Honestly, if you were looking for the roar of V8 engines on a paved superspeedway this past Sunday, you might have felt a bit lost. It is mid-January 2026. The asphalt of Daytona and Talladega is currently quiet, at least for a few more weeks. But that doesn’t mean racing stood still. While the "official" NASCAR Cup Series season hasn't taken the green flag yet, the biggest names in the sport were busy getting dirty.
Christopher Bell basically owned the narrative this past week. If you're asking who won the most recent high-stakes race involving NASCAR's elite, the answer takes us to the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma.
The Dirt Reality: Who Won Sunday’s NASCAR Race?
Technically, the "Sunday" race most fans are buzzing about wasn't a Cup Series points event. We are currently in the heart of the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals. This is the legendary indoor midget car race where NASCAR stars go to prove they haven't forgotten their roots.
Kyle Larson, the defending 2025 Cup Series champion, kicked off the week with a massive win in the Monday night preliminary feature. But as we rolled through the weekend, Christopher Bell stole the spotlight. Bell, driving for his own team, CBellRacing, managed a huge victory in the Thursday night A-Main, which effectively locked him into the championship feature that happened last night.
It's kinda wild to see these guys go from multimillion-dollar carbon-fiber stock cars to these tiny, 900-pound dirt rockets. Bell’s win was particularly impressive because he came from 8th starting position to take the lead with only three laps left. He beat out C.J. Leary—who was actually driving a car owned by fellow NASCAR driver Alex Bowman—to punch his ticket to the finale.
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Why the Cup Series Schedule Matters Right Now
If you're strictly a "stock cars on pavement" fan, you’ve probably got Feb. 1 circled on your calendar. That’s when the real action starts. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season officially kicks off with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.
It’s a tight, 0.25-mile short track that usually ends in more bruised egos than clean fenders.
Key Dates for the 2026 Opener:
- February 1: The Clash at Bowman Gray (8:00 PM ET on FOX)
- February 12: The Duel at Daytona (7:00 PM ET on FS1)
- February 15: The Daytona 500 (2:30 PM ET on FOX)
The sport is entering a massive transition year. We've got "The Chase" format returning—a 10-race postseason that feels a bit like a throwback to the mid-2000s. Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott have already been vocal about how much they prefer this "old-school" points reset compared to the elimination-style playoffs we've seen recently.
The Drivers to Watch in 2026
Kyle Larson is entering 2026 as the man with the target on his back. He capped off 2025 with his second career title at Phoenix. Honestly, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team looks nearly invincible right now. But don't sleep on the Toyota camp.
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Denny Hamlin is still chasing that elusive first championship. He had six wins in 2025 and finished second in the standings. It's almost becoming a meme at this point, but the speed is there. Then you have the "new guard" like William Byron and Christopher Bell, both of whom have shown they can win on any track type, from road courses to dirt.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Offseason
Most casual fans think NASCAR drivers just sit on a beach from November to February. That’s just not true.
The Chili Bowl is the "Super Bowl of Midget Racing," and it attracts guys like Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, and Chase Briscoe. While they aren't earning Cup points, they are staying sharp. The margin of error on a dirt track is basically zero. If you can handle a car sliding sideways at 80 mph in a confined arena, a Sunday afternoon at Atlanta feels like a stroll in the park.
What's Next for Fans?
If you missed the dirt action in Tulsa, don't worry. The focus is shifting back to the shops in North Carolina.
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Teams are currently revealing their 2026 paint schemes. Hendrick Motorsports is scheduled to drop theirs on Feb. 5, while Joe Gibbs Racing will show their hand on Feb. 4. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the Next Gen car updates. There have been some quiet tweaks to the short-track aero package that might finally fix the passing issues we saw at places like Martinsville last year.
Your Action Plan for the 2026 Season:
- Check your local listings for the Bowman Gray Clash on February 1st; it's a non-points exhibition, but the tempers usually flare.
- Set a reminder for the Daytona 500 on February 15th—it’s the "Great American Race" and the official start of the points season.
- Follow the team "Preview Weeks" throughout late January to see which drivers have new crew chiefs or sponsors for the year.
The "offseason" is almost over. Whether it's Bell winning on dirt or Larson defending his crown, the 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in years.