NASCAR veterans drop bold early predictions for 2026 across Cup Series, F1, and IndyCar

In a clip from the Money Lap podcast, hosted by NASCAR veterans Parker Kligerman and Landon Cassill, they dropped their picks for the major racing series for the 2026 season. The duo discussed the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series, as well as the IndyCar Series and Formula One championship.

Kligreman and Cassill began the 2026 Motorsports predictions with the Cup Series. The former Big Machine Racing driver picked Denny Hamlin as the champion for the upcoming season. The former Kaulig Racing driver also agreed with Kligerman and named Hamlin as his pick. While their guest, Josh, picked Joey Logano.

Moving to the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts series, Parker Kligerman and Landon Cassill both picked Justin Allgaier. However, Josh chose the defending champion, Jesse Love. Later, for the Craftsman Truck Series, both former stock car racing veterans initially picked Ty Majeski. But Kligerman changed his pick to Layne Riggs, and Cassill opted for Grant Enfinger. Meanwhile, Josh went with Chandler Smith as his top pick.

The trio then shared their champion pick for Formula One. The NASCAR veterans picked Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, while the guest chose Mercedes driver George Russell. They concluded the clip by predicting IndyCar Series champions. Kligerman picked Scott Dixion, while Cassill and Josh chose Alex Palou.

NASCAR will begin the 2026 season on February 1 with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. Followed by the IndyCar Series on March 1, 2026, at the St. Petersburg track. Meanwhile, Formula One has scheduled the first race of the next season at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 8, 2026.

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NASCAR revealed the Cup Series schedule for the 2026 season, along with the broadcasting channels

In November 2025, NASCAR officially announced the schedule for the upcoming Cup Series season. The governing body shared the calendar, including network names, dates, and start times for the 36 events.

FOX, Prime Video, TNT Sports, USA Network, NBC, and Peacock will be on the broadcasting duties once again for the next season. The season will kick off from "The Madhouse" with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 1 for the second time. Following that, two weeks later, the series will host the first points-paying race at the Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026.

Here's the list of the events with all the details:

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson clinched his second Cup Series title this season. Larson got a lead over season-dominant driver Denny Hamlin after the last pit stop and finished in P3, securing the championship title.

Also, NASCAR rebranded the Xfinity Series to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for the 2026 season. The Craftsman Truck Series season will mark the return of RAM trucks with Kaulig Racing. Additionally, the team will become the first to work with two OEMs under the same governing body.

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Edited by Karan Yadav