The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona in 2026 was the season‑opening Fresh From Florida 250, and it ended with a wild four‑wide finish won by Chandler Smith.

Quick Scoop: What Happened at Daytona

  • Race name: Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
  • Date: Friday, February 13, 2026 – first race of the 2026 Truck Series season.
  • Distance: Scheduled 100 laps, extended to 102 laps after an overtime finish on the 2.5‑mile superspeedway.
  • Winner: Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports) with a dramatic four‑wide tri‑oval pass on the final lap.
  • Record action: 32 lead changes among 12 drivers, the most lead changes in series history for this race.
  • Top five finishers:
    1. Chandler Smith
    2. Gio Ruggiero
    3. Christian Eckes
    4. Ty Majeski
    5. John Hunter Nemechek

Key Storylines and Nerdy Details

Four‑Wide Overtime Chaos

The finish was the headline moment: Chandler Smith dove underneath John Hunter Nemechek in the tri‑oval, turning a classic Daytona draft train into a four‑wide drag race to the line. This kind of move is rare even by superspeedway standards and is already being talked about as an early candidate for finish of the year.

  • The overtime restart pushed the race to 102 laps, adding extra tension on fuel and track position.
  • The massive 32 lead changes highlight how much pack racing and drafting chess there was all night.

Big Names, Returns, and Surprises

Several storylines made this opener feel more like a mini‑all‑star event than a typical Truck race.

  • Tony Stewart ran his first NASCAR‑sanctioned race since 2016, driving a Ram for Kaulig Racing.
  • This was the first race with Ram back as a manufacturer in the Truck Series since 2012, adding extra manufacturer intrigue alongside Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota.
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar, and John Hunter Nemechek all appeared as Cup‑level or cross‑series names in the field.
  • Travis Pastrana also returned to Truck competition at Daytona and drew plenty of fan interest, even running mid‑pack but in the mix in the draft.

Who Ran Well (Beyond the Winner)

Even outside the winner, a few drivers and teams stood out.

  • Gio Ruggiero finished second, confirming the pace he’d shown in the draft during practice and the race.
  • Christian Eckes, Ty Majeski, and John Hunter Nemechek filled out the top five, showing the usual superspeedway strength of ThorSport and McAnally‑Hilgemann aligned entries.
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brenden Queen, Kaden Honeycutt, Tyler Ankrum, and Stewart Friesen all scored top‑ten finishes.

Practice and Pace Notes

The single practice session on Thursday set the tone for who had raw speed in the draft and in single‑truck laps.

  • Only one 50‑minute practice, Thursday, February 12 at 5:00 PM EST.
  • Fastest in practice: Kaden Honeycutt (Tricon Garage Toyota) with a 48.439‑second lap at 185.801 mph.
  • Taylor Gray and Grant Enfinger were right behind on the speed chart, confirming that the Tricon and CR7 trucks were dialed in early.

Field Snapshot (Teams, Manufacturers, Notable Entries)

Here’s a compact look at some notable entries and details.

[3][1] [1] [6][1] [6][1] [3][1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [2][3]
Driver Team Make Notable Angle
Chandler Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford Race winner with four-wide last-lap pass.
Gio Ruggiero Tricon Garage Toyota Runner-up, showed strong pack-racing speed.
Christian Eckes McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet Finished third, early points momentum.
Ty Majeski ThorSport Racing Ford Fourth place, steady superspeedway form.
John Hunter Nemechek Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Led late, lost in four-wide finish, still top five.
Tony Stewart Kaulig Racing Ram First NASCAR race since 2016, part of Ram’s Truck return.
Kaden Honeycutt Tricon Garage Toyota Fastest in practice, later a solid top-10 finisher.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Top-10 finish as an ineligible Cup regular.
Brenden Queen Kaulig Racing Ram Rookie, impressed with a top-10 at Daytona.
Travis Pastrana Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Popular return, mid-pack but clean run.

How This Shapes the 2026 Truck Season

  • With Daytona as the opener, Chandler Smith immediately becomes an early title‑talk name, especially with Front Row’s superspeedway strength.
  • The re‑entry of Ram adds a fresh manufacturer storyline that could ripple through the season, particularly with Kaulig’s multi‑truck effort.
  • The combination of veterans (Stewart, Stenhouse Jr., Friesen) and young talents (Ruggiero, Honeycutt, Queen) makes the 2026 grid look deeper and more volatile than the past couple of years.

From a fan‑discussion angle, the big talking points right now are the four‑wide finish, Tony Stewart’s return, and whether Ram can win again in Trucks after its long hiatus.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.