Maintaining Motorsport.com’s yearly custom, it’s time to have a look back at the 10 closest surfaces of the 2026 season in the Cup, O’Reilly, and Truck Series. Do not hesitate to have a look at the 2025 list HERE.
When once again, preparing tracks controlled the list, comprising 6 of the leading 10 positions, however not the No. 1 slot, which is a really unusual incident, though it did likewise occur in 2024 with Kansas Speedway. This year, Charlotte Motor Speedway took the crown with its very first fall race back on the oval given that 2017.
And now, here are the 10 closest surfaces from this previous year in NASCAR:
10. NASCAR Truck Talladega: Sammy Smith vs. Tyler Ankrum– 0.091 s
Picture by: Sean Gardner/ Getty Images
Smith won 2 races this year, winning both on the exact same weekend, and each surface handled to make this leading 10 list. At Talladega in the fall, Smith pressed Majeski by Honeycutt on the frontstretch, and after that pulled to his outdoors and took the win for himself in the last seconds of the race. It was his first-ever triumph in the Truck Series, however he wasn’t done winning simply.
9. NASCAR Truck Rockingham: Corey Heim vs. Kaden Honeycutt– 0.090 s[ 
Image by: Meg Oliphant/ Getty Images
The combination of Heim vs. Honeycutt appear two times on this list as 2 of the 3 closest surfaces from the 2026 NASCAR Truck season. At Rockingham, Honeycutt ran Heim down in lapped traffic, trying to make what would have been his very first profession Truck win at the time. Honeycutt handled to get to the beyond Heim’s truck at the white flag, however Heim remained strong on the within, trying to utilize their own colleague to obstruct Honeycutt in. It eventually worked, as Heim drove deep into Turn 3 and cleared Honeycutt for the win.
8. NASCAR O’Reilly Talladega II: Sammy Smith vs. Carson Kvapil– 0.084 s
Sammy Smith wins
Picture by: Sean Gardner/Getty Images[ 
19659014]Simply one day after that Truck win that made No. 10 on this list, Smith did it once again in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series, making his 4th profession NOAPS win and his very first of the 2026 season. Smith cut beneath colleague Kvapil on the backsctretch, and after that it was an appropriate drag race for the remainder of the last lap. Smith nosed ahead with a practical push from Hill, ending up being the very first motorist to win several national-level NASCAR races on the exact same weekend at Talladega in 23 years.
7. NASCAR O’Reilly Daytona I: Austin Hill vs. Justin Allgaier– 0.081 s
Image by: Michael Bush/Icon Sportswire by means of Getty Images
Hill won the NASCAR O’Reilly season-opener at Daytona for the 4th time in the last 5 years. He managed a remarkable block down the backstretch, which offered him simply enough breathing space out ahead of the pack. Allgaier was closing quickly at the exit of Turn 4, however lost his pusher and the majority of his momentum pertaining to the checkered flag. Remarkably, this was really the closest surface of the whole NASCAR O’Reilly Series, which just comprises 2 of the leading 10 areas.
6. NASCAR Cup Atlanta II: Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell– 0.068 s
Picture by: Meg Oliphant/ Getty Images
Another significant surface at Atlanta. Blaney pulled together with Hocevar on the white flag, while Wallace sent it below them to make it three-wide for the lead into the last set of corners. Hocevar had no assistance in the middle, and Blaney rose ahead with Bell glued to his back bumper. Wallace really completed 2nd initially, making this surface even better, however he was black-flagged for passing listed below the yellow line.
5. NASCAR Truck Michigan: Corey Heim vs. Kaden Honeycutt– 0.065 s
Picture by: Sean Gardner/ Getty Images
The 2025 and 2026 NASCAR Truck Series champs constantly place on a program when they discovered each other on track this year. At Michigan, Honeycutt was following carefully in the draft from Heim’s truck, however his last-lap charge was blunted by the truth that Heim had the draft of a lapped truck straight in front of him. Honeycutt dropped to the apron as Heim took the win simply ahead of him, not able to get effectively together with.
4. NASCAR Cup Bristol I– Ty Gibbs vs. Ryan Blaney– 0.055 s
Image by: Jonathan Bachman- Getty Images
Gibbs lastly reached Victory Lane in the Cup Series this year, doing so in remarkable style in the Bristol spring race. Gibbs and Blaney invested the whole of the last 2 laps side-by-side, with Blaney moving sideways out of the last corner
It took Gibbs 131 starts before lastly winning at the Cup level.3. NASCAR Truck Daytona: Chandler Smith vs. Gio Ruggiero– 0.044 s
Picture by: Sean Gardner/ Getty Images
Just like the NASCAR O’Reilly Series, the closest surface of the Truck season was available in the extremely first race of the year. It was a genuinely impressive surface as Nemechek held the lead, however attempted to obstruct Ruggiero in the tri-oval. They knocked doors with each other and Eckes as all 3 trucks rose the track, permitting Smith to slip through by just hugging the yellow line, making a four-wide pass and taking the win away.
2. NASCAR Cup Talladega II: Kyle Larson vs. William Byron– 0.041 s
Image by: Sean Gardner/ Getty Images
The surface that actually won Larson the 2026 NASCAR Cup title. After getting pressed out of line from the lead leaving Turn 2 on the last lap, Larson faded back to 11th by the time he reached Turn 3. It appeared to be over for him, however the pack stayed messy and as Larson got a valuable draft from Chastain, he rapidly sliced back through the pack. Stenhouse held the lead, chasing after Byron up the track in a stopped working block. As they fought amongst themselves, Larson came rising up the within out of apparently no place to take the win with Chastain sticking with him to the end.
1. NASCAR Cup Charlotte II: Chase Briscoe vs. Christopher Bell– 0.029 s
Image by: David Jensen/ Getty Images
The closest surface of the 2026 NASCAR season, and the closest Cup surface at Charlotte considering that the renowned 2005 Coca-Cola 600 face-off in between Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte. Briscoe had the lead, however Bell made a remarkable charge in the last 3 miles of racing. He was still over one 2nd behind Briscoe with 2 laps to go, however quickly comprised ground as Briscoe’s tires started to quit. Bell ran the bottom as Briscoe ripped the top through the last set of corners. At the exit of Turn 4, the colleagues clashed and both motorists hardly kept control as they fought to the goal. Briscoe hung on by less than half-a-car, guaranteeing his colleague would win a discouraging 8th runner-up surface of the year while just winning when throughout the season. When it comes to Briscoe, that was his 3rd and last win of the year.
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