TC Daily Pit Stop: Austin Hill Wins... Again... At Daytona; Happy Daytona 500 Day!
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Austin Hill Snags Another Drafting Track Win at Daytona to Open 2026
It should come as no surprise that Austin Hill was able to dominate on his way to yet another season-opening win at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday evening.
With the win, Hill is now up to 11 victories in his career at drafting tracks, most in the series history. Combined Richard Childress Racing led 100 of the 120 laps on the night between Hill and Jesse Love, and Hill swept the Stage wins, and race win to take the maximum 75 points to kick off his championship campaign.
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RACE RESULTS
The DAYTONA 500: Just as Prestigious as It Always Has Been
Leading into the 2026 Daytona 500, there have been debates about whether the Daytona 500 is as prestigious as it once was, given the presence of fuel-saving strategy that dominates the majority of the 500-mile event in the Next Gen car era.
At the end of the day, the Daytona 500 is still as prestigious as it’s ever been, and it’s the lone race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule that can truly change a driver’s life forever.
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2026 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup
Kyle Busch secured the pole position for Sunday’s Daytona 500 in Wednesday night’s qualifying session, and he will be joined on the front row by Chase Briscoe. The remainder of the starting grid was set by the finishing results of Thursday’s Duels.
FULL STARTING LINEUP
NASCAR Headlines:
McLeod Garners Attention, Sponsorship After Making Daytona 500 Field
Jimmie Johnson Announces 2027 DAYTONA 500 as Final NASCAR Cup Series Start
Anthony Alfredo to Replace Caesar Bacarella in Alpha Prime No. 4
Chandler Smith Storms to Daytona Win With Four-Wide Tri-Oval Pass