There’s nothing better than seeing race cars glimmer under the Florida sun of Daytona Beach, Fla., as NASCAR assumes control of the area for the opening week of the 2026 season.
That can only mean one thing: The Underdog House is back!
A place where the “little dogs” of the sport prove their bite can equate to their bark, follow along here throughout the season to find out who rules the yard, as well as who to keep an eye on moving forward.
With that, buckle up tight and beware of the underdog as we unleash the dark horses of NASCAR.
Top Dog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The ambiance of the Daytona 500 is one that can only be described in the storybooks of legends.
Nowhere else in American sports will you find one that commences its season with its biggest event. This is a race that belongs in the exclusive club of prestigious events that includes the Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500, and The Masters, among others.
What adds to the anticipation that the NASCAR industry experiences leading up to the Great American Race is its unpredictability, opening the door wide open for an underdog to sneak through and capture a legacy-defining triumph.
The Daytona 500 requires coordination, calculation, aggression, and perhaps a little luck. The slightest lapse in any of those categories defines the margin between exhilaration and heartbreak.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has experienced both sides of the coin, coming painfully close to winning the crown jewel event before finally breaking through in 2023.
Three years later, the Hyak Motorsports driver nearly did it again, finishing runner-up in the 68th edition of the race (Feb. 15).
The Climb To the Top
The opening stage looked similar to Stenhouse’s approach in recent years, opting to settle in at the tail end of the draft. That played a crucial role in allowing Stenhouse to dodge a crash on lap 6 involving BJ McLeod and Casey Mears. Outside of leading a third lane at one point, Stenhouse continued to maintain his pace towards the back, finishing stage one in 31st.
As the race transitioned into the second stage, Stenhouse stayed true to his strategy, appearing to play it safe. Once again, patience was a virtue, allowing the 38-year-old to safely watch the Big One out his front windshield, a crash that involved 20 cars.
Like years prior, dodging the Big One unleashed the beast in Stenhouse, who began to steadily work his way forward in the final stage. Sitting in the thick of the battle with 10 laps to go, Stenhouse escaped yet another crash when Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell collided to prompt the final caution.
Restarting in 14th, it was no surprise to see Stenhouse jump to a third lane on the outside, reaching as high as the second car in that line as the field took the white flag. A crash ahead of him caused a slight glitch in momentum, but as the field exited turn 4, the No. 47 sat in eighth.
Approaching the tri-oval, Riley Herbst, Chase Elliott, and Brad Keselowski tangled, causing a hard crash coming to the checkered flag. Stenhouse nearly parted the seas through the middle, but he was shoved into the wall at the last second, crossing the start/finish line as the runner-up in a shower of sparks.
Finishing second in the 500 can feel like an achievement in one aspect, yet also a nightmare in another. For Stenhouse, he was one spot away from joining an exclusive company as a multi-time winner of the Great American Race.
Nevertheless, the looming figure of Stenhouse on NASCAR’s biggest stage is not one to be ignored, and the Olive Branch, Miss., native proved it yet again.
Looking Ahead
With the schedule revamp a couple of seasons ago, the first two weeks of the season suit perhaps no one better than Stenhouse.
A four-time winner on superspeedways, the Hyak driver will get a shot to do it again at EchoPark Speedway, featuring a similar, yet unique style to that of Daytona.
Stenhouse has yet to find victory lane in Atlanta, though he has come close since the 1.5-mile track was converted to its current layout following the 2021 season. In his last six starts there, Stenhouse hasn’t finished worse than 17th, earning four top 10s in that span.
If there’s an underdog to circle for an early-season upset, keep an eye on this veteran next week.
Lower Series
In a new addition to The Underdog House this season, we will take a look at the top dogs from the lower series of NASCAR, such as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Both series are littered with plenty of underdogs, and you can pick several out on a weekly basis to leave a sizable imprint on the weekend.
O’Reilly: Plenty of dark horses were in contention for the win in the season-opener at Daytona, but it may not come as a surprise that the little team that could of Ryan Sieg and RSS Racing led the charge.
Sieg logged a third-place finish, once again coming agonizingly close to his first career win in his 401st start.
Starting from the 10th position, it didn’t take long before Sieg faced adversity, suffering a flat tire 12 laps into the race and losing a lap as a result.
Eventually returning to the lead lap, the race’s erratic character didn’t loosen its grip on Sieg. Fighting his way back into the top 10, Sieg made contact with Jeb Burton in turn 1, spinning out in front of the field and triggering a seven-car crash. However, while the race was red-flagged, Sieg got the least damage of everyone, allowing him to continue with little hindrance.
By the final lap, Sieg was right back in the hunt, placing his No. 39 in fifth on the backstretch. Through turns 3 and 4, the 38-year-old was able to get around fellow underdog Jordan Anderson and give Justin Allgaier one last push to try and catch Austin Hill, but the duo ran out of time as they took the checkered flag.
The question of ‘will Sieg win’ still feels like it has morphed into ‘when will Sieg win,’ as the Tucker, Ga., native earned his 24th top five as a result. It seems inevitable that eventually the storybook chapter of getting that first win will be fulfilled by the journeyman.
Trucks: It’s hard to consider Kaulig Racing an underdog in the lower series given their extensive list of accolades earned in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but with so many unknowns between its new relationship with RAM and a roster that features new faces, the notebook begins fresh for the organization.
One of those new faces comes in the form of Brenden Queen, who will pilot Kaulig’s No. 12 entry full-time this season. Fresh off an ARCA Menards Series championship in 2025, the fan-favorite quickly showed why he is a top prospect by recording a seventh-place result in his Daytona debut.
Queen didn’t wade in the shallow end for long, immediately earning valuable stage points by finishing ninth in stage two.
Keeping his truck clean throughout the night, Queen had a brief lull outside of the top 10 in stage two before asserting himself as a threat in the final stage by driving into the top five with 10 laps to go.
An overtime restart saw Queen head to pit road for tires, setting the stage for an impressive charge through the field. Queen drove from 21st to seventh in the closing laps, perhaps needing just another lap to have a shot at the victory. Overall, it was a strong performance from the Chesapeake, Va., native to kick off his first full-time Truck campaign, signaling strong expectations for the future.
Small Team Scheme of the Week
JR Motorsports made its highly-anticipated return to the Daytona 500 following a successful debut in 2025 with none other than 2024 O’Reilly champion Allgaier, who was looking to back up his top-10 performance from last season. With Traveller Whisky aboard the No. 40 Chevrolet once again, this scheme presented a classic look fit for the prestige of Daytona.
Warm colors of orange and burgundy complimented the almond undertone on the car, making it an immediate fan favorite. Unfortunately, the car had a short-lived appearance, as Allgaier was swept up in the Big One on lap 124.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.