Honestly, if you're looking for a big trophy being hoisted at a paved superspeedway today, January 17, 2026, you might be a few weeks early for the "official" stock car points season. But here's the thing: the biggest names in the sport aren't sitting on a beach right now. If you want to know who won NASCAR cup today, you have to look at the dirt. Specifically, the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
While the NASCAR Cup Series doesn't start its engines for the points-paying season until February, the dirt track world is currently holding its version of the Super Bowl: the Chili Bowl Nationals. This isn't just some local hobby race. It is the place where the elite Cup drivers go to prove they’re still the best all-around racers on the planet.
The Tulsa Heavyweights: Larson vs. Bell
Today is Championship Saturday at the Chili Bowl. The tension inside that building is basically a physical weight you can feel.
Kyle Larson, our reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, didn't come here to play. He already secured his spot in tonight’s main event by dominating his preliminary A-Main earlier this week. Larson is chasing his fourth Golden Driller trophy. He’s been fast. Like, "how is he doing that" fast.
But then there's Christopher Bell.
Bell has been just as clinical. He swept his heat, his qualifier, and his preliminary feature on Thursday. He even won the Race of Champions earlier in the week. If you’re betting on who won NASCAR cup today in terms of pure momentum, it’s a coin flip between these two Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports titans. They are the class of the field, and seeing them go wheel-to-wheel on a tiny dirt oval is arguably more intense than a 500-mile drafting session at Talladega.
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Why Today Matters for the 2026 Cup Season
You might wonder why we’re talking about dirt midgets when the question is about the Cup Series.
The answer is simple: crossover.
The modern NASCAR driver isn't a specialist anymore. Look at the entry list for today’s finals. You’ve got Ty Gibbs, who’s trying to shake off a "learning year" and establish himself as a consistent winner. You’ve got Sheldon Creed making his debut. Even veteran J.J. Yeley is there, marking his 30th attempt at the Driller.
These guys use today to sharpen their reflexes. Dirt racing requires a level of car control that translates directly to the high-horsepower, low-downforce setups NASCAR is leaning into for 2026. If a driver wins today in Tulsa, they carry a massive psychological edge into Daytona next month.
Looking Ahead: The Real 2026 Schedule
Since the official Cup season hasn't technically "green-flagged" yet, here is when the points actually start counting.
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NASCAR is shaking things up this year. We aren't starting at the Coliseum anymore.
- February 1: The Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. This is going to be a madhouse.
- February 15: The Daytona 500. The Great American Race.
- June 21: A brand new street course at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
- November 8: The Championship moves back to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The move back to Homestead for the finale is something fans have been screaming for. Phoenix was fine, but Homestead is widely considered the best intermediate track for actual racing. It’s a multi-groove paradise where you can run the wall or the bottom.
What People Get Wrong About the Off-Season
Most casual fans think NASCAR goes dark from November to February.
Wrong.
The "off-season" is actually the busiest time for the shops in Charlotte. This year, Chevrolet is rolling out a brand-new body style for the ZL1, based on the Carbon Performance Package. Teams like Hendrick and Trackhouse have been logging simulator hours like crazy to figure out the aero map on this new nose.
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If you see a driver struggling in the first few weeks of February, it usually means their engineering team missed the mark during these cold January weeks.
How to Follow the Finish Today
If you want to see the literal moment the checkered flag falls for the big names tonight, you’ll need to be on FloRacing. The "alphabet soup" of races (starting from the M-Mains and working up to the A-Main) starts early.
The final feature usually happens late at night.
Keep an eye on the No. 5 of Larson and the No. 20 of Bell. They are the favorites for a reason. But don’t sleep on the "dirt specialists" like Logan Seavey or Buddy Kofoid. They don't care about Cup Series points; they just want to beat the big-money stars on their own turf.
Your Next Steps for the 2026 Season
Don't wait until the Daytona 500 to start paying attention. The foundations for the championship are being laid right now.
- Check the Chili Bowl A-Main results: By tomorrow morning, we'll know if Larson or Bell added another trophy to their mantle.
- Update your calendar for February 1: The Bowman Gray Clash is going to be a "bump-and-run" festival. You don't want to miss the debut of that venue.
- Watch the Chevy teams: With the new ZL1 body, the early season might see a power shift away from the Fords that dominated the late-season short tracks last year.
The question of who won NASCAR cup today might technically be "nobody yet," but the winner of tonight's dirt battle is the person everyone will be chasing when the haulers arrive in Florida next month.