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Season Opener • NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
SAT, FEB 14, 2026
GREEN FLAG: 5:00 PM ET
TV: THE CW
POLE: AUSTIN HILL (182.223 MPH)
DISTANCE: 120 LAPS (300 MILES)
STAGES: 30 / 60 / 120

🏁 Confirmed Starting Lineup Highlights

Richard Childress Racing dominated qualifying, sweeping the front row. Austin Hill earned his third Daytona pole and the seventh of his career [1, 2].

PosCarDriverTeamQual Speed
121Austin HillRCR182.223
22Jesse LoveRCR182.219
341Sam MayerHaas Factory182.190
418William SawalichJoe Gibbs182.079
500Sheldon CreedHaas Factory182.076
617Corey DayHendrick182.076
848Patrick StaropoliBig Machine181.789
1619Giovanni RuggieroJoe Gibbs180.945
❌ FAILED TO QUALIFY: Garrett Smithley (#0), David Starr (#53), Anthony Alfredo (#96), and Joey Gase (#55) [1, 3].

👤 Key Driver Intelligence & News

Anthony Alfredo (#4 Seat Swap): In a major last-minute development, Viking Motorsports brokered a deal with Alpha Prime Racing. Although Alfredo failed to qualify in the #96, he will take over the **#4 Chevrolet** today (replacing Caesar Bacarella) to ensure he scores driver championship points [1, 4].

• William Sawalich Surprise: The rookie shocked the garage by being the **fastest driver in Round 1** of qualifying before settling for P4 in the final session [5, 6].
• Jeb Burton Speed: Burton topped the final practice charts on Friday at **184.672 mph**, signaling strong single-car pace [7, 8].
• Patrick Staropoli: Starting P8 as the fastest qualifying rookie in the 42-car entry list [9, 10].

⚙️ Technical Fact Sheet

Tires: Goodyear Racing Eagle
• Codes: D-6102 (Left) / D-6104 (Right) [11].
• Setup: Teams are using the same familiar left and right-side tires at Daytona for the **fifth consecutive year** [12, 13].
• Mandates: Inner liners are required. Minimum inflation is **LF 26 / RF 50 / LR 26 / RR 48 psi** [11].
• Limits: Teams are restricted to only **4 total sets** for the entire event [11, 14].

Technical Challenges:
Green-flag pit road transitions will be the #1 hurdle. No drivers completed a 10-consecutive lap practice run, making tire fall-off and fuel mileage under race conditions a significant variable [7, 15].

🏆 2026 Championship: The Chase

The series moves to a strictly **points-based** qualification for the 12-driver Chase [16, 17].

  • Wins = 55 Points: A massive 15-point increase from 2025 to incentivize aggressive winning strategies [18].
  • No "Win & In": Drivers must remain consistent throughout the 26-race regular season [17].
  • Postseason: 9 Chase races with a single reseeding and **no eliminations** [17, 19].