10 of the Most Important NASCAR Storylines to Follow in 2026

As we count down to the start of the 2026 NASCAR Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) and Craftsman Truck Series seasons this week at Daytona International Speedway, there’s a lot to look forward to, particularly some of the major storylines that will have a significant impact on the season as it proceeds along from week to week and race to race.

While there will be a number of changes, fret not: this will still be your father’s NASCAR for the most part (hopefully). Let’s take a look at some of the key storylines to keep your eye on between this week and the season’s end in early November:

1. LEADERSHIP

With Steve Phelps gone as NASCAR’s first-ever (and likely to be the last) commissioner, Steve O’Donnell, who took over the position of President last March, becomes the man in charge.

O’Donnell has worked his way up through the ranks over his 30 years with the organization. He’s already put his stamp on a number of areas, including the new playoff structure for this season.

It will be interesting to see if O’Donnell, who was significantly mentored during the early days of his career by former NASCAR president Mike Helton, will revert to NASCAR’s history of conservative leadership and minimalistic changes or if he will continue the sport’s recent trend toward trying new types of events and venues (i.e., Chicago Street Race, the upcoming race on the U.S. Navy base in San Diego, the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and the points race this year at North Wilkesboro Speedway).

2. NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT

It took several years of considering a number of different changes in the playoff format, but we finally have a new format that is effective starting with the season-opening Daytona 500.

The new format is a combination of reverting to part of the old and original Chase for the Nextel Cup format, but with a broader field that will make the second half of the 10-race playoff more exciting and offer more chances for drivers to qualify for the championship.

3. DENNY HAMLIN’S FUTURE

2025 was a heartbreaking year in many ways for veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin. He appeared on the verge of winning his first Cup championship, only to lose it in the closing laps of the season finale in Phoenix to Kyle Larson. The way that all played out was one of the biggest factors that prompted NASCAR to change the playoff format for 2026.

And then, just over a month later, Hamlin suffered the kind of tragedy no one should endure: his father Dennis was killed in a house fire that also caused critical injuries to Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou, who continues to recover.

Then, while sifting through the debris of his parents’ house, Denny slipped and fell and tore a previously surgically-repaired shoulder muscle. There wasn’t enough time remaining in the off-season for him to have another surgery to repair the new damage, so he’ll have to race throughout 2026 with the injury.

Can Hamlin overcome all the heartbreak and sadness and focus on giving it one more try to win that ever-elusive Cup championship, or will 2026 potentially be his last season as a driver?

4. COULD THIS BE KYLE BUSCH’S FINAL SEASON?

Kyle Busch enters his 23 Cup season coming off two notable milestones – neither of which was good. First, he extended his current winless streak to 93, the longest of his Cup career. Second, his overall performance in 2025 – 0 wins, just 3 top five and 10 top 10 finishes – was a career-worst single-season showing.

Richard Childress Racing was expected to not renew Kyle Busch’s contract after the 2025 season, but decided to ultimately give him a one-year extension through 2026 so that he could stick around and serve as a mentor for young drivers Jesse Love and Austin Hill – and likely replacements for both Busch and Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon (who is likely to call it a career at the end of 2026 or 2027).

Kyle Busch has seen what retirement has meant and done for older brother Kurt, who was one of three new inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month. And with Kyle’s son Brexton becoming a promising young driver in his own right, it may be the right time for dad to step aside and become his son’s coach, as well as his already established role as Brexton’s No. 1 fan (along with mother Samantha).

But given how competitive the younger Busch brother has been for nearly 30 years, starting with racing Legends cars as a kid all the way through his lengthy resume in Cup, O’Reilly, and Trucks, don’t be completely surprised if he still winds up racing part-time once his tenure with RCR ends at the end of the 2026 campaign.

5. WILL THIS FINALLY BE SVG’S BREAKTHROUGH YEAR ON OVALS?

New Zealand native Shane Van Gisbergen electrified the NASCAR Cup world by winning five of six road course races last season, only to fail to advance forward in the playoffs after the first round of eliminations.

There’s no question SVG is the best road course driver to come along in the Cup Series since Jeff Gordon, but van Gisbergen continues to be hounded by one major criticism: he has yet to win on an oval. In fact, he has managed just one top 10 finish on an oval (10 at Kansas during last season’s playoffs).

With six wins on his Cup resume – all road course victories – in 50 overall career starts, van Gisbergen has had more than enough development time to improve his performance on ovals. As great as he is on a road course, 2026 has to be a must-win situation for him on an oval.

One thing to note: SVG and the rest of the Cup contingent will have one less road course race on the schedule this season, as the fall playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will revert to racing on the full 1.5-mile oval that we see during the Memorial Day Coca-Cola 600 event, rather than the Roval road course in CMS’s infield that has been utilized the last eight seasons.

It’s great to be a road course ace, but if he can’t master ovals, van Gisbergen likely will forever be known as a one-trick pony rather than an overall master of all types of tracks, from short ovals to midsize to superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega.

6. ANCHORS AWAY!

In what could potentially be one of the most memorable races in NASCAR history, fans, media, drivers, and teams are all anticipating the June 21 Anduril 250 on a temporary road course built within the confines of Naval Base Coronado across the bay from San Diego.

The race will present a double whammy of importance and patriotic pride: Not only will it celebrate the 250 birthday of the United States, but it also marks the 250 birthday of the U.S. military.

NASCAR is pumping significant capital into the race, both in building the temporary layout and in significantly promoting the event not only in the U.S., but also across the nearby border in Mexico.

7. KEEP YOUR EYES ON TWO DRIVERS IN PARTICULAR

2026 promises to be an exciting season, and for at least two drivers, this coming season quite possibly will be an immediate breakout season for two very young but also extremely talented pilots. We’re not expecting miracles or putting undue pressure on them, but Connor Zilisch and Corey Heim could both have unforgettable rookie Cup seasons.

8. CAN KYLE LARSON REPEAT AS A THREE-TIME CUP CHAMPION?

Based upon significant fan comments on social media or on outlets such as SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, where they can let their voices and opinions be heard, there’s significant concern that Larson did not deserve to win the 2025 championship because he didn’t have as successful a season as others like Hamlin had and should have taken the crown.

Can Larson win a third title in a way that fans might consider more legitimate, rather than be aided by a fluke in the old playoff system that allowed him to win last year’s Cup crown?

9. WHAT ONCE WAS OLD IS NOW NEW AGAIN

NASCAR has gone back in time in 2026, with a full-fledged points race returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway, the first points-paying Cup race there since 1996. Once given up for dead, the track simply known as “Wilkesboro” has been brought back to life in the last few years with a massive rehabilitation and rejuvenation, with strong encouragement from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Now in 2026, it’ll be back to being a points-paying event. But Wilkesboro isn’t the only old-is-new return to the NASCAR schedule. The 1.5-mile oval at Chicagoland Speedway returns to action for the first time since its last race in 2019, as the three-year experiment on a temporary street course (the first time ever in NASCAR history) in downtown Chicago has supposedly put on indefinite hiatus, and CLS will once again be hosting NASCAR for at least the next three years.

But wait, there’s even more old-is-new: after hosting the Championship Weekend for Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks for 18 consecutive years (2002 through 2019), Homestead-Miami Speedway yielded to Phoenix Raceway from 2020 through 2025. But now the championship weekend is back in the South Beach area for at least one year. NASCAR is still trying to decide whether it will continue the season finale weekend in Homestead or if it will rotate the finale around two different tracks every year or every few years (including a potential return to Phoenix at some point).

10. HEY, DOES THAT THING GOT A HEMI IN IT?

After a 13-year absence, Dodge and Mopar are back in NASCAR, albeit with the RAM subsidiary competing in the Truck Series in 2026. Kaulig Racing will hold the exclusive partnership with RAM for at least 2026 and beyond, but there’s potentially more to it – much more to it. If rumors are to be believed, the actual parent Dodge brand will soon become the fourth manufacturer in the Cup and O’Reilly Series – joining Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota – as early as 2027 or 2028.

For those of you who may have forgotten, Team Penske, driver Brad Keselowski, and Dodge won the Cup championship in 2012, Dodge’s last season in NASCAR. With RAM Trucks bringing the Dodge nameplate back into the mix, Dodge in the Cup and O’Reilly Series can’t be too far behind.

What’s more, Ford is losing two of the six organizations it had in 2025 for the 2026 campaign – the Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing are both shifting from Ford to Chevrolet – that will leave the Blue Oval with only four organizations and 10 total teams in the Cup ranks in 2026: Team Penske, Front Row Motorsports, RFK Racing (3 cars per each team) and the one car solo operation for Wood Brothers Racing.

The Blue Oval is increasing its footprint in other racing series in 2026, including Formula One (returns to F1 in 2026 through a partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing), as well as IMSA and WEC.

And even though Ford has repeatedly said it has no interest in joining IndyCar, if Honda pulls out of the American open-wheel series after the 2026 season (as has been rumored) – leaving just Chevrolet for 2027 and beyond – Ford would be absolutely foolish not to consider replacing Honda if such a situation ultimately arises.

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