Daytona 500
The 78th NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway on Sunday, February 15 at iconic Daytona International Speedway with the Daytona 500. This is the first points race of 36 set for the season, as we have a wide variety of rule and scoring changes, plus a new look to the playoffs.
The NASCAR In-Season Challenge is back once again and we’ve got a new street course race on Coronado, which will be a beautiful backdrop near San Diego. North Wilkesboro Speedway has a points race this season instead of the All-Star Race, and the Roval is no more for the second Charlotte stop later in the year. There are three road course races and the street course race for this year.
How to Watch The Daytona 500
When: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Where: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Rule Changes and Points System
Everybody begins with a clean slate, so we don’t have any standings to look at as we begin the season. But, there are some rule and scoring changes to be aware of for 2026. We’ll have more horsepower this season in the NASCAR Cup Series on tracks under 1.5 miles and on road courses in hopes of cranking up the excitement. There are also new track packages at Bristol, Darlington, Dover, Nashville, New Hampshire, and St. Louis.
More importantly, from a scoring standpoint, wins have gotten more valuable. First place is now worth 55 points, a 15-point increase from last season. Also, drivers who head to the garage will not be eligible for the fastest lap point if it comes after the car returns to the field. If they achieved the fastest lap beforehand, that bonus point still counts.
The postseason format has changed, as there are no rounds anymore and playoff points will not be awarded. The top 16 drivers in points will qualify for the Cup Series Chase and how they perform over the 10 races as a whole is how a winner will be decided. In other words, a win does not guarantee entry into the Chase like it would have in the past.
Daytona 500 Winners
The Daytona 500 gets its name from 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval in the Sunshine State. Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be 65 laps each this season and the Final Stage is 70 laps. William Byron is the reigning two-time champ in this event, but prior to him, we saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Cindric, and Michael McDowell take the checkered flag. Daytona is known for “The Big One” and if you can avoid that wreck, you can win this race.
Denny Hamlin has three career wins here to lead all active drivers, as he is one of five with back-to-back wins. Byron has also done it, along with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin, so some very fine company. Hamlin’s last win came back in 2020.
In terms of drivers who have done well recently on this track in general, so the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Ryan Blaney also has a couple of wins here over his last 10 starts. Blaney, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Chris Buescher all have five top-10 finishes in their last 10 outings at DIS and Bell, Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace are all tied with three top-five finishes.
Steve Makinen’s Daytona 500 Predictions
For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s final simulation results and more stats on the drivers.
See Steve’s Daytona 500 and NASCAR Cup Series season preview.
