Early in the NASCAR Cup Series offseason, JR Motorsports confirmed that they plan to make another attempt at the Daytona 500 after successfully qualifying in their first attempt this past February.

For the second year in a row, Justin Allgaier is set to pilot the No. 40 Chevrolet. He finished in an impressive ninth place in the team’s first ever Cup appearance in 2025.

A week ago, it was then announced that Jimmie Johnson is also set to return for another shot at the “Great American Race”, a race he’s won twice, after recording his best finish in any Cup race since 2017 with his third place effort in 2025. For the fourth straight year, he is set to drive the No. 84 entry for the Legacy Motor Club team he co-owns.

Johnson is widely expected to get the world-class driver provisional, which is the same provisional that locked Helio Castroneves into the 2025 race for Trackhouse Racing after he was unable to successfully qualify on speed or Duel result. It led to the Daytona 500 field consisting of exactly 41 cars for the first time since 1993.

According to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Live Fast Motorsports have also confirmed that team co-owner B.J. McLeod is set to drive the No. 78 Chevrolet. The team have yet to qualify for the race since selling their charter after the 2023 season, despite McLeod’s attempts in 2024 and 2025.

All of these confirmations mean that there are already three non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list even before the calendar turns to 2026. And with just four total (five if Johnson gets the provisional and doesn’t qualify) spots open alongside the 36 chartered cars, there will likely once again be several drivers who fail to qualify.

Who else could be added to the entry list? Here are five strong candidates.

Garage 66

Some sources have already reported that Garage 66’s Daytona 500 entry is confirmed, with Casey Mears expected to drive the No. 66 Ford. Mears returned to the Cup Series for the first time since 2019 in 2025, though he hasn’t run the Daytona 500 since 2019.

Garage 66, formerly MBM Motorsports, haven’t successfully qualified for the race since 2020, with a total of five DNQs since then.

23XI Racing

23XI Racing have not fielded an extra Daytona 500 entry since Travis Pastrana ran the race in 2023, but that is expected to change as they continue to put together a partial schedule for development driver Corey Heim, who is somehow still without a full-time ride in any national series for 2026, in the No. 67 Toyota.

The 2025 Truck Series champion ran four races for the team this past year, and he twice finished higher than all three of the team’s full-time drivers.

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing are another team that haven’t fielded an extra Daytona 500 in quite a few years (2019), but that is expected to change in a month and a half.

Xfinity (O’Reilly Auto Parts) Series superspeedway ace Austin Hill, who tried but failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 in 2023 with Beard Motorsports, is expected to get the nod to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet in 2026, after running two superspeedway Cup series for Richard Childress’ team toward the end of the 2025 campaign.

Beard Motorsports

Speaking of Beard Motorsports, they have regularly competed in Cup Series superspeedway races, including the Daytona 500, every year since 2017, and that isn’t expected to change in February.

Anthony Alfredo drove the No. 62 Chevrolet for the team in both 2024 and 2025, though he failed to qualify for the race in 2025. Beard Motorsports have never failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 in back-to-back years, however. Will Alfredo return, or could newly crowned Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love, who also ran two races in the No. 62 car this past year, get his first crack at Daytona?

NY Racing Team

The team that returned to the Daytona 500 for the first time in 2015 with the late Greg Biffle behind the wheel of the No. 44 Chevrolet in 2022 are expected to be back again, despite failing to qualify with J.J. Yeley in both 2024 and 2025.

It would be quite the story if Yeley, or whoever drives the car, can get into the race for the first time since Biffle’s final Daytona 500 appearance.

Possible but not expected: No. 91 Trackhouse Chevrolet, No. 01/No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford, No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet, No. 56 Tricon Garage Toyota

All things considered, it’s looking like there will be eight drivers going for four (or possibly) five spots, meaning that at least three will be going home disappointed after failing to qualify.

Porsche Motorsport North America is adding an indoor-karting pipeline to its driver development ladder through a new multi-year partnership with K1 Speed, the companies announced. The agreement is aimed at turning K1’s points-based monthly racing structure into a more direct on-ramp for standout drivers to reach Porsche Sprint Challenge North America or Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West.

The arrangement has a public-facing branding component and a competitive incentive. Porsche Motorsport branding will be displayed across all 72 K1 Speed karting centers in the United States, while K1 Speed decals will appear on the front bumper of cars competing in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, and Porsche Endurance Challenge North America.

At the sporting level, the companies plan to select two drivers from among the top racers who reach K1 Speed’s national competition, one from the teen class and one from the adult class. For those two drivers, the entry fee for a future season in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America or USA West will be waived, according to the announcement.

‟K1 Speed hosts thousands of motorsports enthusiasts each year and all of us at PMNA look forward to connecting with them,” Volker Holzmeyer, President and CEO of Porsche Motorsport North America, said. ‟Whether they are casual fans of motorsport or are searching for a path into professional racing, we are excited to introduce them all to the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and the opportunities that it offers.”

K1 Speed said its arrive-and-drive model and monthly race series create an accessible starting point, with points earned locally and top finishers advancing to state and then national-level competition. ‟It’s an immense honor for K1 to partner with Porsche Motorsport North America to provide up-and-coming American racers with an extraordinary opportunity,” said David Danglard, CEO and Founder of K1 Speed and K1 Circuit. ‟We built K1 on the belief that future champions start here, and this partnership with Porsche creates a pathway to take them from our indoor tracks to the country’s greatest circuits.”

What’s Happening?

Despite fielding two, three, and even four cars throughout a NASCAR season, teams competing in the sport’s highest level can fall into a winless drought. Some of these teams have long histories, while others are just getting started. Here are the longest team losing streaks in NASCAR entering the 2026 season.

• To qualify for this list, you must be a NASCAR Cup Series team competing full-time in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season and have won a race during your time in the sport.
• Teams will be added to this list on a week-to-week basis based on the time since their most recent win. Teams that have not won in 35 or fewer races will not be featured on this list, but will be added should they fail to win race 36.
• Teams like Legacy Motor Club (formerly Petty GMS Racing) and Hyak Motorsports (formerly JTG-Daugherty Racing) will be featured on this list, with the most recent wins in their organization’s history used as their most recent win.

41 Races – Hyak Motorsports

Last Win: 2024 YellaWood 500

In 2025, new ownership reshaped what was once JTG-Daugherty Racing into HYAK Motorsports. Though the team had a new look, it maintained its driver, 2023 Daytona 500 Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr, alongside the Iconic No. 47. Unfortunately, the team was unable to find victory lane for the first time since 2022, finishing no better than fifth.

44 Races – RFK Racing

Last Win: 2024 Go Bowling at the Glen

RFK Racing had a tough 2025 season, failing to find victory lane for the first time since 2021, while fielding three full-time entries for the first time since Roush-Fenway Racing did so in 2016. While they may not have won a race, the team’s three-car roster showed promise, with hopes that a successful campaign in 2026 could result in a return to form.

76 Races – Kaulig Racing

Last Win: 2023 Bank of America ROVAL 400

Kaulig Racing fielded two full-time drivers for the first time since 2023 last season, and despite the return of the team’s winningest driver, A.J. Allmendinger, the two-car operation failed to win a race for a second year in a row. This year, the team is in limbo as they prepare for a deeper relationship with a new OEM in the coming years.

84 Races – Front Row Motorsports

Last Win: 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

This past season will be remembered as a year of transition for Front Row Motorsports, which reshuffled its deck after losing Michael McDowell after the 2024 season. The team moved veteran Todd Gilliland to the No. 34, pushing a returning Zane Smith into the No. 38, and expanded to a new car, the No. 4, with Noah Gragson. This inconsistency showed on track, with the team missing out on a win for the second straight season.

117 Races – Legacy Motor Club

Last Win: 2022 Cook Out Southern 500

Despite all the hardships the team has endured since Petty GMS reformed into Legacy Motors Club, LMC had a banner year for both of its entries in the NASCAR Cup Series. Though they did not win a race, the team found themselves sitting just outside the gates at Darlington with both their drivers finishing in the top five.

234 Races – Spire Motorsports

Last Win: 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400

Spire Motorsports is continuing its search to find victory lane as a multi-car operation, and extended its lengthy losing streak to six seasons. Even then, most fans forget that the win with Justin Haley happened, as the team has evolved into a competitive team with a development program since that race in 2019.

This list will be updated race to race as the season continues.

Despite ongoing speculation about Max Verstappen’s long-term future in Formula One, Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has little doubt about where his star driver belongs.

“There is a deep sense of mutual respect and loyalty,” Mintzlaff told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “For me, there is no question that Max Verstappen will finish his career at Red Bull.”

Verstappen, 28, entered the 2025 season as a four-time reigning world champion but endured an uncharacteristically slow start. The early struggles fueled speculation that performance clauses in his contract could open the door to a potential exit, even as Red Bull’s leadership remained confident the partnership would endure.

At the end of July, Verstappen said he would stay with Red Bull through the 2026 season, ending rumors that he might leave to drive for Mercedes.

That commitment soon showed on the track. Verstappen won six of the final nine races after managing just two victories over the first 15. The late surge nearly delivered a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship before Lando Norris captured his first title in his seventh season.

“What is important to say is that I am not afraid of any performance clause in his contract,” Mintzlaff said. “What matters most for an athlete is seeing that everyone on the team gives everything for him. I think Max has been impressed by how the results and the atmosphere within the team have turned this year.”

Verstappen remains under contract with Red Bull through 2028 but has said he could consider walking away earlier depending on Formula One’s decisions regarding new technical regulations for engines and car design.

“I’ve hated this car at times, but I’ve also loved it at times,” Verstappen said after finishing two points shy of the drivers’ title. “I always tried to extract the maximum from it, even on the difficult weekends we’ve had.”

In remarks that appeared to reinforce Mintzlaff’s confidence in the long-term partnership, Verstappen praised the environment at Red Bull.

“I have no regrets about my season,” Verstappen said. “Within the team, we have a great atmosphere at the moment. We’re really on a roll – positive energy, belief and confidence – and that’s exactly what you want heading into next year.”

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The International Hot Rod Association announced on Christmas Eve that it has purchased the former Memphis International Raceway and Memphis Motorsports Park. The closing occurred Dec. 23.

The facility had sat idle before the IHRA bought it. During the recent Performance Racing Industry event in Indianapolis, hints emerged that the Millington, Tennessee, track was being sold to the IHRA.

“This investment honors the legacy of Memphis Motorsports Park while positioning it for a strong future,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young said. “IHRA’s acquisition reflects confidence in our region and creates new opportunities for tourism, local businesses, and fan experiences.”

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DraftKings Sportsbook’s betting odds to win this coming February’s season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway have shifted a number of times since the NASCAR Cup Series offseason began just over a month and a half ago.

From the get-go, Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were listed as co-favorites to win the 68th running of the “Great American Race”, and they were later joined by teammate Austin Cindric, even ahead of two-time reigning race winner William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports.

However, things have changed again over the weekend, and with just over seven weeks to go until qualifying, Cindric is no longer listed as one of the favorites. In fact, his odds haven’t just shifted; he has dropped a bit down the order, as he is no longer even listed third behind Blaney and Logano.

Austin Cindric no longer a Daytona 500 favorite

Blaney and Logano are still listed at +1000, but the 2022 race winner, who nearly won it again in 2025 to break one of Richard Petty’s long-standing Daytona records, is now listed at +1200.

Byron, who had been listed at +1200, has moved up slightly and now finds himself at +1100. No driver has ever won the Daytona 500 three years in a row.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are listed closely behind at +1400, followed by RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, who is expected to be back in time for the race after breaking his right leg, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, the only active three-time winner, at +1600.

Rounding out the top 10 at +1800 are Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.

Full Daytona 500 betting odds can be found here and are always subject to change.