The 2026 Daytona 500 isn’t until Sunday, but fans at the Daytona International Speedway already have been treated to some terrific racing.

The field for the action-packed week in Daytona Beach, Florida, began with 45 hopeful drivers, but there’s only room for 41 in this year’s edition of “The Great American Race.”

Through Wednesday’s qualifying rounds and a pair of duels Thursday, four of the eight “open” entries punched their tickets to the starting line, and four are going home early. Fans also were able to see some exciting battles for prime positioning. 

The 2026 Daytona 500 will get underway Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast live on FOX. The two-time defending champion is William Byron.

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.

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• 2026 Daytona 500 Schedule, How To Watch And More
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During Wednesday’s Busch Light Pole qualifying, which was broadcast live on FS1, each car took an individual lap around the Daytona International Speedway. The 10 fastest drivers went 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 were able to earn their spots in Sunday’s race.

The standout performance during qualifying came from Kyle Busch, who claimed the pole position at the Daytona 500 for the first time. This year marks his 21st appearance at the event, but no driver with more than 20 starts has ever won it.

Busch set the pace in the opening round of qualifying and blazed around the track at 183.651 mph in the 10-car second round to lock up the No. 1 spot.

Chase Briscoe was close behind, but he was denied the pole, which he earned in 2025, by 0.064 mph. He’ll line up next to Busch.

From the “open” entries, Corey Heim and Justin Allgaier were the two fast drivers of the day, earning them spots in the main field.

On Thursday, the format changed, but the goals didn’t – at least for the six remaining “open” entries.

The final two entrants were determined over two duel rounds.

During the duels, 60-lap sprints, the chartered teams were able to fight for better positions and some points – the first points for the 2026 season – with the winners of Duel 1 and Duel 2 making up the second row to start the Daytona 500.

Those spots went to Joey Logano (Duel 1) and Chase Elliot (Duel 2), while Casey Mears and BJ McLeod took the final two spots in the main field. 

A bold move on the final lap of the first duel got the job done for Mears, and while a skillful performance earned his ticket, McLeod needed a little bit of luck. 

McLeod finished 19th in the second duel, but he was one spot behind Anthony Alfredo. Because of a rules violation found during the post-race inspection, the spot was given to McLeod for his sixth career start at the Daytona 500.

2026 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

Now that all the formalities are out of the way, it’s nearly time to get down to business in Daytona.

Here’s a look at the starting order for Sunday’s race:

1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske
4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske
6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports
7. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing
8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
9. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing
10. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports
11. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club
12. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
13. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing
14. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
15. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports
17. Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66
18. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing
20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
21. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
22. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
23. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team
24. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club
25. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports
26. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing
27. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing
28. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing
29. Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing
30. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
31. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club
32. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing
33. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing
34. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing
35. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing
36. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske
37. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing
38. Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports
39. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
40. Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports
41. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing

Over the last two years, Byron has won from the No. 18 and No. 5 positions, respectively. In 2023, Rickey Stenhouse Jr. won from the No. 31 spot.

Why Are There Only 41 Cars In The Daytona 500?

The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious races in the world and considered the crown jewel of NASCAR. It was held for the first time in 1959.

The race is held annually at the Daytona International Speedway and helps set the tone for the competitive NASCAR Cup Series season ahead. 

The elite field will endure 200 laps 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.

For each edition of the race, 37 drivers are guaranteed to be in the main 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. 

Then came the battles for the final four spots, which whittled down the entry list from 45 hopefuls to a starting field of 41.

Who Were 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

Daytona 500 Past And Present

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. 

Read more: Daytona 500 Winners List by Year: Here's The Full List

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.

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

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloRacing subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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