The inaugural Truck Series race of the 2026 season has just concluded, and in a chaotic manner once again. To say that Daytona International Speedway lived up to its name as Chandler Smith stunned everyone to take home the victory. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ty Majeski!” Smith shouted after winning. But pole winner Majeski, who was one of the favorites to win the race, ended in fourth place, summing up the start with a strong positive note.

Ty Majeski’s Daytona introspection

Speaking to NASCAR journalist Peter Stratta on X after the race, Majeski shared how the fourth-place finish was a “huge” achievement for him. Given it was just the first race of the season, and how each point would matter in 2026, Majeski, a Ford driver, seemed content with the result.

“Super blessed to be in this position and a good start to our season,” Majeski said. “Yeah, it was huge. I’m so thankful for Menards. Obviously, I’m from Wisconsin. They’re a Wisconsin-based company and just very thankful to be in this position. Thank you to Duke, Rhonda, and everybody for putting me in this position. And yeah, we’re going to try and make the most of it this season.”

Following this, the 2024 Truck Series champion opened up about how the chaos unfolded at Daytona International Speedway. Known for its notorious four-wide races and enormous crashes, the Superspeedway did not disappoint this time.

“Chaos. Typical Daytona. I thought, for the field, there was a lot of guys that didn’t have anything to lose. I thought this race could have been a lot crazier than what it was. Just proud of the entire field and proud of Ford Racing.”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Smith of Front Row Motorsports snatched the victory from multiple drivers after he made a four-wide tri-oval pass underneath John Hunter Nemechek. And it was all due to the push from Majeski.

“He [Majeski] is all credit to how we just won that race, truthfully,” Smith said. “He stayed committed to a Ford and pushed a Blue Oval to a win.”

With this, Smith claimed his eighth Truck win and kept Gio Ruggiero and Christian Eckes at bay in second and third positions, respectively.

Majeski, who started from the pole, moved down to seventh place in stage one, but improved to third in the second stage. However, in the final stage, he came home in fourth and picked up 45 important points.

Majeski is continuing to drive the #88 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing under full-time obligation. A Ford driver and former Roush Fenway Racing star, Majeski has been with ThorSport since 2021. Although Majeski made it worth his while in the first race, it wasn’t the case for Tony Stewart.

Tony Stewart’s NASCAR return jeopardized by crash

As Tony Stewart returned to NASCAR for the first time in 10 years, all eyes were on him for Friday’s race. However, his outing was jeopardized after Jake Garcia’s #98 Ford slammed into Stewart’s No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram.

The incident took place at Turn 4 of Lap 36 of 100 in the Fresh From Florida 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR medical team took Stewart for an immediate check-up and released him after a while.

“It was fun to come back here,” Stewart said. “It’s fun to watch the style these kids run. I mean, you could tell the guys that their trucks felt good right out of the gate, and they were aggressive. And it’s like, man, I wish I had the confidence to do that. But it was getting more fun when the balance was getting closer to where we needed it to be.”

Tony Stewart returned to NASCAR with Kaulig Racing, as he drove RAM’s 1300, after signing up with the manufacturer’s Free Agent program. With this, the three-time Cup Series champion participated in his first-ever Daytona and first Truck Series race since 2005.