The 2026 NASCAR season will culminate in a highly anticipated weekend at Daytona International Speedway, where the Cup Series and the O’Reilly Series will hold their final qualifying sessions in August.
The event, set against the backdrop of Daytona Beach, Florida, marks the first time the series will experiment with a new rules package designed to increase on‑track competition and reshape the strategic landscape for teams.
Qualifying Order and Metric Scores
Metric scores will dictate the starting order, with Casey Mears topping the Cup Series list at 41.900, followed closely by Joey Gase at 41.000, while Ryan Blaney finds himself at the bottom of the grid with a score of 1.300.
In the O’Reilly Series, Caesar Bacarella currently leads the qualifying order with a score of 58.700, underscoring the series’ competitive depth.
The 2.5‑mile superspeedway’s unique layout adds another layer of unpredictability, as high‑speed drafting and pack racing are expected to play a decisive role.
Among the Cup Series field, familiar names such as Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace will join a roster that also includes rising talents like Daniel Dye and Zane Smith, each bringing distinct strengths to the track.
A notable curiosity on the grid is the placeholder entry #42 TBA, slated for position twelve, which hints at potential driver swaps or last‑minute additions that could further shuffle the order.
Fans can look forward to a weekend that blends tradition with innovation, as the historic track prepares to test the limits of the new aerodynamic package and the drivers’ adaptability.