The NASCAR Cup Series: Complete Guide to Stock Car Racing's Premier National Championship

The 2026 Championship Picture

Through the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire (Aug. 23, the 25th points race of the season), Denny Hamlin leads the championship with 1,001 points and four wins, per the official NASCAR points report. Ryan Blaney won at New Hampshire, holding off Bubba Wallace after a late two-tire call. One regular-season race remains: the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on Saturday, Aug. 29, which locks the 16-driver Chase field.

Recent winners tell the late-summer story: Ty Gibbs took his second career Cup win at Iowa (Aug. 9), Joey Logano won at Richmond (Aug. 15), and Ryan Blaney won at New Hampshire (Aug. 23). The full, live board is on the standings page.

Teams and Manufacturers

The Cup garage is defined by a handful of powerhouse organizations:

• Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet), the winningest team in series history; Elliott, Larson, William Byron.
• Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota), Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe.
• Team Penske (Ford), Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric.
• 23XI Racing (Toyota), co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan; home of Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.
• Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet), Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain.
• RFK Racing (Ford), Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet), Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet), Kaulig Racing, and Legacy Motor Club fill out the field.

2026 Storylines

Hamlin takes the points lead. Tyler Reddick built a commanding early lead with a series-high five wins, but Denny Hamlin's consistency has flipped the standings: through 20 races Hamlin holds a 24-point edge over Reddick, turning an early runaway into a fight.

Remembering Kyle Busch. The 2026 season was marked by the death of two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch on May 21, 2026. The loss reverberated across every national series in the days that followed, with tributes throughout the Memorial Day race weekend at Charlotte. Richard Childress Racing renumbered his Cup entry from the No. 8 to the No. 33 in the aftermath. Busch's final victory had come just days earlier in the Truck Series at Dover.

Larson's winless streak. Kyle Larson, one of the sport's most talented drivers, has carried a long Cup winless run deep into 2026, a storyline that follows him to every track.

Hamlin's hot streak. Denny Hamlin won three straight Cup points races at Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono, the first three-race win streak of his career, to pull within 19 points of the championship lead. His Pocono win was his fourth of the season and a record eighth at the track. Earlier in the year he also won the first-ever Dover All-Star Race from the pole.

The Hall calls. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Phillips, will be inducted in Charlotte in January 2027.

Crown Jewels and Notable 2026 Races

• Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway), NASCAR's longest race at 600 miles, run Memorial Day weekend under a "250 Years of America" theme and the Mission 600 military-honor program.
• NASCAR San Diego Weekend, Anduril 250 "Race the Base" (Naval Base Coronado), the Cup Series' first-ever race weekend at a U.S. naval installation, run June 21, 2026 and won by Corey Heim, the defending Truck Series champion, his first career Cup victory on his 12-race development slate with 23XI Racing.

The complete calendar is on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.