“I think lots of someone’s is going to get caught off guard by how unstable these cars are”
This weekend, NASCAR is returning to Daytona International Speedway in Florida. For the NASCAR Cup Series, it will be the regular-season finale and lock in the 16 Chase drivers.
It already sounds like chaos. But, NASCAR has brought in a new rules package for the Cup race as well.
This new package has not been used on any superspeedway tracks yet. It was not used in races at Daytona, Talladega or Atlanta earlier this season.
The package was requested by the drivers. It’s expected to create much larger runs which is not expected to make this weekend’s race any less wild.
New NASCAR rules package for Daytona:
Rear Spoiler: Reduced from 7 inches down to 4 inches. This matches the current package for intermediate tracks. NASCAR has also changed the deflection device and added braces.
Power: The engine has been reduced from 510 hp to roughly 465 hp. This has been done with a 27/32-inch tapered engine spacer.
Splitter: The splitter has also been changed to match the intermediate package.
Denny Hamlin comments on the new rules heading into Daytona International Speedway
“I think this weekend has potential to be absolute (expletive) chaos,” Denny Hamlin stated via the Actions Detrimental podcast.
“What I’m getting in the data I’m seeing on this new package, I think the cars could be far more out of control when they are trying to push each other.”
“So before we had Next Gen Superspeedway racing, I used to not care about stages. And I would just ride and ride. And then, there would be big ole wrecks. I’d miss them and then I’d go race and we’d go win.”
“The ability to go from the back to the front will be easier than years past. And points don’t matter, stages don’t matter (for Hamlin).”
“I think lots of someone’s is going to get caught off guard by how unstable these cars are when they’re getting shoved around.”
Daytona 500 Race Results: February 15, 2026 (NASCAR)
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