NASCAR Fantasy Live 2026 preview: Track-type breakdown
Logan Riely | Getty Images
The 2026 Cup Series season will put a heavy emphasis on points, which aligns with the ultimate prize in NASCAR Fantasy Live. Speedweeks is quickly approaching, so it’s time to reflect on which drivers excelled, surprised and disappointed at the primary style of race tracks in 2025: intermediates, short tracks, superspeedway-style drafting tracks and road courses.
SIGN-UP: Fantasy Live 2026 | How to play Fantasy Live
Intermediates
Must-start: With how many laps each driver led in 2025, this could be a tie between Hendrick Motorsports powerhouses Kyle Larson and William Byron. The tie, in this case, would favor Larson, who led the league in a plethora of categories last year: points (314), stage points (105), laps led (555), average start (5.7) and average finish (8.6). Of his 16 Next Gen triumphs, six have come at 1.5-mile venues.
Avoid: Up is about the only direction Ty Gibbs can move the needle at intermediates in 2026. Only Carson Hocevar and Cody Ware scored fewer points than Gibbs in seven 1.5-mile starts in 2025 (87). With a best finish of 22nd, the No. 54 team barely sniffed the front portion of the field, totaling nine stage points in those events.
Sleeper: RFK Racing was led by Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher on intermediates in 2025, earning 179 points each, tying for 11th-most in Cup. The slight advantage favors Preece, who earned five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.1.
Short tracks
Must-start: With a seventh short-track race added to the 2026 schedule that will award points, Ryan Blaney should be ecstatic. It’s unbelievable to think the No. 12 car didn’t reach Victory Lane at a short track last year, despite earning the most points (256). He had an astounding 4.8 average finish in six starts; nearly double that of Byron in second (9.0).
Avoid: Putting more of an emphasis on points should aid Buescher overall, who finished 10th and 11th in each of the last two regular seasons, but failed to make the postseason. Just don’t gamble on those points coming at short tracks. Sure, he’s won at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway in the Next Gen car, but he ranked 27th in points scored last year at such venues, with an average finish of 23.5.
Sleeper: Gibbs’ bread and butter are short tracks, historically, and his 190 points earned slotted him in fifth last season. An average finish of 12.8 was tied with Larson for eighth best in Cup.
Drafting
Must-start: While the results don’t always show it, Team Penske has been the organization to beat at superspeedways in recent seasons. You could list any of the three -- Blaney, Joey Logano or Austin Cindric, but let’s stick with the No. 2 car. Cindric ranked 17th in points earned at superspeedways in 2025 but was one of two drivers (Logano) to lead more than 100 laps (127). He did, however, have the fifth-most stage points (48) and won at Talladega Superspeedway.
Avoid: "Feast or famine" describes Logano’s history at superspeedways, as he can also be a driver to avoid. The No. 22 team collects stage points in bunches at drafting tracks -- led the way with five top 10s in stages in 2025 and most laps led at 263 -- but it tends to fall apart late, tallying a 27.5 average finish, tied with Noah Gragson for the worst in Cup last year.
Sleeper: You could list two dozen drivers here, but Todd Gilliland leaps off the page. Ford has always beefed up its emphasis on superspeedways, and Front Row Motorsports is among the beneficiaries. His lone top 10 was a career-best runner-up finish at Talladega in October, but banked the ninth-most points in the series (151).
[caption id="attachment_498566" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]