Preseason races Due to
a historic snowstorm over the United States, the
Cook Out Clash was postponed three times from its original Saturday and Sunday dates, before ultimately being condensed to a one-day event on Wednesday, February 4. The
Duel at Daytona races set the starting order for the Daytona 500, with the exception of the front row, which is set by the fastest two times in qualifying.
Kyle Busch and
Chase Briscoe won the pole and second place respectively, and therefore started first in each duel race. During the first Duel,
RFK Racing dominated the majority of the race, seeking to help
Corey LaJoie clinch among the "Open" cars, as he had not qualified for the race. Unfortunately for LaJoie, a last lap wreck ended his chances of making the 500.
Casey Mears, despite a spin earlier in the race, dodged LaJoie during the wreck, clinching his spot into the race, as well as making his first Daytona 500 start since
2019's race. During the second Duel, which ran caution-free,
Chase Elliott finished 0.065 seconds ahead of
Carson Hocevar.
Regular season NASCAR moved the
Daytona 500 start time forward an hour to 1:30 p.m. eastern time due to the threat of rain in the evening. After a restart with five laps remaining,
Tyler Reddick escaped two wrecks and passed
Chase Elliott for the win exiting turn four.
Tyler Reddick won the pole at
Atlanta, after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The race had set a new track record for 17 lead changes in stage one, with
Austin Cindric winning the stage.
William Byron appeared to have won stage two, however
Bubba Wallace was later ruled as the stage winner due to a spin by
Kyle Larson just feet behind him. During overtime, Reddick, who was involved in a crash on 160, won the race. Reddick became the sixth driver ever, and the first since
Matt Kenseth in
2009 to win the first two races of the season.
Tyler Reddick won his second pole of the season at
Austin, his third pole win at the track, with the other pole wins being
2021 and
2025. Pit strategies shook up the stage standings, with
Ross Chastain winning stage one, and
Ty Gibbs winning stage two. On lap 76,
Myatt Snider replaced
Alex Bowman, as Bowman experienced
vertigo symptoms during the race. Reddick dominated the later half of the race, becoming the first driver in series history to win the first three races to begin a season.
Joey Logano won the pole at
Phoenix. Similar to the
last season's fall race at the
track, tires had increased tire wear, playing a key role in the race.
Ryan Blaney won stage one, and
Christopher Bell won stage two. A late race caution on lap 295 reset the field, as Bell had led 176 laps to that point. Blaney passed the leader,
Ty Gibbs, on lap 303, holding off a hard charging Bell and ultimately winning the race, getting his second consecutive win at the track.
Christopher Bell won the pole at
Las Vegas. Bell won stage one, and
William Byron won stage two.
Denny Hamlin, who finished second to Bell in qualifying, dominated the race. Hamlin would overcome a pit road speeding penalty earlier in the race, and leading a race high 134 laps en-route to his 61st Cup Series win, putting him 10th all time on
NASCAR's all-time winners, as well as claiming his
second consecutive win at the
track.
Tyler Reddick won the pole at
Darlington.
Brad Keselowski swept the stages, seeking to get his first win since
2024's running of the race. Reddick was battling for the lead with Keselowski, eventually overtaking him on lap 265, winning the race and continuing his early season success. Reddick became the third driver ever; along with
Dale Earnhardt and
Bill Elliott, to win 4 of the first 6 races of a season.
Denny Hamlin won the pole at
Martinsville. A caution came out on lap 77, ending stage one early with Hamlin winning. Hamlin would eventually sweep the stages.
Chase Elliott would take advantage of a late race caution, and would hold off Hamlin for his 22nd career win, and first win at
Martinsville since
2020.
Ryan Blaney won the pole at
Bristol.
Kyle Larson swept the stages for the second straight day, as he also swept
Saturday's O'Reilly race stages. A late race caution on lap 498 would shake up overtime, with
Ty Gibbs holding off a hard charging Blaney and Larson to get his first career Cup Series win, becoming the first Cup driver to get their first win at
Bristol Motor Speedway since
Kurt Busch in
2002.
Tyler Reddick won the pole at
Kansas.
Denny Hamlin won stage one, and
Kyle Larson won stage two. Reddick originally ran out of fuel on lap 266 before a spin by
Cody Ware triggered a caution, forcing overtime. Reddick, following pit stops, was able to pass three cars in the final two laps of overtime for his fifth win of the season, becoming the first driver since
Dale Earnhardt in
1987 to win five of the first nine races in a season. Rain at
Talladega canceled qualifying, with
Tyler Reddick winning the pole. The stages were changed to prevent fuel saving.
Ryan Preece won stage one. On lap 115,
"The Big One" struck, taking out 26 drivers, such as
Kyle Larson,
Bubba Wallace,
Joey Logano,
Daniel Suárez,
Ty Gibbs,
Ryan Blaney, and others.
Ross Chastain won stage two. The race ended with
Carson Hocevar scoring his first career win by 0.114 seconds over
Chris Buescher and
Alex Bowman.
Carson Hocevar won the pole at
Texas.
Erik Jones won stage one, his first career stage win.
Chase Elliott won stage two. Elliott would dominate the later half of the race, and ultimately would hold off runner-up
Denny Hamlin after a late race caution for his second career win at
Texas Motor Speedway. ==Results and standings==