The new O’Reilly Auto Parts era didn’t begin with calm authority — it began with a pileup before the start line, escalated into a red-flag mess, and somehow ended with Austin Hill standing tall over the wreckage.
With Kyle Busch on the pole and Austin Dillon lighting up Friday practice, Richard Childress Racing has arrived at Daytona looking less hopeful and more dangerous.
Jimmie Johnson will take one last green flag in the Daytona 500 in 2027, closing a Cup career that began with a pole at the same track 25 years earlier.
Only 18 drivers posted laps in final practice, as Ryan Preece led a Ford-heavy draft and several contenders dialed in backup cars.
Chandler Smith wasn’t leading off Turn 4 in overtime, but a perfectly timed shove turned a four-wide brawl into a .044-second Daytona triumph.
Chase Elliott says the Daytona 500 is part skill, part survival and part lottery ticket—proof that even champions need luck when 41 cars barrel into Turn 1.
Chevrolet liked what it saw in the Duels, Ford admitted 2025 stung, Toyota insists it was 90 seconds from glory, and Dodge is quietly plotting its Cup return.
If the Duels were cautious heat races and still produced wrecks, Logano’s message for the 500 is simple: buckle up and maybe say a prayer.
Chase Briscoe used AI to preview his inevitable bald future, sent social media into a frenzy, and now heads to the Daytona 500 from the front row—hairline still pending.
Ford Motor Company presented renowned NASCAR engine builder Doug Yates and his father, the late Robert Yates with the prestigious Spirit of Ford Award on Friday.