Who Is in the 2026 NASCAR Chase? Full Field from Denny Hamlin to Ryan Preece.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase field is officially set after Ryan Preece’s dramatic overtime victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, August 29, at Daytona International Speedway. Preece’s first career Cup Series win vaulted him into the final playoff spot, completing the 16-driver postseason field. This year’s Chase returns to a consistency-focused format after 12 seasons of the win-and-in elimination playoffs.

The top 16 drivers in the points standings after 26 regular-season races advance to a 10-race championship battle that rewards strong performance across the full season rather than a single victory.“It’s extremely important to keep rolling the things that your team does well from the season into the Chase,” said Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing.

“With the old playoffs, it was like three races at a time and then you start over again. There will be no starting over in the Chase.”

How the Final Spots Were Decided?

Entering the Daytona finale, three berths remained open. Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric locked up the 14th and 15th positions with solid points days. Preece, who started the race outside the cutline, leapfrogged Shane van Gisbergen for the 16th and final spot with his walk-off-style overtime win.Denny Hamlin, 45, the oldest full-time driver in the series, locked up the regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed with a strong summer that included multiple wins. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four victories and 14 top-five finishes this season and enters the Chase as the favorite for his first Cup title.

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Field

Here are the 16 drivers, listed by seed order after the points reset:

1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

2. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford, Team Penske

3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota, 23XI Racing

4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

5. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

6. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

7. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

8. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske

10. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford, RFK Racing

11. Daniel Suárez, No. 7 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports

12. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports

13. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

14. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota, 23XI Racing

15. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske

16. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford, RFK Racing

Manufacturer breakdown: Six Toyotas, five Fords, and five Chevrolets. Joe Gibbs Racing placed all four of its drivers in the Chase, while Team Penske advanced all three of its entries. Multi-car organizations that missed the postseason entirely include Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, Front Row Motorsports, and Legacy Motor Club.

Points Reset Explained

Points are reset for the Chase based on regular-season finishing position, giving higher seeds a head start:

1st (Hamlin): 2,100 points

2nd (Blaney): 2,075 points

3rd (Reddick): 2,065 points

Points then decrease by five per position down to 16th place (Preece) at 2,000 points. Hamlin begins with a 25-point lead over Blaney and a 100-point advantage over the final seed.

2026 NASCAR Chase Schedule

The 10-race Chase begins September 6 and ends with the championship race on November 8:

Sept. 6 — Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

Sept. 13 — Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway

Sept. 19 — Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 27 — Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway

Oct. 4 — South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct. 11 — Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Oct. 18 — Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway

Oct. 25 — YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

Nov. 1 — Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 8 — Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway

The schedule features three short tracks and one superspeedway, with no road courses this year (Watkins Glen returns to the Chase in 2027).

How to Watch the 2026 NASCAR Chase?

The first seven Chase races will air on USA Network. NBC will broadcast the final three events at Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead-Miami. Live coverage is also available on YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV. HBO Max will stream in-car camera feeds.The Chase emphasizes consistency and resilience over a long stretch of the season.

As Hamlin noted after Daytona: “This is the time though that you’ve got to step up and find the next level and next gear. We’ve got a great final 10 weeks ahead of us.” The championship battle is now underway.

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