DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2026) — If the 2026 Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway doesn’t already have you revved up, check your pulse — you might be dead. The Craftsman Truck Series’ season opener rockets into the high banks of Daytona on Friday, Feb. 13 (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1), blending a record-large entry list with star power, high stakes and the long-awaited return of a manufacturer once absent from NASCAR’s garage lanes.
Forty-four trucks will attempt to qualify for the 36-spot grid in this 250-mile superspeedway clash, making Daytona the first serious round of competition for the 2026 truck campaign.
Here’s the big-picture:
• New manufacturer, new wrinkles: 2026 marks Ram’s return as a sanctioned NASCAR manufacturer for the first time since 2012, as its trucks — fielded primarily by Kaulig Racing — debut at Daytona under the Fresh From Florida banner.
• Tony Stewart hits the track: Three-time NASCAR Cup champ and Hall of Famer Tony Stewart climbs back into NASCAR machinery for the first time since 2016, piloting the No. 25 Ram as part of Kaulig’s Free Agent Driver Program. While Stewart’s victories came mostly in cars — and his Truck Series starts date back to the early 2000s — this will be his first superspeedway truck outing.
• Cup Series heavy hitters: The Daytona opener isn’t just a truck regulars’ affair. A slew of full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers are entered, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek. That’s a crew bringing seasoned superspeedway experience and fresh eyeballs to the first points weekend of 2026.
• Unique qualifying drama: With more entries than starting spots, qualifying — set for Friday afternoon — will trim the field from 44 to 36, meaning fast trucks and smart drafts will make the difference in who races under the lights.
And because it’s Daytona, data matters: the 2.5-mile superspeedway’s 31-degree banking and wide tri-oval surface have produced historic lead changes and intense pack racing throughout NASCAR history. While this season’s Fresh From Florida 250 is the first race of the Craftsman Truck Series campaign, past Daytona races have seen unpredictable finishes and strategy-driven results — a reminder that “position at Daytona” is sometimes the best stat in anyone’s notebook.
Expect lots of storylines: heavy hitters versus hungry trucks, Cup-to-Truck crossover battles, and a manufacturer refreshing its roots in Jim France’s championship ladder. Whether Ram’s return yields a spoiler or a surprise mid-pack run, Daytona’s season opener is poised to set the tone for 2026 — and the Fresh From Florida 250 should be anything but mellow.
Rev those engines. This one’s going to be worth watching.
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