The Winners and Losers Of the 2026 Daytona 500

by Bryan Aguiar

The 2026 Daytona 500 wasn’t just another crown jewel; it felt like a turning point. After lawsuits, format changes, broadcast criticism, and a long offseason full of tension, this race carried real weight. And when the checkered flag flew at Daytona International Speedway, the winners and losers went far beyond the finishing order.

• Was Michael Jordan’s Victory Lane moment the biggest optics win NASCAR has had in years?
• Did Tyler Reddick just redefine his legacy, and maybe his free agency leverage, in one afternoon?
• Is the new points format quietly helping the sport by staying out of the spotlight?
• Did Fox truly improve its broadcast, or are the same cracks still showing underneath?

From MJ embracing Jim France after months of legal tension, to questions about fuel saving, pack racing, and whether this superspeedway package needs a serious tweak, this race sparked conversations that could shape the entire 2026 season. There were clear steps forward, but also warning signs hiding in plain sight. We break down who really won, who didn’t, and why this Speedweeks might matter more than most people realize. Watch the full breakdown and tell me where you land.

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The CRAZIEST Red Flag In Daytona 500 History

Who Leads the Points Standings After Daytona?

by Neha Dwivedi

What’s Happening?

Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?

After 500 miles, here is where they stacked up. pic.twitter.com/6l5zddcA6m

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2026

After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. The 23XI Racing driver pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.

• Joey Logano crossed the line in the Daytona 500 race in P3 but still sits second in the standings. He banked 36 points from Sunday, as the third-place finish handed him 34 points, and a P2 in Stage 2 chipped in two more. The three-time Cup champion missed out on Stage 1 points, noting that pit calls cost them track position and left points on the table. His win in Duel 1 earlier in the week padded his tally with 10 extra points, bringing his total to 46.
• Chase Elliott finished P4 in the main event and walked away with 33 points, but it placed him third overall with 43. His Duel 2 win handed him another 10 points, helping him stay ahead of drivers who finished higher in the race, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who came home P2 in the main event.
• Zane Smith may have finished sixth in the Daytona 500, but he holds fourth in the standings. The Front Row Motorsports driver collected 31 points for the race and another 10 for winning Stage 1. While no points came from it, he was the one who pushed Elliott forward on the final lap, ahead of Riley Herbst, assisting the No. 9 into the fight for the win until the last-corner chaos flipped the whole scene.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who tends to make drafting tracks his playground and won the Daytona 500 back in 2023, sits right behind Smith. This year, starting from P19, Stenhouse kept his nose clean, dodged the mayhem, and crossed the line second, earning 35 points. He also finished P7 in Duel 2 earlier in the week. Under the 2026 points format, top-10 Duel finishers earn points, with seventh place paying out four. That brought him to 39 points, good enough for P5 in the standings.

Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his RFK Racing driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.

Atlanta Could Shake Things Up

Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.

Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.

Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.

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EchoPark Speedway’s 2026 NASCAR Spring Race Weekend: TV Schedule, Entry Lists, Race Info, and More

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.

• The track once known as Atlanta Motor Speedway is now known as EchoPark Speedway, following a 2025 naming rights agreement between owner Speedway Motorsports and Echo Park Automotive. Regardless, the track is still the same sight that has hosted NASCAR since 1960.
• EchoPark Speedway, despite the flashy name and wild racing, is one of NASCAR’s most historic venues, starting off as a traditional oval before a 1997 reconfiguration turned the track into a modern quad-oval intermediate. In 2022, the track debuted a similar look but a different style of racing, as the venue became the first intermediate on the NASCAR schedule to develop a form of pack, or drafting racing.
• The races at EchoPark are always fun to watch, with three wide finishes and chaotic last laps. While that’s all fun and games, it comes at a cost, as major crashes happen often and with big consequences, with last summer’s race producing a 22-car pileup in turn three.

Weekend TV Schedule (All Times ET)

Friday, February 20: Truck Qualifying/OAP Series Qualifying

• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Truck Series Qualifying on FS1
• 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying on the CW App

Saturday, February 21: Cup Series Qualifying – TRUCK SERIES AND XFINITY SERIES RACE

• 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM – Cup Series Qualifying on Amazon Prime Video
• 1:30 PM – CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES FR8 208 on FS1 (TV) and MRN (Radio)
• 5:00 PM – O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES BENNETT TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS 250 on the CW (TV) and PRN (Radio)

Sunday, February 22: CUP SERIES RACE

• 3:00 PM – AMBETTER HEALTH 400 on FOX (TV) and PRN (Radio); Driver Camera on HBO Max

Race Facts

Track Facts: EchoPark Speedway (Formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway)

• Year Built: 1960
• Length: 1.54 miles
• Shape: Quad-oval
• Banking: 28 Degrees in Turns; 5 Degrees on Frontstretch and Backstretch
• Surface: Asphalt
• Lights: Yes
• Rain Tires: No

Fr8 208 on FS1:

• Race Length: 135 Laps (207.9 Miles)
• Stages: 40 Lap Stage 1, 40 Lap Stage 2, 55 Lap Final Stage
• Most-Recent Race Winner: Kyle Busch

Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 on the CW:

• Race Length: 163 Laps (251.02 Miles)
• Stages: 45 Lap Stage 1, 45 Lap Stage 2, 73 Lap Final Stage
• Most-Recent Race Winner: Austin Hill

Ambetter Health 400 on FOX:

• Race Length: 260 Laps (406.4 Miles)
• Stages: 60 Lap Stage 1, 100 Lap Stage 2, 100 Lap Final Stage

2025 Ambetter Health 400 Results:

• First: Christopher Bell – No. 20
• Second: Carson Hocevar – No. 77
• Third: Kyle Larson – No. 5
• Fourth: Ryan Blaney – No. 12
• Fifth: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 47

Top Storylines of the Weekend

• This week marks Kyle Busch’s return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a series in which he has 67 wins, including two straight at EchoPark Speedway. Last year, Rowdy led 80 laps and looked to have the best Truck, but some fans suggested he was toying with the field, resulting in a close finish at the line with Stewart Friesen.
• Just like his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Busch, Austin Hill has dominated the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at the now not-so-new EchoPark Speedway. Of the eight races on the tracks’ new configuration, Hill has five wins, including three in a row from the spring of 2024 to the spring of 2025.
• Though EchoPark is a drafting track, as you may already know, that doesn’t guarantee anything. One driver who had a great weekend at Daytona may struggle, while an unexpected driver, say Kyle Larson, could pull out a win.

Entry Lists

Cup Series

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Truck Series

Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.