Skip Barber Racing School alumni won two out of three races in the opening weekend of the 2026 NASCAR season, as graduates Austin Hill and Chandler Smith found victory lane in Daytona. Hill continued his domination of plate racing, earning his fourth victory in five years in the season opener at Daytona. Hill spent much of the night at the front but pitted near the race’s midpoint to address the car’s handling issues. With fresh tires, Hill rocketed back through the pack to rejoin the fray at the sharp end of the field. After fending off charges from a medley of drivers, including fellow alumni Sammy Smith, Hill earned his fourth season-opening victory. Additionally, Hill has won four of the last five superspeedway races dating back to Atlanta last year. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith opened the weekend with a victory on Friday night, emerging from a four-wide pack to earn his seventh NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win. In addition to Smith, Skip Barber graduates Christian Eckes (3rd), John Hunter Nemechek (5th), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6th) finished in the top ten on Friday. Stenhouse Jr. was second in the Daytona 500, just ahead of fellow graduate Joey Logano, who crossed the line third, albeit backward. Josh Berry (9th) and Bubba Wallace (10th) also finished in the top ten, and Wallace added a Stage 2 victory to his points tally. In Homestead-Miami, the USF season will commence with a midweek slate of racing in USF Juniors, USF 2000, and USF Pro 2000. During Monday’s test sessions, Skip Barber graduates Ryan Giannetta and Naim Saleh topped the charts in USF 2000, while reigning Skip Barber Race Series champion Ivan Machado Perez led the opening practice session.