Race Intelligence Header
The second points race of the 2026 season consists of 260 laps (400.4 miles) with stage breaks at Laps 60 and 160 [7-9]. Following Tyler Reddick's Daytona 500 victory, the series moves to the reconfigured EchoPark Speedway—a facility now defined by "superspeedway-style" drafting rules and 28-degree banking [3, 10, 11].
Qualifying Forensics
Qualifying is scheduled for Sat. Feb 21 at 11:00 AM ET on Amazon Prime Video [13, 14]. Under Rule 7.4 F, teams are mandated to use only a **single set of tires** for the entire session [15].
| Order | No. | Driver | Team | Metric Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | 21.900 |
| 23 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | 15.700 |
| 26 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | 13.800 |
| 35 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | 3.700 |
| 38 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | 1.000 |
Starting Grid/Lineup Logistics
A field of 38 cars is entered for 40 available spots [3, 9]. "Open" teams attempting the race include the #44 (JJ Yeley) and #78 (BJ McLeod) [9]. The return to **"The Chase"** format rewards consistency, but the new 55-point win reward heavily incentivizes aggression in the final laps [16, 17].