The first points race of the 2026 NASCAR season is in the books, with the Daytona 500 on Sunday delivering some excitement, crashes, and a wild finish to start off the regular season. With so many of the best NASCAR drivers caught up in wrecks, Sunday’s results were a bit wonkier than usual, and that has some influence on the power rankings entering Week 2.
Let’s dive into our latest NASCAR power rankings after the Daytona 500. There will be plenty of changes in the weeks to come, with the likes of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe sure to rise as they deliver better finishes.
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1. Tyler Reddick
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Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 thanks to some outstanding final-lap driving and a push from teammate Riley Herbst. It felt reminiscent of the driver we saw in 2024, who won the regular-season title and reached the Championship 4 in a season where he won three races (T-third most), ranked fourth in laps led (597) and tied for the second-most top 10s (21). Reddick’s down 2025 campaign always felt like a reflection on everything happening around him off the track, but all of that is behind him now. He is the reason why 23XI Racing has a shot at winning the championship this season.
Related: Insider Sheds Light on Tyler Reddick’s Future with 23XI Racing
2. Chase Elliott
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There was heartbreak for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team in the Daytona 500. Right until the final seconds, Elliott was staring down a crown jewel win and a winning start to the 2026 NASCAR season. Then, disaster struck. Thanks to a push from teammate Riley Herbst, Tyler Reddick got around Elliott. Herbst then yanked to the right to avoid giving Elliott a push, resulting in a collision with Michael McDowell, with Herbst’s car subsequently turning into Elliott and wrecking him at the finish line. Still, Elliott finished fourth in the 500 just a few days after he won Duel 2, and he sits third in points heading to Atlanta.
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Related: Winners, Losers from Daytona 500
3. Joey Logano
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Both of the Duel at Daytona winners snagged a top-five finish on Sunday in the 500 and had to do post-race interviews in the care center after the massive wreck at the finish line. Joey Logano performed well at the first superspeedway race of the season, recording the fifth-most points (36) and having the sixth-most laps led (9), which is impressive considering he was 29th at the end of Stage 1. Logano now heads to Atlanta, a track he has won at twice before with a stellar history of starting near the front of the field (3.2 average starting position since 2023).
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Related: NASCAR Truck Results from Daytona International Speedway
4. William Byron
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William Byron remains this high in our NASCAR power rankings after Daytona because he still finished 12th after overcoming so much on the track. He already had to resort to the backup No. 24 car to start the Daytona 500, and then he got up into the wall twice during Stage 1, requiring multiple trips to the pits under caution. He finally seemed to be gathering momentum, but then he got caught up in the Big One and sustained further damage. Somehow, Byron navigated his way to a 12th-place finish on a day that saw Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe all finish outside the top 25.
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Related: Daytona 500 Results, NASCAR Stage Results Today
5. Ryan Blaney
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Ryan Blaney finished 27th in the Daytona 500, but he was one of the best NASCAR drivers for the majority of Sunday until the Big One took him out. The No. 12 recorded the most stage points on Sunday—third in Stage 1 (8 points) and second in Stage 2 (9 points)—and he was inside the top 18 with one lap to go when he got taken out in the Carson Hocevar wreck. It felt a lot like the bad luck he had last season—9 DNFs—but Blaney’s stage points still helped him have a strong day, and his overall performance stands out more than the finish.
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Related: NASCAR Points Standings Today after Daytona 500
6. Chris Buescher
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Sunday proved to be a productive day at the track for Chris Buescher, especially given the context. Forced to use a backup car in the Daytona 500, he had to navigate his way from last (41st) on the starting grid, and he did so quickly, as evidenced by a sixth-place finish in Stage 1. Buescher kept himself near the front from then on, placing seventh in Stage 2 and holding that spot at the finish. Arguably NASCAR’s most underrated driver is off to a strong 2026 campaign, and his performance on Sunday suggests he should win at least one race this season.
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Related: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Results from Daytona International Speedway
7. Bubba Wallace
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Bubba Wallace led the most laps in the Daytona 500 (39), earned his first stage win of the season, and probably should have had an even better finish than 10th place on Sunday. Unfortunately for the No. 23 team, Hocevar’s wreck on the final lap forced William Byron down below the yellow line; when he came back up at a slower pace than the rest of the field—nearly clipping Joey Logano—Wallace had to check up to avoid causing an even bigger wreck. Wallace likely deserved a top-five finish on Sunday, but he came out of it with 37 points, and 23XI Racing showed it has the speed to be dangerous this year.
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Related: Winners, Losers from 23XI Racing’s Lawsuit Victory Over NASCAR
8. Kyle Larson
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It was an underwhelming day for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion. Starting from eighth in the field at Daytona International Speedway, Larson’s No. 5 car sustained heavy damage in the Big One. He got caught up in the stack-up and, when contact from behind turned him to the side, his front end was driven into by teammate Alex Bowman. A banged-up No. 5 car stood no chance of fighting its way back to the front, but another big wreck on the final lap at least allowed Larson to finish 16th. He will head to Atlanta ranked 15th in points, but we would still bet on him to lead NASCAR in wins this year.
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9. Denny Hamlin
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What could have been for Denny Hamlin if not for the critical mental blunder by Justin Allgaier? With eight laps to go in Stage 2, Allgaier moved down late to try and block Hamlin to protect the lead. Instead, the contact triggered the Big One, with the No. 11 car sustaining front-end damage. Hamlin climbed his way back to 11th place until, with nine laps to go, Corey Heim got into the back of him, resulting in the right side of the No. 11 slamming into the wall. Hamlin finished 31st in the race and leaves Daytona 33rd in points.
10. Kyle Busch
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Sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500, it finally seemed like Kyle Busch had a real shot at snapping his two-year winless drought in the Cup Series. Unfortunately, as feels so fitting for his time with Richard Childress Racing, it ended in disappointment. Busch still led 19 laps at Daytona and snagged fourth in Stage 2. Truly, the points total (29) and finish (15th) could have been even worse. Thankfully, the veteran driver’s savvy resulted in him slowing his pace in the final laps in anticipation of another wreck. Busch’s approach paid off, as holding back kept him out of the last-lap mess, and he navigated around the carnage for a top-15 finish. It is not the result he hoped for after starting on the pole, but it could have been a lot worse.
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