Following the conclusion of the qualifying Duels to set the field, the lineup for the 2026 Daytona 500, the first race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, is set.
Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe will start on the front row, Busch winning the pole and Briscoe scoring the outside pole following their qualifying runs on Feb. 11.
Then it’ll be Joey Logano and Chase Elliott starting third and fourth, respectively, nabbing the second row after winning their respective Duels on Feb. 12.
Ryan Blaney rounds out the top five, while Carson Hocevar, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell complete the top 10.
Five open cars will make up the 41-car field based on their qualifying speeds, Duel results or the open exemption provisional. Casey Mears starts the best of the group in 17th, followed by Corey Heim (29th), Jimmie Johnson (31st), BJ McLeod (38th) and Justin Allgaier (40th). Mears and McLeod raced their way in through the Duels, while Heim and Allgaier were the fastest open cars in qualifying and Johnson received the provisional.
Initially, Anthony Alfredo had made the Daytona 500 over McLeod as the highest-finishing open driver in the second Duel, but his finish was later disallowed by NASCAR.
Chandler Smith, Corey LaJoie and JJ Yeley join Alfredo failing to qualify for the Daytona 500.
Daytona 500 Starting Lineup
The Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET. FOX will have the broadcast.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.