Happy Daytona Speed Week! It’s almost time for the 2026 Daytona 500. This week, Nascar’s fastest drivers are heading to Daytona Beach, Florida, to race 500 miles around the iconic Daytona International Speedway oval track. The full entry list will only be determined after Thursday’s Duel races, with still in contention for the four remaining spots in the Daytona 500. Qualifying and practice airs on FS1 and the CW app. The main event will air on Fox. Here’s what you need to know about the Daytona 500 setup.
How to watch the Daytona 500 without cable:
Date: Sunday February 15
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Time: 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT
TV channel: Fox, FS1
Streaming: DirectTVFox One, CW app and more
When will the 2026 Daytona 500 take place?
The Daytona 500 will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Daytona Speedweeks events will run from February 11-15.
Daytona 500 start time:
The 2026 Daytona 500 will officially begin at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.
What TV channel is the Daytona 500 broadcast on?
The Daytona 500 Cup Series race will be broadcast on Fox. Selected coverage of qualifying and practice will air on FS1 and the CW app.
How to watch the Daytona 500 without cable:
The DirecTV tier of DirecTV gives you access to numerous channels where you can watch college and professional sports, the Winter Olympics and much more. Channels include ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network and, depending on where you live, local affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
Right now, the DirecTV Entertainment tier plan costs $49.99 for your first month. But you can currently try it free for five days. If you want to try a live TV streaming service but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
FOX One is Fox’s live streaming service. With a FOX One subscription, you can listen to all your favorite FOX channels like FOX News, FOX Sports, FOX Weather, FS1, FS2, FOX Business, FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G), and local Fox stations in one place.
FOX One offers live programming, as well as on-demand shows and movies. The base price of FOX One is $19.99 per month, or you can save with an annual subscription of $199.99. FOX Nation fans can even bundle it with FOX One for $24.99 per month, or opt for an annual subscription, which nets $19.99/month.
You can also bundle FOX One with ESPN’s newly revamped streaming service for $39.99/month.
How many miles is the Daytona 500?
The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile race. The racetrack runs 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval track at Daytona International Speedway.
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2026 Daytona 500 odds:
Looking for ? Yahoo Sports has you covered.
Daytona Speedweek schedule:
Many events are taking place at Daytona International Speedway leading up to Sunday’s Daytona 500 race. Here’s the schedule of everything happening at Daytona Speedweeks February 11-15.
NASCAR Speedweeks at Daytona (all times Eastern)
Wednesday February 11
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10:00 a.m. ET — Cup Series Practice (FS1)
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8:15 p.m. ET — Daytona 500 qualifying
One lap, all cars; set of first two places (FS1)
Thursday February 12
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5:00 p.m. ET — Truck series practice (FS1)
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7 p.m. ET — Duels at Daytona
Two 60-lap/150-mile races; set the rest of the field 500 (FS1)
Friday February 13
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3:00 p.m. ET — Truck Series Qualifying (FS1)
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4:30 p.m. ET — O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Hands-On (CW App)
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5:30 p.m. ET — Cup Series Practice (FS1)
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7:30 p.m. ET — Florida Fee 250 — Truck series
100 laps / 250 miles (FS1)
Saturday February 14
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10:00 a.m. ET — O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifications (CW App)
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12:00 p.m. ET — Daytona ARCA200 — ARCA Menards Series
80 laps / 200 miles (FOX) -
3:00 p.m. ET — Cup Series Final Practices (FS1)
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5:00 p.m. ET — United Rentals 300 — O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
120 laps / 300 miles (CW)
Sunday February 15
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2:30 p.m. ET — Daytona 500 — Cup Series
200 laps / 500 miles (Fox)
List of entries for the 2026 Daytona 500:
While we don’t know the full Daytona 500 schedule, we do know most of the NASCAR drivers who will be racing. 36 of the 41 places on the starting grid are guaranteed, thanks to their team charters. Jimmie Jognson is in 37th place this year in the Open Exemption Provisional, which reserves one spot for a part-time “world-class driver.”
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There are four spots still open for Sunday’s starting grid, and eight drivers in contention: Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, JJ Yeley, Anthony Alfredo, Casey Mears, Corey Heim, BJ McLeod and Corey LaJoie.
We’ll find out who makes the cut in Wednesday’s qualifying and Thursday’s 150-mile Duel races.
NASCAR Cup Series entry list for the 2026 Daytona 500
* indicates an open entrance
Chevrolet Trackhouse Racing #1: Ross Chastain
Team Penske Ford No. 2: Austin Cindric
Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet #3: Austin Dillon
Ford No. 4 in motorsport on the front row: Noah Gragson
No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Kyle Larson
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#6 RFK Racing Ford: Brad Keselowski
No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Daniel Suarez
No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet: Kyle Busch
No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Chase Elliott
No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet: Ty Dillon
No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Denny Hamlin
Team Penske Ford No. 12: Ryan Blaney
No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet: AJ Allmendinger
#17 RFK Racing Ford: Chris Buescher
No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Chase Briscoe
No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Christopher Bell
Ford Wood Brothers Racing No. 21: Josh Berry
Team Penske Ford No. 22: Joey Logano
Toyota 23XI Racing No. 23: Bubba Wallace
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No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: William Byron
#34 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Todd Gilliland
Toyota 23XI Racing No. 35: Riley Herbst
#36 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Chandler Smith*
#38 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Zane Smith
No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet: Justin Allgaier*
No. 41 Haas Factory Chevrolet: Cole Custer
Legacy Motor Club Toyota No. 42: John Hunter Nemechek
Legacy Motor Club Toyota No. 43: Erik Jones
No. 44 NY Racing Chevrolet: JJ Yeley*
Toyota 23XI Racing No. 45: Tyler Reddick
No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Alex Bowman
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No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet: Cody Ware
No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Ty Gibbs
#60 RFK Racing Ford: Ryan Preece
Beard Motorsports Chevrolet No. 62: Anthony Alfredo*
#66 MBM Motorsports Ford: Casey Mears*
Toyota 23XI Racing No. 67: Corey Heim*
No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Michael McDowell
No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Carson Hocevar
Chevrolet Live Fast Motorsports #78: BJ McLeod*
Toyota Legacy Motor Club #84: Jimmie Johnson*
No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Connor Zilisch
No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Shane van Gisbergen
Ford RFK Racing No. 99: Corey LaJoie*
