UPDATE: NASCAR ALTERS START TIME FOR DAYTONA 500
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
-
Pole: Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)
-
Outside Pole: Chase Briscoe (JGR Toyota)
-
Row 2: Duel winners Joey Logano (3rd) and Chase Elliott (4th).
Key Storylines & Open Qualifiers
-
The SVG Factor: Shane van Gisbergen rolls off 13th for his second attempt at the Great American Race.
-
The Veterans: Denny Hamlin—one of eight former winners in the field—starts a deep 22nd.
-
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.
-
The OEP Add: Thanks to the Open Exemption Provisional, the field expands to 41 cars, with Chris Buescher anchoring the grid.
Manufacturer Breakdown
-
Chevrolet: 19
-
Toyota: 11
-
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
