Join me as I test my wits against various AI programs in picking the 2026 Cup races. Once they’ve made their picks, I’ll make my normal Favorite, Next Favorite, and Dark Horse picks (in addition to my regular O’Reilly & Truck Series picks). At the end of the year we’ll see who knows more—me, or a soulless machine gobbling up water and electricity.
AI (1 win) Claude AI (Sonnet 4.6) sez: “The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for March 15, 2026 so it hasn't been run yet, and there's no way to predict the winner with certainty. That said, here are some factors to watch heading into the race: Kyle Larson has historically been strong at Las Vegas, a 1.5-mile intermediate track where Hendrick Motorsports cars tend to excel.
Meanwhile, here’s MY human picks:
Truck Series (1 win) off
O’Reilly Series The LiUNA! Saturday 5:30pm ET on CW: JESSE LOVE—am I the only one who finds oval races without numerical lengths more than a little weird?
Cup Series Pennzoil 400 Sunday 4pm on Fox FAVORITE: CHRISTOPHER BELL—again, maybe it’s just going to be a Toyota kind of year. NEXT FAVORITE: TYLER REDDICK—finally, I get to pick him! DARK HORSE: AUSTIN CINDRIC—it would be funny if he won before Joey Logano this year, but not so much “ha-ha” funny.
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