Leesl: Well, Andy… it’s February, and for sports fans, that means the world is waking up. Spring Training is officially underway for MLB (stay tuned for that playbook!), but more importantly—NASCAR is back. 🏁

The “Great American Race” kicks off this Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, and the energy is different this year. It’s not just the smell of burning rubber and high-octane fuel; it’s the smell of sanity returning to the rulebook.

Andy: If you followed our blog last year, you know we had some… thoughts… on the playoff system. It seems NASCAR might have been listening! They’ve overhauled the points system for 2026, and it’s a total gamechanger:

Common Sense Wins the Pole Position!

• Goodbye “Win and You’re In”: The days of a fluke win punching a playoff ticket are over. To make the dance, you have to be consistent enough to finish in the top 16 in points.
• Cumulative Championship Points: In the final 10-race stretch, points are now cumulative. One bad break or a flat tire won’t unfairly eliminate a dominant driver from winning it all.
• Horseshow Power Boost: They’ve cranked the horsepower up to 750 on 15 tracks (road courses and tracks under 1.5 miles). Expect much better racing at spots like Bristol, Nashville, and Richmond.

🤠 Lone Star vs. 🌬️ Windy City: The 2026 Rosters!

Leesl: Now for the real season-long battle. I’m looking to reclaim the title for Lone Star Racin’, while Andy is looking to defend his 2025 Championship with Windy City Racin’.

As the defending champ, Andy got the first pick this year. Here is how our 8-driver rosters shook out:

• Leesl’s Lone Star Racin’ – These boots are meant for racing!
• Andy’s Windy City Racin’ – From second city to first place!

Lone Star Racin’	Windy City Racin’
Denny Hamlin	Chase Elliott
Joey Logano	Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick	Ryan Blaney
William Byron	Christopher Bell
Chase Briscoe	Alex Bowman
Bubba Wallace	Chris Buescher
Shane Van Gisbergen (SVG)	Brad Keselowski
Ross Chastain	Connor Zilisch

🔭 Drivers to Watch: The Superspeedway Specialist vs. The Draft Master!

Daytona isn’t just about speed; it’s about surviving the “Big One” and playing the draft. Here is who you should keep your eye on from our 2026 rosters:

Leesl’s Lone Star Picks:

Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Denny is arguably the best active driver at Daytona. He’s a 3-time Daytona 500 winner and famously has a streak of finishing 16 consecutive 500s without a DNF (Did Not Finish). If the Lone Star team is going to take the early lead, it’ll likely be on Hamlin’s back. He’s starting a bit deeper in the field (22nd), but at Daytona, that’s just a strategic place to hide until the final laps.

William Byron (No. 24)

Don’t sleep on my pick, William Byron. He’s the back-to-back defending winner of this race (2024 & 2025). No one has ever won three in a row—if he pulls it off tomorrow, he makes history and puts Lone Star Racin’ in the winner’s circle.

Andy’s Windy City Picks:

Ryan Blaney (No. 12)

Blaney is coming off a monster 2025 where he won the summer race at Daytona with a “where did he come from?” last-lap pass. He’s the statistical favorite for many experts this year and starts 5th. If Andy’s team pulls ahead, it’s because Blaney found a way to slice through the chaos like he always does.

Connor Zilisch (No. 88)

I admit I took a massive swing by drafting the 19-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch. He’s making his first-ever Daytona 500 start. Will the “phenom” find the front, or will the Daytona “demolition derby” give him a rough welcome to the Cup Series?

The Green Flag Drops Tomorrow!

Andy: Daytona is always a wild card, but with these new rules and our fresh rosters, the stakes feel higher than ever. Will Texas grit take the lead, or will the Chicago wind stay at my back?

Who are you pulling for this season? Drop your Daytona winner predictions in the comments! 👇