The NASCAR Cup Series season is officially halfway in the books following the conclusion of Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Per usual, the season has taken some unexpected twists and turns – some for better, some for worse, and some just straight-up tragic.
But let's focus on the positives here. With only eight races remaining until the points are reset for the Chase, here are the five most pleasant surprises of 2026 thus far. These can be drivers, race teams, or big-picture on-track developments pertaining to the state of the sport.
5. Has NASCAR fixed the Next Gen car?
No one is talking about this, because NASCAR's racing product only ever seems to get attention when it's bad. And for the past few years, make no mistake: it was bad. Outside of 1.5-mile intermediate ovals, passing was next to impossible in the Cup Series' Next Gen car, with races far too often devolving into track position derbies and clean air reigning supreme.
This year, though? That problem appears to have been solved everywhere except for the drafting superspeedways of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. With a new high-wear tire package and greater downforce, the best teams and drivers have been able to shine.
4. Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club within striking range of unexpected Chase berth
Erik Jones might be the most underrated driver in NASCAR. Ever since his development stalled at Joe Gibbs Racing and he was cut loose for Christopher Bell, he has been relegated to the middle of the pack with a below-average Legacy Motor Club team. But it's certainly not due to a lack of talent.
Jones has endured some ugly seasons with Legacy in which his cars simply haven't been capable of putting him in a position to succeed. But this year, with the win-and-in format gone, he's right in the midst of the battle to make the Chase. The Michigan native sits 17th in points at halfway, only 12 markers back of Austin Cindric.
3. Daniel Suarez proving he wasn't the problem at Trackhouse Racing
Someone unfortunately had to be the odd man out at Trackhouse Racing when Connor Zilisch got the call up to Cup this year, and naturally it was going to be Daniel Suarez. His performance just wasn't cutting it on a team that boasted Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen and now needed to make room for the most promising prospect in a generation.
But Trackhouse's equipment is not fast enough to capitalize on its world-class driver lineup, and being released from that organization was the best thing that could have happened to Suarez. Now at Spire Motorsports, he's in the midst of arguably the best season of his career, as he sits ninth in points with a win (albeit a rain-shortened one) in the Coca-Cola 600.
2. Shane van Gisbergen making noise... on ovals
Speaking of Trackhouse, one of its drivers is certainly doing all he can, despite the team's continued slide into mediocrity. While Chastain sits 22nd in points and Zilisch a dismal 34th, van Gisbergen is currently in position to make the Chase. Most of that is due to the batches of bonus points he picked up with his two expected road course wins, but it's his progress on ovals that's truly turning heads.
The New Zealand native has finished fifth at Nashville Superspeedway, sixth at EchoPark Speedway, and 11th at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. His lack of consistency is still an issue, but the flashes have been far greater than anybody reasonably expected.
1. Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing have solidified their place among the elites
Tyler Reddick has been an elite talent in the NASCAR Cup Series for several years running, but he has never had an elite team around him, until now. The leap that 23XI Racing has taken in 2026 has firmly entrenched them among the best in the business, and the driver of the No. 45 machine immediately took advantage with a record-setting three consecutive wins to open the year.
Reddick has now won five times in total after going winless in 2025. Though he's coughed up his massive points lead to Denny Hamlin due to a recent string of bad luck, he still figures to battle with his team's co-owner all year long. Michael Jordan's operation will have a very real opportunity to win a Cup Series championship.
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