NASCAR Standings 2026: Updated Points After the Daytona 500

The 2026 NASCAR season is now underway after Sunday’s Daytona 500. Next week, the Cup Series heads to EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, and over the next few weeks, the standings will begin to shape up.

Its current look will not last long, but certain drivers have gotten a nice head start on their competition.

In first place is none other than your Daytona 500 champion, Tyler Reddick. He has accumulated 58 points, 55 of which came from the victory. The other three points come from his eighth-place Stage 2 result.

NASCAR Standings: Top 10 and Beyond


Place	Driver	Total Points
1	Tyler Reddick	58
2	Joey Logano	46
3	Chase Elliott	43
4	Zane Smith	41
5	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	39
6	Brad Keselowski	39
7	Chris Buescher	39
8	Bubba Wallace	37
9	Carson Hocevar	36
10	Ryan Blaney	36
11	Riley Herbst	35
12	Daniel Suarez	35
13	Josh Berry	33
14	Kyle Busch	29
15	Kyle Larson	29
16	Noah Gragson	27
17	Michael McDowell	26
18	William Byron	25
19	John Hunter Nemechek	25
20	Ty Dillon	23
21	Cody Ware	20
22	AJ Allmendinger	18
23	Ross Chastain	17
24	Ryan Preece	17
25	Erik Jones	16
26	Ty Gibbs	16
27	Cole Custer	13
28	Shane van Gisbergen	13
29	Austin Cindric	13
30	Casey Mears	9
31	Christopher Bell	9
32	Austin Dillon	9
33	Denny Hamlin	8
34	Connor Zilisch	5
35	Todd Gilliland	4
36	Alex Bowman	4
37	Chase Briscoe	2
38	BJ McLeod	1

Looking at these standings, much of the success now comes from race results. Only one driver in the top 10 had all three stages in the top 10 (Chris Buescher). Zane Smith is the only driver in the top 6 who finished any better than P6 in Stage 1 or 2.

Ryan Blaney is the one driver in here who saved his standing after his last-lap wreck. Despite ultimately finishing in 27th place, Blaney finished both Stage 1 and 2 in the top 10.

They Have Some Work To Do

Tyler Reddick reaches the finish line with a multiple-car accident right behind him during the 2026 Daytona 500.© Tim Shortt/ News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chase Briscoe had high hopes that ultimately fell flat. Despite starting on the front row, Briscoe wrecked. His team recognized the importance of finishing the race, and they would do just that. Despite finishing last among running cars, Briscoe managed two points. Nonetheless, he is 37th in the standings.

Alex Bowman was another loser due to the wreckage. Unlike Briscoe, Bowman didn’t return to the track. However, he finished P9 in Stage 1, thereby earning points to move up to 36th in the standings, not 38th. Those points may seem little now, but they may loom large as the year goes on.

Denny Hamlin had a rough day. Despite running up front for quite some time, Hamlin finished the race in 31st place, running. He sits 33rd in the current standings.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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