NASCAR top 20 storylines heading into 2026 season, including the Chase return

The NASCAR Cup Series season begins on Feb. 15 with the crown jewel race, the Daytona 500.

NASCAR had an eventful offseason, with the sanctioning body and 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports settling the teams’ anti-trust lawsuit before the trial completed in North Carolina.

The championship format also changed, with the Chase being re-instituted in lieu of the playoffs.

New tracks and new old tracks have been added to the schedule this season, sprinkled across the regular season.

Here are 20 storylines heading into the 2026 NASCAR season:

1. How will the Chase impact the racing style of the regular season?

No longer will drivers get a ticket to the playoffs via a win, which will put more of an emphasis on consistency. That’s a good thing overall. And the best Chase drivers over the final 10 races will still be the top contenders for the title. That’s also a good thing. But it’s inevitable that team strategy and aggressiveness will change some in the regular season.

2. Denny Hamlin and a busy (and tragic) offseason

Denny Hamlin experienced a lot during the offseason. Hamlin’s 23XI Racing settled with NASCAR in the anti-trust lawsuit regarding charters, with team representatives satisfied with the terms. But in December, Hamlin’s father died in a house fire that also left Hamlin’s mother injured. Hamlin said last week that his mother is doing better. Hamlin also revealed that he re-injured his shoulder while navigating fire debris, the same shoulder he had surgically repaired in 2023.

3. Denny Hamlin’s time for his first Cup championship — and to be a fan favorite

The lasting image after the Phoenix championship race in November was not Kyle Larson’s championship celebration or Ryan Blaney’s race win. It was Hamlin, emotion spilling out as he sat in his car on pit road, then hopped out with tears in his eyes. Hamlin has made the full 360-degree turn from the driver fans love to hate, to the driver many fans will want to see win his first Cup title in 2026.

4. Chase Elliott’s time to take over

Elliott’s 2025 season was a clear step forward from 2023 and 2024, which is important for the No. 9 team. The Chase format should fit Elliott’s driving style and performance much better than the playoffs.

5. Is Spire Motorsports ready to take the leap?

Carson Hocevar, armed with a contract extension that will keep him at Spire until at least 2030, leads Spire Motorsports into 2026 with higher expectations. Hocevar and Michael McDowell didn’t contend in every race last season, but they did contend in several. That was a major step up; a similar step up in 2026 means one or two Spire drivers will be in the playoff conversation. Daniel Suarez’s addition should help as well.

6. The 2027 silly season

Last year’s silly season barely was a blip on the radar. Connor Zilisch is the only new full-time driver in 2026. FOX Sports reported last month that the amount of Cup Series drivers in 2026 on a contract year is more than 20. Corey Heim, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Layne Riggs all should be Cup drivers sooner than later. The playoff format change could also accelerate more change on the circuit.

7. Connor Zilisch’s rookie season

Maybe this storyline should be higher because Zilisch was so good in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year, especially on road courses. How does that translate into the Cup Series? Even the top, elite driver prospects usually take a year or two before developing the necessary consistency and performance. My guess: The 19-year-old holds his own.

8. Kyle Larson’s sneaky-long winless streak

Larson is the defending Cup Series champion, and he also has the longest winless streak since moving to Hendrick Motorsports. Larson has not won in 24 races; his last victory came at Kansas, two weeks before he competed in the Indianapolis 500.

9. Joey Logano and chance to be an all-time great

Logano, to be fair, is nearly there. He has 37 career Cup wins and three Cup titles. Oh, and he’s only 35 years old. The next decade of his career is about legacy. What would be better for Logano than to win a Cup title via a different format?

10. NASCAR on a Naval base? Let’s go

The summer trip to the Naval Base Coronado in San Diego will be the most highly-anticipated race weekend of the season. The setting will be unique to anything NASCAR has ever done.

11. What’s the next unique locale on the Cup Series schedule?

A naval base is yet another unique spot to run a NASCAR Cup Series race. Mexico City and the Chicago street course are off the schedule this year, but that’s not a net loss. So what’s next? Canada? South America? Another city street course?

12. Pressure is on for Richard Childress Racing

Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon’s performance over the last two seasons have not been good enough, though Dillon’s win at Richmond earned himself a playoff spot. But RCR has been the face of inconsistency in the Cup Series recently. Does RCR’s approach change with the Chase?

13. SVG: A true championship contender?

We knew Shane van Gisbergen’s ability on road courses was second to none in NASCAR, but winning five of the six Cup road races in 2025 exceeded any reasonable expectation. But can he take the next step toward legitimate title contention? Connor Zilisch’s entry into full-time Cup Series racing will be one obstacle on the road courses, but it’s all about SVG’s performance on ovals. He showed some improvement in the second half of the season. But more is needed.

14. It’s time for Ty Gibbs to win a race

An annual reminder of Ty Gibbs’ age despite his experience: Gibbs is just 23. But this is also his fourth full-time Cup Series season coming up and he’s driven in 123 Cup races without a victory. JGR will be as patient as possible, but it’s time for the No. 54 to go to victory lane.

15. Return to Chicagoland, North Wilkesboro

Chicagoland’s exit from the schedule always seemed odd, even if it was replaced eventually in the market by the downtown street race. Imagine telling someone in 2012 that fans would be in favor of seeing a 1.5-mile oval return to the schedule. And North Wilkesboro was the site of the last couple All-Star Races, but will be a points race this year, with a summer date in the second half of the regular season. If the short-track changes by NASCAR work, this could be a highly-anticipated race date.

16. Brad Keselowski’s return from injury

Brad Keselowski missed the Clash while recovering from an offseason leg injury. It’s a big bounce-back season for Keselowski after a disappointing 2025.

17. Is Chase Briscoe ready to take the leap into elite status?

Briscoe took off in the final 20 races of 2025, recording three wins and four runner-up finishes and showing elite-level performance on multiple track types. The fit with Joe Gibbs Racing looks seamless heading into Year 2.

18. The aftermath of the 23XI-Front Row lawsuit and settlement

The charter system withstood its first real threat from an infrastructure standpoint when 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports settled their anti-trust lawsuit with NASCAR in December. How will teams, especially in the midpack and further back, approach their futures going forward now that the system isn’t under a legal threat?

19. Josh Berry’s second year with the Wood Brothers

Josh Berry, a Hendersonville native, had an early surprise victory last season at Las Vegas to lock into the playoffs, then slumped through the summer and fall. Berry is another driver whose 2025 was boosted by making the playoffs; his average finish ranked in between Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley. That has to change in 2026.

20. When will be the first outcry for the old playoff format to return?

The Daytona 500, easy.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR top 20 storylines heading into 2026 season, including the new Chase

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