2026 Season Drivers

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Drivers: Every Driver's Season Report Card

Final, after all 36 points races. Updated Nov 9, 2026.

Every driver who started a 2026 Cup Series race, 55 in all, with a season report card built from the numbers, not opinion. Each grade is the average of that driver's weekly HHR race scores, curved against the 35-driver full-time field. Each driver's full report card breaks down where they ranked in 14 stats, what drove their year, and what 2027 looks like.

Full-time drivers: all 35, in final points order

Pts	Driver	Grade	Wins	Avg Fin	Top 10s	Laps Led	Rating	Report card
1	Kyle Larson #5 Hendrick Motorsports	A-	3	14.5	21	1,238	96.1	Read it
2	Christopher Bell #20 Joe Gibbs Racing	A	1	13.4	20	841	94.6	Read it
3	Denny Hamlin #11 Joe Gibbs Racing	A+	4	8.9	24	1,120	99.4	Read it
4	Ryan Blaney #12 Team Penske	A	4	12.8	23	1,107	99.2	Read it
5	Tyler Reddick #45 23XI Racing	A+	6	12.2	21	595	94.3	Read it
6	Chase Briscoe #19 Joe Gibbs Racing	B	3	15.1	18	701	93.6	Read it
7	Joey Logano #22 Team Penske	B	3	15.9	15	832	86.4	Coming soon
8	William Byron #24 Hendrick Motorsports	B+	1	15.2	18	578	88.6	Coming soon
9	Ty Gibbs #54 Joe Gibbs Racing	A	2	12.6	20	446	91.0	Coming soon
10	Austin Cindric #2 Team Penske	B	0	16.5	10	85	78.9	Coming soon
11	Bubba Wallace #23 23XI Racing	A-	0	15.7	17	317	84.4	Coming soon
12	Chase Elliott #9 Hendrick Motorsports	A-	2	15.1	13	318	82.4	Coming soon
13	Daniel Suárez #7 Spire Motorsports	B+	1	15.2	9	42	72.2	Coming soon
14	Carson Hocevar #77 Spire Motorsports	B	1	15.9	12	198	75.8	Coming soon
15	Ryan Preece #60 RFK Racing	B+	1	16.7	10	119	73.3	Coming soon
16	Chris Buescher #17 RFK Racing	B-	0	16.6	11	134	79.4	Coming soon
17	Shane Van Gisbergen #97 Trackhouse Racing	B-	2	18.9	10	270	71.2	Coming soon
18	Ross Chastain #1 Trackhouse Racing	C+	0	18.7	8	141	70.4	Coming soon
19	Brad Keselowski #6 RFK Racing	C+	0	19.3	6	244	69.1	Coming soon
20	Michael McDowell #71 Spire Motorsports	C+	0	19.1	8	24	62.4	Coming soon
21	Todd Gilliland #34 Front Row Motorsports	B-	0	20.5	3	27	56.6	Coming soon
22	Josh Berry #21 Wood Brothers Racing	C	0	20.9	11	102	67.2	Coming soon
23	Erik Jones #43 Legacy Motor Club	C+	0	20.7	5	23	61.8	Coming soon
24	Austin Dillon #3 Richard Childress Racing	C	0	20.9	6	5	61.3	Coming soon
25	AJ Allmendinger #16 Kaulig Racing	C-	0	21.8	4	9	58.4	Coming soon
26	Alex Bowman #48 Hendrick Motorsports	C	0	20.0	8	0	64.8	Coming soon
27	Zane Smith #38 Front Row Motorsports	C-	0	21.8	6	77	60.9	Coming soon
28	Ricky Stenhouse Jr #47 HYAK Motorsports	D	0	23.4	5	16	49.6	Coming soon
29	John H. Nemechek #42 Legacy Motor Club	D	0	23.6	2	64	54.7	Coming soon
30	Riley Herbst #35 23XI Racing	D	0	23.9	3	7	56.6	Coming soon
31	Noah Gragson #4 Front Row Motorsports	C-	0	23.6	3	2	50.0	Coming soon
32	Cole Custer #41 Haas Factory Team	D	0	24.7	2	3	48.0	Coming soon
33	Connor Zilisch #88 Trackhouse Racing	D	0	26.4	2	9	52.1	Coming soon
34	Ty Dillon #10 Kaulig Racing	D	0	26.1	0	3	43.6	Coming soon
35	Cody Ware #51 Rick Ware Racing	D	0	29.9	0	19	35.4	Coming soon

Part-time drivers: all 20, by starts

Kyle Busch died in May 2026. He made 12 starts in the No. 8 for Richard Childress Racing before his death. His report card is a tribute to his final season, not a grade.

Driver	Starts	Grade	Best	Avg Fin	Laps Led	Report card
Austin Hill Richard Childress Racing	26	D	14	26.2	34	Coming soon
Corey Heim 23XI Racing	13	B+	1	16.9	141	Coming soon
Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing	12	In memory	8	20.8	19	Coming soon
Chad Finchum Garage 66	8	D	28	33.6	8	Coming soon
Casey Mears Beard Motorsports, Garage 66	6	D	32	36.2	0	Coming soon
Daniel Dye Live Fast Motorsports	5	D	24	29.0	1	Coming soon
Justin Allgaier Hendrick Motorsports, JR Motorsports	4	INC	22	27.2	3	Coming soon
JJ Yeley NY Racing Team	4	INC	21	30.8	4	Coming soon
Josh Bilicki Garage 66	4	INC	34	35.8	0	Coming soon
BJ McLeod Live Fast Motorsports, NY Racing Team	4	INC	33	36.8	0	Coming soon
Joey Gase NY Racing Team	3	INC	21	29.0	0	Coming soon
Jesse Love Richard Childress Racing	2	INC	27	27.0	0	Coming soon
Jimmie Johnson Legacy Motor Club	2	INC	28	28.5	0	Coming soon
Gray Gaulding Garage 66	2	INC	23	29.5	5	Coming soon
Katherine Legge Live Fast Motorsports	2	INC	31	33.0	0	Coming soon
Timmy Hill Garage 66	2	INC	36	36.5	0	Coming soon
Harrison Burton 23XI Racing	1	INC	12	12.0	0	Coming soon
Justin Haley Spire Motorsports	1	INC	21	21.0	0	Coming soon
Kevin Magnussen Trackhouse Racing	1	INC	27	27.0	0	Coming soon
Anthony Alfredo Hendrick Motorsports	1	INC	33	33.0	0	Coming soon

How the grades work

Every race, each driver gets a score out of 100: finish position within the field, positions gained or lost from the start, share of laps led, and a 20-point penalty for not finishing. The season score is the average across every start. Grades are then curved across the full-time field, so an A means a top-tier season relative to the drivers who ran the whole year. Source: NASCAR's official race results and loop data.

Questions

Who won the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship?

Kyle Larson finished first in the final 2026 Cup Series standings, per NASCAR's official race feed.

Who had the best 2026 NASCAR Cup season by the numbers?

By HHR's computed season score, Denny Hamlin ranked first, followed by Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney.

How are the HHR season grades calculated?

Each grade is the average of the driver's weekly HHR race scores across all 2026 points races (finish quality, positions gained, share of laps led, minus a penalty for not finishing), curved against the full-time field. Nothing is adjusted by hand.

Who counts as a full-time driver?

Any driver who started at least 32 of the 36 points races. That gives a field of 35.

How many drivers raced in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series?

55 drivers started at least one 2026 Cup points race: 35 full-time and 20 part-time.

How are part-time drivers graded?

Part-time drivers are scored with the same race-by-race formula and placed on the same curve as the full-time field. Drivers with fewer than 5 starts get INC (incomplete): their stats are shown but the sample is too small for a fair letter.

2027 Silly Season Tracker Race TV Guide Weekly Driver Grades Cup Series Drivers

Meet Chris

Meet Chris, the passionate founder of Happy Hour Racing. From a young age, Chris was captivated by the thrilling world of NASCAR, cheering on his all-time favorite driver, Tony Stewart. His love for the sport began in the stands of iconic tracks like Bristol and Dover, where he felt the roar of engines echo through the grandstands.

Raised on the exhilarating finishes and the community spirit of NASCAR, Chris's enthusiasm only grew as he collected memorabilia—from diecast models to hats and jackets, each piece holding a story of speed and victory. His deep-rooted connection to racing also drew him to the local tracks in Stafford, Connecticut, where he became a regular fixture, absorbing every drop of racing knowledge and camaraderie.

With Happy Hour Racing, Chris brings his lifelong passion to the forefront, offering fellow enthusiasts a place to celebrate the sport’s rich history and exciting present. Join Chris and the Happy Hour Racing team for an experience fueled by genuine love for the race and the community that surrounds it.

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