2026 Daytona 500 Schedule, How To Watch And More
2026 Daytona 500 Schedule, How To Watch And More
The 2026 Daytona 500 is happening Feb. 15 at the iconic Daytona International Superspeedway in Florida. Here’s the schedule for the weekend.
If you love sports and America, there may not be many months in your life better than February 2026.
First, there’s Milano Cortina 2026 – the 2026 Winter Olympics – offering more than two weeks of patriotism and incredible performances over all things ice and snow.
Then came the East-West battle between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in the 60th edition of the Super Bowl.
Now, the action heats up with a trip to the Sunshine State for “The Great American Race” or the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing,” the famed Daytona 500.
The race is held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, and helps set the tone for the competitive NASCAR Cup Series season ahead.
The 2026 Daytona 500 will take place Feb. 15. The action will get underway at 2:30 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast live on FOX. Here is the full list of this year's entries.
Though the race isn’t streaming on FloRacing, scroll down for all the details and a look at the schedule for the 68th running of the Daytona 500.
- Here’s More Info About How To Catch Nonstop Action This Year On FloRacing
- Interstate Batteries Becomes Title Sponsor Of High Limit Racing
- 2026 ASA STARS National Tour Results From New Smyrna Speedway
- Landon Huffman Announces Plans To Chase CARS Tour Championship In 2026
The 2026 Daytona 500 will be the first race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series, and only 41 cars will take part, adding to the prestige of what is considered the crown jewel of NASCAR.
The elite field will endure 200 laps of fast-paced action around the 2.5-mile track with the hope of ending the weekend by hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy, but the tradition of the Daytona 500 is about more than just one day of racing.
Since its inception in 1959, the Daytona 500 has grown from a one-day battle into a weeklong celebration that attracts fans from around the world and includes countless activities for racing fans, opportunities to meet their favorite drivers, concerts, car shows, exhibits and the chance to enjoy all the warmth and fun that have made Daytona such a popular vacation destination.
Despite a history that spans nearly seven decades, the list of drivers who have won the Daytona 500 more than once is relatively short.
In all, 13 drivers have found the winner’s circle multiple times, with Richard Petty topping the list with seven victories from 1964-1981. Cale Yarborough is second with four.
Another four drivers have won the Daytona 500 three times, and seven have won twice, including two-time defending champion William Byron of Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 2025, Byron became the fifth driver in history to win in back-to-back years. Now, he’ll take aim at becoming the first person to win three consecutive times.
Who Will Join William Byron At The 2026 Daytona 500?
Byron is one of 37 drivers who were guaranteed to be in this year’s race. The first 36 are drivers for teams that have charters.
The 37th spot is guaranteed through an Open Exemption Provisional, offered to those who don’t race full-time. This year, it went to two-time winner Jimmie Johnson.
But, you’re probably wondering where the other four entries come from.
Well, in the days leading up to the actual race, another eight drivers get the opportunity to fight for the four remaining spots.
Two of the spots will be locked up Wednesday night, along with the first two positions on Sunday’s front row.
During Wednesday’s qualifying, which will be broadcast live on FS1 beginning at 8:15 p.m. Eastern, each car will take an individual lap around the Daytona International Speedway. The 10 fastest drivers will go out again for a chance to earn Sunday’s pole position and the No. 2 spot in the front row.
The two fastest performers from among the eight “open” entries will claim their spots in Sunday’s race.
The final two entrants will be determined during Thursday’s two duel rounds.
During the duels, 60-lap sprints, the chartered teams will fight for better positions and some points – the first points for the 2026 season.
The drivers who win Duel 1 and Duel 2 will make up the second row to start the Daytona 500.
At the same time, the remaining “open” entries will be split evenly across the two duels, and the highest-finishing entry from each duel will secure the final two spots in the 41-car field.
In his two victories at the Daytona 500, Byron has won from the No. 18 and No. 5 positions, respectively. In 2023, Rickey Stenhouse Jr. won from the No. 31 spot.
Who Are The Eight Open Entries For The 2026 Daytona 500?
- Anthony Alfredo
- Justin Allgaier
- Corey Heim
- Corey LaJoie
- B.J. McLeod
- Casey Mears
- Chandler Smith
- J.J. Yeley
2026 Daytona 500 Weekend Schedule
All Times Eastern
*Schedule subject to change
Wednesday, Feb. 11
- 10 a.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Practice 1 (FS1)
- 8:15 p.m. – Qualifying (FS1)
Thursday, Feb. 12
- 2:15 p.m. – Press Pass
- 4 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series Practice
- 5 p.m. – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Practice
- 7 p.m. – Duel 1 at Daytona (FS1)
- 8:45 p.m. – Duel 2 at Daytona (FS1)
Friday, Feb. 13
- 11 a.m. – Press Pass
- 1:30 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series Qualifying
- 2:15 p.m. – Press Pass
- 3 p.m. – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying
- 4:30 p.m. – NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Practice
- 5:35 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Practice 2
- 7:30 p.m. – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fresh from Florida 250 (FS1)
Saturday, Feb. 14
- 9:30 a.m. – Press Pass
- 10 a.m. – NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying (CW)
- Noon – ARCA Menards Series Daytona ARCA 200 (FOX)
- 3 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Practice 3 (FS1)
- 5 p.m. – NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series United Rentals 300 (CW)
Sunday, Feb. 15
- 9:45 a.m. – Press Pass
- 2:30 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (FOX)
Upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Races
- Feb. 22 – Autotrader 400 (EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Ga.)
- March 1 – DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne (Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas)
- March 8 – Straight Talk Wireless 500 (Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.)
- March 15 – Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas)
- March 22 – Goodyear 400 (Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C.)
- March 29 – Cook Out 400 (Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Va.)
To see the complete 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, click HERE.
NASCAR is in the second year of a seven-year deal that will see the NASCAR Cup Series races broadcast on FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports.
How To Watch The 2026 Daytona 500
The 2026 Daytona 500 will be broadcast live on FOX on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.
Radio coverage will be provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
To see the Daytona 500 in person, visit this page for spectator and ticket information.
See all of this year's entries.
Plenty Of Racing Action In 2026 Is Happening Live On FloRacing!
FloRacing is the proud home of AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car, NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget, USAC Silver Crown, Kubota High Limit Racing, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the Red Line Oil Professional Drag Racers Association Drag Racing Series and more.
Non-subscribers interested in watching the action can become FloRacing subscribers by clicking here.
Fans can watch their favorite events and drivers on their SmartTVs, mobile phones or tablets, as well as computers on FloRacing.com. The FloSports app is available on Roku, FireTV, Samsung, LG, Google Play Store and the Apple Store.
When Does The 2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Season Start?
High Limit Racing is America’s most watched dirt racing series and growing, with more than 60 racing nights spread across 30+ tracks and representation in every time zone in the United States, all streamed live on FloRacing.
The addition of Interstate Batteries as a title sponsor was announced Wednesday.
Recent seasons each have accounted for tens of millions of video views on the FloRacing platform and across its social channels.
The 2026 Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing season will begin March 12-14 SugarBee® Blackjack Bash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track in Las Vegas, where two days of racing will determine the winner of a $25,000 top prize.
The overall purse for High Limit Racing in 2025 awarded $1 million, with $250,000 going to the winning team and driver, collectively.
Read more ahead of the 2026 season:
- 2026 High Limit Racing Schedule
- High Limit Racing Announces Notable Changes To Rulebook
- High Limit Racing Formalizes 'High Roller Club' For Teams
Where To Get Tickets To See High Limit Racing In Person In 2026
Tickets for select 2026 events already are available HERE, with more events coming soon.
Archived Footage On FloRacing
Join The Racing Conversation On FloRacing Social
- Follow us on Twitter/X @FloRacing
- Follow us on Instagram @FloRacing
- Follow us on TikTok @FloRacingTV
- Watch us on YouTube
- Like us on Facebook