Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Sunday, April 26, 2026
NASCAR names O’Donnell CEO; first non-France-family leader in 78-year history
NASCAR made history on Saturday, naming Steve O’Donnell Chief Executive Officer—the first person outside the France family to lead the organization in its 78-year history. Jim France, CEO since 2018, steps back to chairman. Ben Kennedy, great-grandson of founder Bill France Sr., becomes Chief Operating Officer. O’Donnell spent nearly 30 years with NASCAR overseeing competition and operations before his 2025 promotion to president. The changes were announced by the Board of Directors at Talladega. Cup Series drivers briefed on the transition Friday expressed broadly positive reactions, with Denny Hamlin noting the board retains ultimate control while O’Donnell and Kennedy assume day-to-day leadership.
New CEO O’Donnell vows to ‘return the fun’ and unite a divided NASCAR
New NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell laid out a clear agenda at Talladega on Saturday: heal divisions inside the sport and “return the fun.” Speaking publicly and in a letter to fans published Sunday, O’Donnell referenced tensions from the 2025 charter negotiations and promised direct engagement with teams, promoters, and fans. COO Ben Kennedy will focus on commercial and schedule development. O’Donnell acknowledged the board controls major decisions, as Denny Hamlin noted, but framed his mandate as improving the sport’s day-to-day culture and external perception. Both appointments are effective immediately, mid-season.
Sources: RACER
Rain washes out Talladega qualifying; Reddick earns metric pole for Jack Link’s 500
Rain swept through Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday morning, canceling NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Jack Link’s 500. With no time trials held, the field was set by a weighted metric using owner points (30 percent) and most recent race finish (70 percent). Championship leader Tyler Reddick earned the Busch Light Pole under the formula—his third metric pole in ten races in 2026—with Kyle Larson alongside on row one. Reddick, driving the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, enters on a five-win streak in nine starts and claimed a Talladega spring victory in 2024.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 and No. 16 both fail inspection twice; crew chiefs ejected at Talladega
Both Kaulig Racing Chevrolets failed pre-race inspection twice at Talladega on Sunday before clearing on a third attempt. Ty Dillon’s No. 10 and A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 16 were penalized with loss of pit selection for the Jack Link’s 500, and car chiefs Troy Lankford Jr. and Jaron Antley were ejected. Dillon will roll off 35th; Allmendinger 28th. The double failure was the latest development in a troubling 2026 inspection trend: Talladega brought the season total to 16 pre-race failures across ten races, already exceeding the 14 recorded across all of 2025.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Crew chiefs navigate complex strategy after NASCAR restructures Talladega’s stage lengths
Crew chiefs at Talladega are navigating an unusual strategic challenge after NASCAR restructured Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 stages to suppress fuel-saving. Stage 1 runs 98 laps—over half the 188-lap race—while Stages 2 and 3 are each 45 laps, short enough that fuel stops should not be required in the final two segments. Previously, stages were split roughly in thirds. With the fuel window near 45 laps, the extended opening segment forces teams to decide whether to attempt Stage 1 on a single stop or follow conventional pitting strategy. Chase Briscoe described the scenario as a “cat-and-mouse game.”
Sources: NASCAR.com
Corey Day wins first career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race in wild Talladega finish
Corey Day claimed his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory on Saturday at Talladega, leading only the final lap of the 113-lap Ag-Pro 300. The 20-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver from Clovis, California, emerged from a three-wide battle on the closing lap ahead of Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed before a caution froze the order. Brent Crews finished second; Creed third. Day became the 184th driver to win in the series at Talladega and the third first-time winner of 2026. Former NFL star Jason Kelce served as guest tire carrier for the Hendrick team on pit road.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Reddick’s five wins in nine starts mark most dominant Cup season since Earnhardt in 1987
Tyler Reddick enters Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 as the most dominant Cup Series driver in a generation, with five wins from nine starts in 2026—the first time any driver has won five of the opening nine races since Dale Earnhardt in 1987. His overtime last-lap pass of Kyle Larson at Kansas on April 19 was his 13th career Cup win and extended his points lead to 105 over Denny Hamlin. Reddick has converted each of his three metric poles this season into victories. Only three drivers in Cup Series history previously achieved the feat, placing Reddick in historically elite company with nine months of racing still ahead.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Jayski
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 457 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 352 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 337 pts
4. Ty Gibbs — 319 pts
5. Kyle Larson — 314 pts
6. Chase Elliott — 305 pts
7. William Byron — 275 pts
8. Bubba Wallace — 275 pts
9. Brad Keselowski — 264 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 261 pts
11. Chris Buescher — 259 pts
12. Carson Hocevar — 237 pts
13. Ryan Preece — 235 pts
14. Joey Logano — 225 pts
15. Chase Briscoe — 214 pts
16. Daniel Suarez — 210 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 455 pts
2. Chevrolet — 330 pts
3. Ford — 314 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency