DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The superspeedway spotlight shifts Saturday evening to the United Rentals 300, where the NASCAR Xfinity Series opens its season at Daytona International Speedway with 120 laps — 300 miles — of tightly packed, high-speed chess.
If recent history is any indicator, keep an eye on Richard Childress Racing.
RCR has turned Daytona into something of a personal playground in the Xfinity garage. Austin Hill has won three of the last four February races at Daytona (2022, 2023, 2024), establishing himself as the modern benchmark at this track. In those victories, Hill consistently controlled the draft late, led key laps inside the final 10 and executed restarts with clinical precision. Superspeedway racing is rarely predictable — but Hill at Daytona has been as close to a sure thing as this place allows.
Entering qualifying Saturday morning — scheduled before the ARCA Menards Series race — Hill again carries the favorite’s label. Teammate Jesse Love, meanwhile, enters with the second-best odds in many early markets, underscoring RCR’s depth. Love impressed throughout his rookie campaign last season and showed particular comfort in the draft, often maintaining forward momentum on restarts and avoiding the mid-pack turbulence that derails so many Daytona hopefuls. Oh, and he also won this race last season.
The green flag for the United Rentals 300 is set for just after 5 p.m. ET, airing live on The CW Network with radio coverage from MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. With The CW continuing its expanded NASCAR coverage, Saturday night provides another prime-time stage for a series that routinely delivers some of the sport’s most competitive finishes.
Why Chevrolet Could Control the Conversation
Chevrolet drivers have historically performed well at Daytona in the Xfinity Series, particularly in the February opener. Manufacturer alliances play an outsized role in superspeedway racing, and Chevrolet’s depth across the field — from powerhouse organizations to well-funded mid-tier teams — often allows the bowtie brigade to control lanes late.
Draft data from recent Daytona events shows that maintaining manufacturer-aligned lines improves sustained run speed and restart momentum. With RCR’s proven horsepower and Chevrolet’s numerical strength, expect the bowties to feature prominently at the front.
That said, Daytona rarely rewards overconfidence. In last year’s United Rentals 300, the race featured double-digit lead changes and multiple caution periods, compressing the field and creating late-race volatility. The final stage at Daytona often becomes a strategic sprint, where track position inside the top five with fewer than 10 laps remaining significantly increases win probability.
Hill has mastered that window.
The Fine Details
- Distance: 120 laps / 300 miles
- Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval
- Banking: 31 degrees in the turns
- Qualifying: Saturday morning
- Race start: Shortly after 5 p.m. ET
- TV: The CW Network
- Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Saturday’s crowd will also be treated to a full afternoon of track activity, including Cup Series practice earlier in the day. For fans in attendance, it’s a marathon of horsepower — from ARCA’s developing talent to Xfinity’s proven contenders and Cup’s elite machines.
What to Expect
Expect pack racing. Expect three-wide battles. Expect at least one moment where 15 cars enter Turn 3 separated by less than a second.
And expect RCR to be in the middle of it.
Hill’s three February Daytona wins place him in rare company in the modern Xfinity era, and Love’s emergence gives the organization a legitimate two-car threat. If clean air and drafting partners cooperate, Saturday could again tilt in Childress’ direction.
But this is Daytona. The draft giveth and the draft taketh away.
The United Rentals 300 has developed a reputation for blending veteran savvy with rising-star ambition. With strong manufacturer depth, proven superspeedway winners and a national television audience tuning in, Saturday night’s opener promises the kind of razor-thin finish that defines Speedweeks.
Professional. Fast. Unpredictable.
Daytona rarely disappoints — and the Xfinity Series has made a habit of delivering when the lights come on.
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