Kaulig Racing Drivers Finish Top 20 in Daytona 500

Ty Dillon and AJ Allmendinger avoid major wrecks to finish 14th and 19th respectively.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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Kaulig Racing drivers Ty Dillon and AJ Allmendinger both finished in the top 20 at the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Dillon finished 14th after avoiding a late-race wreck, while Allmendinger came home 19th despite spinning out on the final lap. Both drivers led laps during the race and managed to steer clear of a massive 17-car accident on lap 123 that damaged many of the fastest cars in the 41-car field.

Why it matters

The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's most prestigious race, so a strong showing by the Kaulig Racing team is an important early-season result. Avoiding major incidents and finishing in the top 20 gives the team momentum heading into the next race at Atlanta.

The details

Dillon and Allmendinger started 25th and 27th respectively, but both quickly moved up through the field. Dillon led for 3 laps in the second stage, while Allmendinger set the race's fastest lap at one point. Despite late-race chaos, including a spin for Allmendinger, both drivers were able to bring their cars home in the top 20.

  • The race was moved up an hour earlier due to threatening weather.
  • The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action on Sunday, February 23 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta).

The players

Ty Dillon

Kaulig Racing driver who finished 14th in the Daytona 500.

AJ Allmendinger

Kaulig Racing driver who finished 19th in the Daytona 500.

Kaulig Racing

The NASCAR team that fields cars for Dillon and Allmendinger.

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What they’re saying

“I feel really good about the day for our No. 10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet team. A top-15 finish to start the year is nothing to frown about. Our Grizzly Camaro was strong. We were able to lead laps in the DAYTONA 500 again and run up front most of the day.”

— Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing PR)

“Just one of those races where you are just trying to be smart and be patient. Just trying to be smart the first two-thirds of the race and not getting in anything. Did a good job of that. We had to wait a little longer and I was basically at the tail end of the pack and we made a call there to try to do tires and it's just hard to go anywhere on those restarts.”

— AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing PR)

What’s next

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action Sunday at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta). FOX will broadcast the race at 3 p.m. ET.

The takeaway

The strong performances by the Kaulig Racing team at the Daytona 500 show they have the cars and drivers to be competitive this season. Despite late-race incidents, Dillon and Allmendinger were able to avoid major damage and finish in the top 20, setting the team up for a promising year ahead.