The NASCAR Cup Series regular season is officially over, and the 2026 Chase is set.
Sixteen drivers will enter the 10 race postseason with one goal: win the NASCAR Cup Series championship. The field was finalized Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, where Ryan Preece secured the final spot with a dramatic victory.
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Leading the field is Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin enters the Chase as the No. 1 seed after putting together one of the strongest regular seasons in the series. His three-race winning streak at Nashville, Michigan and Pocono helped him build a sizable advantage over the rest of the field. Hamlin will begin the Chase with 2,100 points. Ryan Blaney starts second with 2,075, followed by Tyler Reddick at 2,065 and Ty Gibbs at 2,060.
The rest of the Chase field includes Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece.
One of the biggest surprises is William Byron entering the postseason without a regular season victory. Byron has been one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series in recent seasons, and his ability to score points could make him a dangerous championship contender despite starting toward the back of the Chase field.
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Carson Hocevar is another driver to watch.
The young Spire Motorsports driver enters his first Cup Series Chase after earning his breakthrough victory at Talladega earlier this season. Hocevar will start 12th, giving him an opportunity to turn his breakout season into a legitimate championship run.
Then there is Ryan Preece, the final driver in the field.
Preece’s victory at Daytona was one of the most dramatic moments of the regular season. The win came in his first Cup Series points-paying victory and moved him into the final Chase position, knocking Shane van Gisbergen out of the postseason.
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The 2026 Chase will also look different from previous seasons. NASCAR has brought back the 10 race Chase format, with the top 16 drivers entering the postseason based on regular-season points. The regular season champion receives 2,100 starting points, while the remaining drivers are separated by five point increments based on their regular season position.
The postseason begins September 6 at Darlington Raceway before moving to World Wide Technology Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The championship battle will eventually come down to the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8.
Darlington will immediately test the field with one of NASCAR’s most difficult tracks. Drivers will have to manage tire wear, long green-flag runs and the notoriously narrow racing groove.
Hamlin enters as the favorite, but Blaney, Reddick, Larson, Bell and Elliott all have championship experience or the speed necessary to challenge for the title.
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Meanwhile, younger drivers such as Hocevar and Gibbs could provide some of the most exciting storylines of the postseason.
After 26 races of regular-season competition, the points have been reset and everyone has a new opportunity.
For Hamlin, it is another chance to finally win the championship that has eluded him throughout his career. For Preece, it is a chance to turn a shocking Daytona victory into a championship run. And for Hocevar, it is the beginning of what could become the next major chapter of his young career.
The 2026 Chase is here, and the battle for the championship is officially underway.
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