The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season roared to life at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, where the Daytona 500 once again delivered drama, destruction and a chaotic finish that will be replayed for years to come.
Before the green flag even waved, there was movement in the field. Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, Chris Buescher and William Byron were all sent to the rear after switching to backup cars following incidents earlier in the week. It reshuffled the order but did little to calm the nerves ahead of 200 laps around the high-banked 2.5-mile superspeedway.
For Shane van Gisbergen, it was an encouraging start to the day. The Kiwi lined up 13th after a strong run to sixth in Duel 1, earning valuable track position near the front for NASCAR’s biggest race. Reflecting on his debut appearance in 2025, van Gisbergen admitted the scale of the event had left a lasting impression.
“I enjoyed it last year. The race buildup is epic, like how much everyone is into it, seeing the stands full, it’s an amazing racetrack. The race didn’t go very well for us last year; we got crashed early and limped around the rest of the race. Hopefully, we can have a bit of a better result this year.”
Daytona’s unique brand of racing, tight drafting packs, manufacturer alliances and the ever-present threat of a multi-car wreck meant survival and timing would be just as important as outright speed.
Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe led the field to green for the 200-lap contest, and van Gisbergen immediately found himself in the thick of the action. He slipped from 13th to 19th in the early shuffling before charging forward, hooking into the draft and slicing his way to third as the field fanned out three-wide.
The opening caution arrived when BJ McLeod reported brake issues before suffering a right-rear tyre failure. He spun, made contact with Byron and Chastain, and collected several others. Byron was forced into the pits multiple times for repairs to the toe link and front-end damage.
Pit strategy began to diverge immediately. Most of the field took a quick splash of fuel, while Buescher and a handful of others stayed out before topping up a lap later. Amid the chaos, van Gisbergen radioed his team with an unusual request: his heel booties had come undone, and he asked whether NASCAR would allow him to pit to change them out.
Stage 1 resumed on Lap 12, with van Gisbergen restarting fifth on the outside lane. Wind gusts, described by commentators as the strongest ever seen in a Daytona 500, made the cars twitchy and unpredictable.
By Lap 34, the field was running three-wide, van Gisbergen holding firm in sixth on the preferred top lane.
With 25 laps remaining in the stage, the intensity lifted. Briscoe led from Nemechek and Logano, while van Gisbergen surged to third as the outside line formed a powerful draft. Later, fuel concerns triggered a flurry of green-flag pit stops. The lanes broke apart, the field went single-file, and van Gisbergen was shuffled back to 17th before cycling back into the top 10 as others pitted.
A tense moment followed when William Byron moved up ahead of him in the outside lane. Van Gisbergen gave him a slight nudge to maintain momentum, but the push unsettled the No. 24, which brushed the wall before Byron gathered it up.
With six laps left in Stage 1, van Gisbergen opted to pit for fuel, rejoining 23rd and finishing the stage 25th as Zane Smith claimed his first career stage win.
“Out of balance, low grip overall, but it seems to be the case for everyone,” van Gisbergen said of his car. “Can you apologise to the 24 as well? I thought I was square, but it just turned him.”
Stage 2 brought renewed opportunity. Restarting 25th after taking four tyres and fuel, van Gisbergen steadily worked his way forward. By Lap 32, he had climbed into fifth on the inside lane, cars stacking up behind him in the draft.
The momentum carried him to the front alongside Chastain, forming a Trackhouse Racing 1-2. With a strong push from Kyle Larson, van Gisbergen took the lead on Lap 36, pacing the field for several laps in a composed display of superspeedway racing.
It marked a significant step in his oval development, confidently leading the Daytona 500 in just his second start.
But Daytona is rarely kind for long.
With six laps remaining in Stage 2, disaster struck. A spin involving Denny Hamlin triggered a 17-car pile-up that engulfed much of the front-running pack. Van Gisbergen was an innocent victim, suffering a right-rear puncture along with damage to the rear bumper and front splitter. Larson, Allgaier and others were heavily affected.
Wallace won Stage 2, while van Gisbergen limped back onto the track two laps down, needing cautions to regain ground.
The final 70 laps unfolded with relentless intensity. An astonishing 53 lead changes among 21 drivers underscored the race’s unpredictability. Van Gisbergen, trapped in 32nd and two laps down, ran in the lucky dog position but without the timely cautions required to claw back onto the lead lap.
Up front, the lead swapped hands constantly — Wallace, Heim, Bell, Custer and others trading blows in tight three-wide formations while many attempted to fuel save. Late-race pit stops and contact between contenders further scrambled the order.
With four laps to go, the field bunched up for one last sprint. A chaotic final sequence saw multiple lead changes and heavy contact. Carson Hocevar crashed while leading with two laps remaining, triggering more carnage. Chase Elliott briefly emerged at the front before being caught in another last-corner incident.
Through it all, Tyler Reddick threaded his way clear of the wreckage to claim victory in the 2026 Daytona 500, surviving a final-lap melee that eliminated several challengers just metres from the line.
Van Gisbergen crossed the finish 30th, one lap down, a result that didn’t reflect his performance. He had run inside the top 10 for much of the opening 120 laps, led laps at the front of the Daytona 500 and showcased growing confidence on one of the most demanding superspeedways on the calendar before being swept up in a major crash not of his making.
It was a frustrating end to the season opener, but there were undeniable positives. On pure pace and racecraft, the Kiwi proved he belongs in the lead draft at Daytona.
The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to EchoPark Speedway in Georgia next weekend, where van Gisbergen will look to convert promise into points as the 2026 championship gathers momentum.
Header Image: Trackhouse Racing
