting sponsor and title partner of the UIM World Championship Series
- Sunoco — official race fuel
- Racing Communications — official race control communication
- Tunaskin — official apparel
- Visit St. Pete / Clearwater and the City of Clearwater — host partners who make the beach course possible
- Dimmitt Chevrolet, Island Way Grill, Marina Cantina, Bar Tiki and Maximum Inflation — local and event partners
- Sanctioning by APBA and UIM, run by Race World Offshore .
And us. OutboardLISTINGS.com℠ is not an official race sponsor — we are a marine-industry partner to this sport in a different way.
We cover these events, we build free tools for the people who race, and everything we put in front of the racing community — the Racing Network board, the Clearwater event hub, the Weekender and the marine directory — costs racers and teams nothing.
Racing Network Reminder — Use It for This Race
This is the part we want every team, crew member and fan heading to Clearwater to read.
The Racing Network is a free classifieds board built for powerboat racing.
It is not a calendar and it is not an algorithm. It is a place to post what you need and let the right person find you.
- Drivers and throttlemen looking for a ride
- Teams looking for crew, a mechanic or pit help for the weekend
- Sponsors looking for a boat to put their name on
- Builders, riggers and prop shops looking for work
- Haulers, transport, RV and trailer spots — the stuff nobody plans until the week before
- Race schools and event coordinators looking for people
Post it once, free, at OutboardListings.com/racing-network, and tie it to the Clearwater hub here: Clearwater Offshore Nationals 2026 event page .
Hotels, Parking & the City
The City of Clearwater keeps the best single resource page for this event — lodging, parking, beach access, trolley info and what else is going on that weekend.
myclearwater.com — Clearwater Offshore Nationals
Host hotels for the event include the Sheraton Sand Key, Opal Sands, Holiday Inn Clearwater, SpringHill Suites Clearwater and Shephard’s Beach Resort.
Race weekend books out early — if you have not reserved yet, do it now.
Official Links
- Race World Offshore — Clearwater event page (entry list, tickets, VIP)
- Race World Offshore — full published schedule
- City of Clearwater — hotels, parking & visitor info
- OutboardListings Racing Network — Clearwater event hub
Bring water, bring a chair, bring sunscreen and get north of Pier 60 early.
Then go post your ride, your crew spot or your sponsorship pitch on the Racing Network.
Related: Racing Network · Thunder on Cocoa Beach · St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix · IHRA Offshore Racing · The Weekender