The dust has barely settled on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, but already we are on to 2026.
It is only seven weeks since Denny Hamlin suffered yet another agonizing near miss in his long quest to finally land that elusive title, with Kyle Larson denying him late in Phoenix after the Joe Gibbs Racing star finally looked like snapping his championship-less streak.
While the memory of that gripping finish remains very real, we are now less than one month out from the start of the 2026 season. And we have a new championship format following Monday's announcement that The Chase is officially back.
There are many questions that will be answered in the coming months, from whether Hamlin will finally end that long wait to how terrific teen Connor Zilisch will perform as he steps up to full-time Cup Series action for the first time.
Of course, the oddsmakers have an early take on what they think will transpire, so here is all we know as we head towards the start of 2026 and the new campaign.
CUP SERIES SCHEDULE: Race dates, times and TV for the 2026 season
Latest Cup Series Odds for 2026
NASCAR is not like other motor racing series - notably it is not like F1. The difference between the cars and drivers is wafer-thin; there is seldom a dominant force throughout a season.
With that said, it is zero surprise that things are very very tight at the top of the odds for the 2026 Cup Series Championship.
We have co-favorites in the shape of Hamlin and Larson, who are both trading at +500 odds right now to claim the title.
Next come a pair of drivers on +625 with William Byron and 2023 champion Ryan Blaney just ahead of Christopher Bell (+650).
One man who is significantly bigger odds is three-time Joey Logano at +2000 - maybe the experts believe the likely death of the current playoff format will also end his golden era? He had been +1600 before Monday's announcement of the 2026 format change.
A lot of eyeballs in 2026 will be on the brilliant prodigy that is Zilisch (or Godzilisch as we like to call him). The Trackhouse star is currently a +1600 shot to claim a Cup Series title in his first season as a fulltime driver.
If you are hoping for two struggling former Cup Series champs - Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch - to have a renaissance in 2026, the odds do not favor that scenario. Busch is +5000 heading into the new season with Keselowski at +6500.
The latest on the current odds leaders look like this:
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | +500 |
| Kyle Larson | +500 |
| William Byron | +625 |
| Ryan Blaney | +625 |
| Christopher Bell | +650 |
| Chase Briscoe | +900 |
| Chase Elliott | +1100 |
| Connor Zilisch | +1600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1800 |
| Joey Logano | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2500 |
| Bubba Wallace | +4000 |
| Carson Hocevar | +4000 |
| Alex Bowman | +4000 |
| Chris Buescher | +5000 |
| Josh Berry | +5000 |
| Kyle Busch | +5000 |
| Ty Gibbs | +5000 |
| Austin Cindric | +6500 |
| Brad Keselowski | +6500 |
When does the 2026 NASCAR season begin?
The 2026 season begins on February 1 at Bowman Gray Stadium with the Cook Out Clash.
The first crown jewel race of 2026 - the Daytona 500 - takes place in Florida on February 15.
What is the new playoff format?
NASCAR announced on Monday January 12 that the playoffs are no more and The Chase is back. The Cup Series will now still be split into regular and postseason segments, but in a very different way.
The headline changes mean there is no more 'win and you're in' element to postseason qualification - the 16 drivers with the most points after the 26 regular-season races will all progress to The Chase.
Then the postseason (The Chase) will see the driver with the most points from 10 races claiming the championship.
There is still a reward for regular-season performance - for example whoever tops the standings will get a 25-point edge over their nearest rival heading into The Chase.
One final point - a race win is now worth 55 points rather than the previous 40.
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