NASCAR’s new Chase format is built on consistency — on stacking points whenever and however you can. That reality was evident Sunday in the season-opening Daytona 500.
Michael Jordan got himself another ring. This time, it was at The Daytona 500. NASCAR is officially back. After an offseason full of tragedy, scandals, lawsuits, and rule changes, NASCAR made its long-awaited return to the World Center of Racing in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Kyle Busch is among the most experienced active drivers in all of NASCAR. In NASCAR, most skills will come with experience, and experience only. That is the masterclass Busch put on tonight to finish P15 rather than P30+.
Denny Hamlin himself got swept up in the chaos with 10 laps to go in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, taking Christopher Bell along with him. A push from his 23XI Racing driver Corey Heim went wrong, sending Hamlin into the wall before he collected the No.
Carson Hocevar capped off a busy triple-header weekend of racing at Daytona International Speedway by being in a prime position to win his first Daytona 500 event until a spin on the final lap derailed his hopes to commence the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
As Tyler Reddick celebrated his first Daytona 500 career victory at Daytona International Speedway, Bubba Wallace, Reddick’s teammate at 23XI Racing, was left defeated after having a dominant run conclude with a top-10 result.
For much of the final lap of the 2026 Daytona 500, Chase Elliott appeared to be in a position to achieve his first Daytona 500 victory. Instead, Elliott’s hopes of winning evaporated just shy of the finish line as a final lap carnage relegated him to a top-five result.
Ryan Blaney was not a fan of how the Toyota drivers raced in the Daytona 500 on Sunday. They employed aggressive fuel-saving tactics, but that was not his main issue.
Chase Elliott didn’t need to explain anything after the Daytona 500. Sitting against the outside wall, helmet off and shoulders heavy, he looked like a driver replaying the same ten seconds on a loop.
The engines had fallen silent, and the smoke from the celebratory burnout drifted into the cool Florida night, but Bubba Wallace didn’t move. He stood beside his No.
After concluding the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season winless, Tyler Reddick stormed back atop the competition with a thrilling victory in the 68th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 15.
Jeff Gordon’s reaction from the pit box said it all about the final lap. Chase Elliott, who nearly ended the night basking in glory, instead watched the prize slip through his fingers.
Kevin Harvick is confident that a young NASCAR Cup Series driver will do big things in 2026. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick revealed the driver that he believes will have a breakout 2026 season.
Following another running of the Daytona 500, questions remain about the proliferation of fuel-saving on superspeedways with the Next Gen cars. And Denny Hamlin had an eyebrow-raising comment after the race about the potential future for the preseason Clash.