2026 NASCAR Cup Series

Chartered teams

Non-chartered teams

Team changes

Chevrolet unveiled a new body style for the ZL1 in November 2025 for the 2026 season to replace the model that had been used since 2022. The redesign is based on the Camaro ZL1 Carbon Performance Package accessories kit.^[89] Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing switched from Ford to Chevrolet in 2026.^[5] HFT has a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, while RWR formed a technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing.^[27]

Driver changes

Justin Haley did not return to Spire Motorsports.^[28] Haley returned to Kaulig Racing, driving in the Craftsman Truck Series.^[90] Daniel Suárez, who was released from Trackhouse Racing, moved to Spire Motorports in Haley's place.^[29]

Kyle Busch died three days before the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 from hemorrhagic shock caused by sepsis from untreated pneumonia; he was going to skip the race weekend to deal with the illness and Austin Hill was to drive in his place.^[3] In his honor, Richard Childress Racing decided to stop using his number, 8, and hold it until his son Brexton could begin racing in NASCAR; the car was renumbered to 33.^[91] On June 6, Hill was named as Busch's permanent replacement for at least the remainder of the season.^[92]

Technical changes

Policy changes

Charter agreement changes

Following the outcome of the 23XI Racing lawsuit, all teams were offered "evergreen" charters. In contrast to previous agreements, which expired at a set date, the new agreement would include charters that would not expire.^[102]

Points system changes

Notes

Schedule changes

Homestead–Miami Speedway returned to its traditional date as the season finale for all three major series.^[125] To accommodate this change, New Hampshire Motor Speedway was removed from The Chase.^[1] Chicago Street Course officials announced that the Grant Park 165 will not return in 2026, with hopes to revive the event in future seasons.^[126] The Cup Series returned to Southern California with a street race at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego.^[127] To accommodate this change, Mexico City was dropped from the schedule due to a conflict with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.^[128] The NASCAR All-Star Race moved from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway, giving the former a points race, the first regular-season race held since 1996.^[1] Chicagoland Speedway returned to the schedule for the first time since 2019.^[1] The Charlotte Motor Speedway fall race moved away from the roval layout to the oval after seven years as a road course race.^[123]

Preseason races

Due to a historic snowstorm over the United States, the Cook Out Clash was postponed three times from its original Saturday and Sunday dates, before ultimately being condensed to a one-day event on Wednesday, February 4.^{[129][130][107]} Reigning champion Kyle Larson won pole position. Weather plagued the event, causing NASCAR to mandate use of wet weather tires after a scheduled half-race break. After an event record 17 cautions, Ryan Preece won the Clash, joining Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as drivers who won the Clash before winning their first points paying race.^[131]

The Duel at Daytona races set the starting order for the Daytona 500, with the exception of the front row, which is set by the fastest two times in qualifying. Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe won the pole and second place respectively, and therefore started first in each duel race.^[132] During the first Duel, RFK Racing dominated the majority of the race, seeking to help Corey LaJoie clinch among the "Open" cars, as he had not qualified for the race. Unfortunately for LaJoie, a last lap wreck ended his chances of making the 500. Casey Mears, despite a spin earlier in the race, dodged LaJoie during the wreck, clinching his spot into the race, as well as making his first Daytona 500 start since 2019's race.^[133]

During the second Duel, which ran caution-free, Chase Elliott finished 0.065 seconds ahead of Carson Hocevar.^[133] Anthony Alfredo finished in position to make the Daytona 500 as the last open car, but was disqualified after a post-race technical inspection found that his car's cooling hoses were not secured. Due to the disqualification, the next-best finishing open car, driven by B. J. McLeod, qualified for the race.^[134]

Regular season

NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 start time forward an hour to 1:30 p.m. eastern time due to the threat of rain in the evening.^[109] Zane Smith won stage one after staying out in the middle of pit cycles, as well as getting his first career stage win. Stage two featured a battle between polesitter Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson for the lead for the majority of the stage. Bubba Wallace, however, won the second stage, after narrowly avoiding "The Big One", caused by Denny Hamlin tapping Justin Allgaier's rear bumper, triggering a 20-car pileup on the tri-oval.^[135] After a restart with five laps remaining, Tyler Reddick escaped two wrecks and passed Chase Elliott for the win exiting turn four.^[136]

Tyler Reddick won the pole at Atlanta after qualifying was canceled due to rain.^[137] Austin Cindric won stage one, and William Byron appeared to have won stage two, however Bubba Wallace was later ruled as the stage winner due to a spin by Kyle Larson just feet behind him. During overtime, Reddick, who was involved in a crash on 160, won the race. Reddick became the sixth driver ever, and the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009, to win the first two races of the season.^[138]

Tyler Reddick won his second pole of the season at Austin, his third pole win at the track, with the other pole wins being 2021 and 2025.^[139] Pit strategies shook up the stage standings, with Ross Chastain winning stage one and Ty Gibbs winning stage two. On lap 76, Myatt Snider replaced Alex Bowman, as Bowman experienced vertigo symptoms during the race.^[140] Reddick dominated the later half of the race, becoming the first driver in series history to win the first three races to begin a season.^[141]

Joey Logano won the pole at Phoenix.^[142] Similar to the previous season's fall race at the track, tires had increased tire wear, playing a key role in the race. Ryan Blaney won stage one and Christopher Bell won stage two. A late race caution on lap 295 reset the field; Bell had led 176 laps to that point. Blaney passed the leader, Ty Gibbs, on lap 303, holding off a hard charging Bell and ultimately winning the race, getting his second consecutive win at the track.^[143]

Christopher Bell won the pole at Las Vegas.^[144] Bell won stage one and William Byron won stage two. Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Bell in qualifying, dominated the race. Hamlin would overcome a pit road speeding penalty earlier in the race and led a race high 134 laps en route to his 61st Cup Series win, putting him 10th all time on NASCAR's all-time winners, as well as claiming his second consecutive win at the track.^[145]

Tyler Reddick won the pole at Darlington.^[146] Brad Keselowski swept the stages, seeking to get his first win since 2024's running of the race. Reddick battled for the lead with Keselowski, eventually overtaking him on lap 265, winning the race and continuing his early season success. Reddick became the third driver ever, along with Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott, to win 4 of the first 6 races of a season.^[147][148]

Denny Hamlin won the pole at Martinsville.^[149] A caution came out on lap 77, ending stage one early with Hamlin winning. Hamlin eventually swept the stages. Chase Elliott would take advantage of a late race caution and would hold off Hamlin for his 22nd career win and first win at Martinsville Speedway since 2020.^[150]

Ryan Blaney won the pole at Bristol.^[151] Kyle Larson swept the stages for the second straight day, as he also swept Saturday's O'Reilly race stages. A late race caution on lap 498 would shake up the race and cause overtime, Ty Gibbs held off a hard charging Blaney and Larson to get his first career Cup Series win, becoming the first Cup driver to get their first win at Bristol Motor Speedway since Kurt Busch in 2002.^[152]

Tyler Reddick won the pole at Kansas.^[153] Denny Hamlin won stage one and Kyle Larson won stage two. Reddick ran out of fuel on lap 266 before a spin by Cody Ware triggered a caution, forcing overtime. Reddick, following pit stops, was able to pass three cars in the final two laps of overtime for his fifth win of the season,^[154] becoming the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win five of the first nine races in a season.

Rain at Talladega canceled qualifying, with Tyler Reddick winning the pole.^[155] The stages were changed to prevent fuel saving.^[156] Ryan Preece won stage one. On lap 115, "The Big One" struck, taking out 26 drivers, such as Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Daniel Suárez, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and others. Ross Chastain won stage two. The race ended with Carson Hocevar scoring his first career win by 0.114 seconds over Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman.^[157]

Carson Hocevar won the pole at Texas.^[158] Erik Jones won stage one, his first career stage win. Chase Elliott won stage two. Elliott would dominate the later half of the race, and ultimately would hold off runner-up Denny Hamlin after a late race caution for his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway.^[159]

Shane van Gisbergen won the pole at Watkins Glen.^[160] Ross Chastain won stage one and van Gisbergen won stage two. Following pit cycles, stage three featured a battle between Ty Gibbs and Connor Zilisch. However, van Gisbergen, after ending up 24th after pit cycles on lap 76, was able to overtake Gibbs with 8 to go and would win the race, claiming his second consecutive win at Watkins Glen International.^[161]

Denny Hamlin won the pole for the exhibition race at Dover.^[162] On lap two, a wreck occurred with Ryan Preece's car catching on fire, bringing out the red flag early. Another caution on lap 63 ended segment one early, with Bubba Wallace winning segment one. Segment two featured an inversion of the field, with Tyler Reddick winning segment two. The field was shrunk to 26 cars for the final segment. Hamlin eventually dominated the final segment, holding off Chase Briscoe for his second NASCAR All-Star Race win, and first since 2015.^[163]

The next weekend's race at Charlotte was marred by the death of Kyle Busch that Thursday, as he had developed sepsis stemming from pneumonia earlier in the week. Rain at the track canceled qualifying, with Tyler Reddick winning the pole.^[164] Kyle Larson won stage one, Denny Hamlin won stage two, and Christopher Bell won stage three, with Joe Gibbs Racing claiming a 1-2-3-4 sweep. After a thrilling final stage, run with rain in the area, Daniel Suárez was announced as the winner after the race was called 27 laps early due to rainfall at the track. Suárez claimed his first win since the 2024 Ambetter Health 400 and third overall in his career. Suárez would dedicate the win to Busch.^[165]

Rain at Nashville canceled qualifying, with Denny Hamlin winning the pole.^[166] Hamlin immediately received a black flag for a jump start penalty, the first of his career.^[167] After a caution on lap 82 set up a one-lap shootout, A. J. Allmendinger won stage one, his first stage win on an oval. Another caution on lap 183 ended stage two under caution, with Daniel Suárez winning stage two. After a late race caution, Hamlin passed teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe to win the race after a three-wide move, claiming Toyota's first win at Nashville Superspeedway, as well as overcoming his penalty from earlier in the race.^[168]

Denny Hamlin won the pole at Michigan.^[169] Hamlin later went to the rear following unapproved adjustments for the start of the race.^[170] Tyler Reddick won stage one, and Chase Elliott won stage two. On lap 149, Christopher Bell and Elliott wrecked, bringing out the red flag, as well as causing damage to the outside safer barrier. After another caution on lap 154, Hamlin dominated the later half of the race. Hamlin claimed his 63rd career win, and would tie long time teammate Kyle Busch for 9th on the all time NASCAR win list, waving a special flag in memoriam.^[171]

NASCAR moved Pocono's start time up two hours to 1 p.m. eastern time due to the threat of evening rain.^[114] Denny Hamlin won the pole.^[172] Hamlin won stage one, and Todd Gilliland won stage two, his first career stage win. Hamlin overtook teammate Christopher Bell with 5 laps to go to eventually win the race, claiming his eighth career win at Pocono Raceway, his first career three-peat, as well as being three days removed from the 2006 Pocono 500, Hamlin's first career win.^[173]

Shane van Gisbergen won the pole at Coronado.^[174] Ryan Blaney won stage one while Ryan Preece won stage two. After teammate Tyler Reddick spun with 4 laps to go, Corey Heim scored his first career win in just his 13th start after battling with Reddick.^[175]

Ty Gibbs won the pole at Sonoma.^[176] Gibbs swept both stages, Shane van Gisbergen won the race after holding off Chase Briscoe.^[177] For the first time all season, the points leader changed as Denny Hamlin passed Tyler Reddick to take over the points lead.^[178]

Denny Hamlin won the pole at the series return to Chicagoland for the first time since 2019.^[179] William Byron won stages one and two. After overtaking Byron during the final pit cycles, Chase Briscoe won the race, also holding off teammates Christopher Bell and Hamlin.^[180][181]

Ryan Blaney won the pole at Atlanta.^[182] The race was red-flagged on lap 108 due to lightning and resumed after three hours. Blaney swept both stages, and on lap 255, a caution happened, causing overtime. Blaney won the race.^[183] Blaney also broke a record for the second-most laps led on a drafting track at 171, the most since Richard Petty during the 1964 Daytona 500. Both Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick were locked into The Chase.^[184]

North Wilkesboro Speedway returned to the schedule as a points paying race for the first time since 1996.^[185] Rain at the track canceled qualifying, with Ryan Blaney winning the pole.^[186] Ty Gibbs won stage one, passing Shane van Gisbergen on the last lap. Joey Logano won stage two. Logano dominated stage three, holding off Denny Hamlin for his first win since the 2025 Würth 400.^[187] Blaney was locked into The Chase.^[188]

Carson Hocevar won the pole at Indianapolis.^[189]

Race results

Drivers' championship

(Key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by competition-based formula. * – Most laps led. ^F – Fastest lap. ¹ – Stage 1 winner. ² – Stage 2 winner. ³ – Stage 3 winner.^{[N 1]}

Notes

Manufacturers' championship

After 22 of 36 races