RACER Weekly: How to beat the odds, dodge the wrecks and win a Daytona 500

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series gets underway with its biggest, most unpredictable race, the Daytona 500. William Byron is aiming for something that’s never been achieved before – a third straight trip to victory lane in “The Great American Race.” But as RACER’s NASCAR expert Kelly Crandall explains, the odds are against him. Working the draft, dodging the wrecks, and being in exactly the right place for that final frenetic dash to the checkers comes down to skill, luck and teamwork, and Kelly gives us her take on who she’d put her money on for that. Plus, we look at how NASCAR’s regular- and post-season changes will reshape how teams go racing and get some early leads on who’ll be in the championship frame come November in Homestead.