2026 is shaping up to be the most important year of NASCAR since the Chase for the Cup was first introduced in January 2004. The Chase is back with increased points to the winner, no more elimination controversies, and my personal favorite – no more win and you’re in. The years prior at Daytona has seen drivers racing desperate to score not only the Daytona 500 victory but to get a playoff berth and I believe the “win and you’re in” eligibility led to increased chaos, poor blocking attempts, and races where less than five drivers had no damage. But with the new points format and points that are vital to compete at the end of the year for the title, I think the 2026 Daytona 500 will be a new era of superspeedway racing, the days of entire fields being ripped apart in major wrecks caused by desperate drivers trying to score an easy playoff berth in one of their only realistic chances to get in are over, or at least I hope so. Hopefully by the end of the Daytona 500 today the first thing out of the winner’s mouth is “We just won the Daytona 500”, and not “We are in the playoffs now”. Only time will tell.

-Adam Shelton (AZSRacing.com Owner)