Starting Order & Pole for 2026 Daytona 500

Following single-car qualifying and duels, the starting order for the 2026 Daytona 500 is set. The opening race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season will kick off the 78th year of the Cup on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at the Daytona International Speedway.

The prestigious event will be contested on a 2.5-mile-long tri-oval superspeedway. 41 drivers will compete over 200 laps (500 miles) to drive down victory lane. FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass has revealed the starting lineup for the 2026 Daytona 500.

Who is on pole for the 2026 Daytona 500?

Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch has already secured the pole for the race in Wednesday’s single-car qualifying to lead the field to green at Daytona International Speedway. He will be joined by Chase Briscoe on the front row after the latter posted the second-fastest lap in qualifying.

Team Penske driver Joey Logano won Duel 1, edging out his teammate Ryan Blaney at the finish line on Thursday, and will start third in Sunday’s 500-mile race.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott won the Duel 2 after beating Carson Hocevar on the final lap. Elliott will start fourth in the race.

Three-time winner of the event, Denny Hamlin, will start 22nd, as he looks to win the fourth Harley J. Earl Trophy on Sunday.

Four open cars, which were able to earn their spot on the 41-car starting grid, are Casey Mears, BJ McLeod, Corey Heim, and Justin Allgaier. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will start at the 41st position via the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) rule.

Chandler Smith, Corey LaJoie, J.J. Yeley, and Anthony Alfredo failed to qualify for the race in their respective Duel races.

2026 Daytona 500 starting lineup

Here is the complete Daytona 500 starting lineup of the 41-car grid after qualifying and duels:

1. #8 – Kyle Busch
2. #19 – Chase Briscoe
3. #22 – Joey Logano
4. 39 – Chase Elliott
5. #12 – Ryan Blaney
6. #77 – Carson Hocevar
7. #3 – Austin Dillon
8. #5 – Kyle Larson
9. #6 – Brad Keselowski
10. #71 – Michael McDowell
11. #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
12. #20 – Christopher Bell
13. #97 – Shane van Gisbergen
14. #21 – Josh Berry
15. #7 – Daniel Suárez
16. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. #66 – Casey Mears
18. #34 – Todd Gilliland
19. #60 – Ryan Preece
20. #54 – Ty Gibbs
21. #48 – Alex Bowman
22. #11 – Denny Hamlin
23. #41 – Cole Custer
24. #43 – Erik Jones
25. #4 – Noah Gragson
26. #45 – Tyler Reddick
27. #23 – Bubba Wallace
28. #35 – Riley Herbst
29. #51 – Cody Ware
30. #38 – Zane Smith
31. #16 – A. J. Allmendinger
32. #88 – Connor Zilisch (R)
33. #1 – Ross Chastain
34. #10 – Ty Dillon
35. #24 – William Byron
36. #2 – Austin Cindric
37. #17 – Chris Buescher
38. #78 – B. J. McLeod
39. #67 – Corey Heim (i)
40. #40 – Justin Allgaier (i)
41. #84 – Jimmie Johnson

Edited by Yash Soni