Boogity, boogity, boogity — it’s time to draft and dodge at Daytona. The 2026 season opens with 200 laps of pack racing, manufacturer teamwork, and “Big One” danger. Ms. V breaks down how qualifying and the Duels shape the field, which drivers know how to control the draft, and where the real win value sits heading into Sunday night.
Race: Daytona 500
Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Time: 7pm ET
Channel: FS1
Boogity, boogity, boogity! LET’S GO RACIN’, BOYS!
NASCAR is back! It’s time to kick off the 2026 season with the Daytona 500! The team made a valiant attempt with an exhibition race at Bowman Gray last week, despite the atrocious weather, but nothing says NASCAR quite like the roaring engines at a superspeedway. Ryan Preece was your winner at Bowman Gray last weekend, followed by William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, and Denny Hamlin. I’d like to think this would help us heading into Daytona, but the reality is that this won’t do much to gauge what this weekend will look like.
Here’s a laughable stat. The average speed of the race was 21mph. That tells you all you need to know about the amount of “racing” that actually occurred. There were 17 cautions and a margin of victory close to 2 seconds. For a short track, wow. You’d think there’d be a little more competition, but this race had its own challenges and really isn’t indicative of how these guys are coming to the track this weekend.
What a difference we are going to see in Daytona! While Bowman Gray is a quarter mile oval, Daytona is a massive 2.5 mile tri-oval lasting 31 degrees of banking in the turns, 18 degrees on the tri-oval, and 3 degrees on the back straightaway. It’s a totally different beast with very little brake usage and a lot of drafting skill required. These guys are going to be trying to maintain their position within the main draft because if they lose it, they’re basically doomed.
The thing about Daytona is that there isn’t a great spot to be. The frontrunner can get just a little too far ahead and then be trucked by the inside or outside draft lanes. Anyone behind the frontrunner? Well, they could just be trucked by whatever big wreck is perpetually waiting around the corner at any given moment.
The unique part of the Daytona 500 is the qualifying. There are going to be two main events that are going to set the field. A “traditional” qualifying run will take place on Wednesday night. The difference is that this run will only set the front row. The remainder of the 38-car field is at the mercy of the Duels that will take place on Thursday night.
There will be two races run that will ultimately determine the rest of the field. Obviously, this is where a lot of our true insight will come from when it comes to who’s got what happening this year. There have been a lot of changes in the off-season, but there are still our typical strong superspeedway drivers. Let’s take a look at your top picks for winners heading into this weekend’s Great American Race:
Winner: Ryan Blaney (+260)
Last August, Blaney took the win from the pole position. He’s got multiple other wins at this track, including a win in the 500 back in 2018. Blaney is a strong superspeedway driver and has the Penske horsepower backing him. With the strength in this team and the garage, Blaney is looking to start the season off right with a win this weekend.
Mid-Range Pick: Alex Bowman (+300)
So Bowman left a lot on the table last year. He really had a pretty mundane 2025 season, truth be told. I think we’re going to see a little more out of him this year, and what better way to start that off than with a win at one of his stronger tracks? Bowman has 19 starts here with 7 top 10 finishes. If he can find a friend and stay out of trouble, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team really come to play on Sunday.
Dark Horse: Bubba Wallace (+275)
Bubba is starting off as a dark horse this year after trying to wreck the entire field last week at Bowman Gray. I don’t think that’s a reflection of his abilities on a superspeedway, but he definitely didn’t make any friends. Daytona is a track of friends and foes, so Bubba better link up with a buddy and stay out of the wrecks and not be the cause. With 5 top 5 finishes in 17 starts, he definitely has some value in this weekend’s matchups.
NASCAR is getting back to its roots in reverting what the end of the season looks like, too. While we’re just getting started, every race and every point will count just a little more than they did in the last several years with the playoffs. Instead of a 16-grid playoff knockout, the drivers are going back into a Chase format for the championship. Personally, I’m stoked. I think this will create better racing throughout the season and create a fairer advantage at the end.
Regardless, we are getting ready to start off 2026 in a big way as these drivers and teams stage themselves for the big race on Sunday. Stay tuned for the Daytona 500 this weekend and get ready to watch some wild rides!
