The field for the 68th Daytona 500 is locked. After 20 years of coming up short, Kyle Busch (RCR) finally leads the pack to green. A win on Sunday is the final box to check for his first-ballot Hall of Fame legacy.
The Front Runners
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Pole: Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)
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Outside Pole: Chase Briscoe (JGR Toyota)
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Row 2: Duel winners Joey Logano (3rd) and Chase Elliott (4th).
Key Storylines & Open Qualifiers
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The SVG Factor: Shane van Gisbergen rolls off 13th for his second attempt at the Great American Race.
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The Veterans: Denny Hamlin—one of eight former winners in the field—starts a deep 22nd.
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The “Open” Underdogs: Casey Mears (17th), Corey Heim (29th), Jimmie Johnson (31st), BJ McLeod (38th), and Justin Allgaier (40th) all successfully fought their way into the show.
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The OEP Add: Thanks to the Open Exemption Provisional, the field expands to 41 cars, with Chris Buescher anchoring the grid.
Manufacturer Breakdown
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Chevrolet: 19
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Toyota: 11
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Ford: 11
Technical Violations & DNQs
Four drivers are already confirmed to drop to the rear on Sunday after switching to backup cars following Duel incidents: Chris Buescher, William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Daniel Suarez.
Failed to Qualify: Corey LaJoie, Anthony Alfredo, Chandler Smith, and JJ Yeley.
Daytona 500 Starting Lineup
Sunday February 15, 2026
- Kyle Busch
- Chase Briscoe
- Joey Logano
- Chase Elliott
- Ryan Blaney
- Carson Hocevar
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- Michael McDowell
- John Hutner Nemehcek
- Christopher Bell
- Shane Van Gisbergen
- Josh Berry
- Daniel Suarez
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Casey Mears
- Todd Gilliland
- Ryan Preece
- Ty Gibbs
- Alex Bowman
- Denny Hamlin
- Cole Custer
- Erik Jones
- Noah Gragson
- Tyler Reddick
- Bubba Wallace
- Riley Herbst
- Corey Heim
- Zane Smith
- Jimmie Johnson
- Connor Zilisch
- Cody Ware
- Ty Dillon
- AJ Allmendinger
- Austin Cindric
- Ross Chastain
- BJ McLeod
- William Byron
- Justin Allgaier
- Chris Buescher
