2026 NASCAR Rules

2026 Spring Darlington Setup Notes

The 2026 spring Darlington setup notes detail the largest set of change since the Next Gen car was introduced there. Let’s examine what’s different and what impact it might have on the racing. […]

Allmendinger, A.J.

Hot New Data on Driver Cooling

Driver cooling seems to be an issue almost every week. It seems like at least one driver has a cool shirt failure each race. A.J. Allmendinger needed medical attention after COTA due to high ambient temperature and running a road course, where cockpits typically get hotter than other types of tracks. […]

Austin Dillon

Every Point Counts — But Don’t Fret Over Point Standings Just Yet

I post a yearly reminder not to get too bent out of shape by the point standings early in the season. But NASCAR changed the points system for 2026. Now, they remind us, every point counts.

So does that make my long-standing advice incorrect?

It does not. […]

New Championship Format + Impending Rain = Hope for Daytona 500 Contenders

The Sun rises over Daytona and hope for the Daytona 500 contenders permeates the Cup Series Garage. It’s everywhere, from two-time defending champion William Byron to series champion Kyle Larson to the furthest end of […]

Bioethanol

NASCAR Partners with Poet Bioethanol ProduceBiofuel

NASCAR announced a partnership with South Dakota-based Poet, a bioethanol producer. Although NASCAR has been using E15, an ethanol-blend biofuel since 2011, this represents a switch from ethanol to a less wasteful bioethanol. […]

Aerodynamics
Anthony Alfredo
Cleetus McFarland

Daytona Really is a Different Animal: Travis Pastrana, Tony Stewart and Cleetus McFarland

The large number of people who turn up at the first race of the NASCAR season is due to two things: One is that the money makes even coming in last a decent propositio financially. Second, Daytona really is a different animal. […]

Daytona 500
2026 NASCAR Rules