RICK WARE RACING
68th Running of the Daytona 500
Date: Feb. 15, 2026
Event: 68th Running of the Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (65 laps/65 laps/70 laps)
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
RWR Race Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 33rd, Finished 17th / Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (19th with 20 points)
RWR Notes:
● This was Ware’s sixth career start in the Daytona 500 and his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona. His best Daytona finish remains fourth, earned in August 2024 in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
● This was Ware’s sixth top-20 at Daytona and his seventh straight top-25 finish at the 2.5-mile oval.
● Ware led once for two laps to bring his laps-led total at Daytona to 25.
Race Notes:
● Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 to score his ninth career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first at Daytona. His margin of victory over second-place Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was .308 of a second.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 32 laps.
● Only 25 of the 41 drivers in the Daytona 500 finished on the lead lap.
● Reddick leaves Daytona as the championship leader with a 17-point advantage over second-place Zane Smith.
Sound Bites:
“The No. 51 Jacob Construction Chevrolet was super-fast and we were able to get to the front, lead some laps and just continue to build on the awesome improvements we’ve had with Chevrolet. Our result didn’t show the speed, but still an awesome day. It gives us a lot of confidence going into Atlanta next weekend.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Jacob Construction Chevrolet
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Autotrader 400 on Sunday, Feb. 22 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. The race begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
