NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500 lineup: starting order, pole for 2026 race based on qualifying results originally appeared on Sports news. Add The Sporting News as Favorite source by clicking here.
Kyle Busch has won a lot of things during his successful 22-year career. He did not capture a Daytona 500, however.
Advertisement
The two-time Cup Series champion, 63-time race winner and future member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame is one of the most decorated drivers to ever occupy a cockpit. But the biggest prize in American stock car racing has eluded him until now.
He got closer, that’s for sure. Busch placed third in the race in 2016 and second – behind teammate Denny Hamlin – in the 2019 iteration of the race.
At 40 years old, Busch probably doesn’t have many more chances left to lift the famous Daytona 500 trophy. He has, however, prepared well ahead of the 2026 race, igniting the track at Daytona International Speedway with a blistering run in qualifying.
With that, here’s what you need to know about the starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Advertisement
LIVE:Updated Daytona 500 results and 2026 race highlights
Who won the Daytona 500 pole for 2026?
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 pole took place on Wednesday, with Richard Childress star Kyle Busch holding off reigning Championship 4 contender Chase Briscoe.
He avoided a mistake in Thursday’s Daytona Duels, ensuring he would hold the pole Sunday afternoon.
Busch has yet to find his way to victory since 2023. He also has yet to capture a Daytona 500. The Daytona posts aren’t entirely meaningless. But they also don’t necessarily predict racing success. After all, The Big One tends to shake things up in major ways on race day.
Advertisement
Still, Busch said he was pleased with his car’s performance Wednesday.
“Just a valiant effort from everyone here,” Busch said, according to NASCAR.com. “It would be really nice to do an interview like this about being No. 1 on Sunday night.”
2026 Daytona 500 starting lineup
|
Pos. departure. |
Driver |
Car number |
Team |
|
1. |
Kyle Busch |
8 |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
2. |
Chase Briscoe |
19 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
3. |
Joey Logano |
22 |
Team Penske |
|
4. |
Chase Elliott |
9 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
5. |
Ryan Blaney |
12 |
Team Penske |
|
6. |
Carson Hocevar |
77 |
Speyer motor sports |
|
7. |
Austin Dillon |
3 |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
8. |
Kyle Larson |
5 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
9. |
Brad Keselowski |
6 |
RFK Racing |
|
10. |
Michael McDowell |
71 |
Speyer motor sports |
|
11. |
John Hunter Nemechek |
42 |
Heritage Automobile Club |
|
12. |
Christopher Bell |
20 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
13. |
Shane van Gisbergen |
97 |
Track racing |
|
14. |
Josh Berry |
21 |
Wood Brothers Race |
|
15. |
Daniel Suarez |
7 |
Speyer motor sports |
|
16. |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
47 |
Hyak Motorsports |
|
17. |
Casey Mears |
66 |
Garage 66 |
|
18. |
Todd Gilliland |
34 |
Motor sports at the forefront |
|
19. |
Ryan Preece |
60 |
RFK Racing |
|
20. |
Ty Gibbs |
54 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
21. |
Alex Bowman |
48 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
22. |
Denis Hamlin |
11 |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
23. |
Cole Custer |
41 |
The Haas Factory Team |
|
24. |
Erik Jones |
43 |
Heritage Automobile Club |
|
25. |
Noah Gragson |
4 |
Motor sports at the forefront |
|
26. |
Tyler Reddick |
45 |
23XI Race |
|
27. |
Bubba Wallace |
23 |
23XI Race |
|
28. |
Riley Herbst |
35 |
23XI Race |
|
29. |
Corey Heim |
67 |
23XI Race |
|
30. |
Zane Smith |
38 |
Motor sports at the forefront |
|
31. |
Jimmy Johnson |
84 |
Heritage Automobile Club |
|
32. |
Connor Zilisch |
88 |
Track racing |
|
33. |
Cody Ware |
51 |
Rick Ware Racing |
|
34. |
Ty Dillon |
10 |
Kaulig Racing |
|
35. |
AJ Allmendinger |
16 |
Kaulig Racing |
|
36. |
Austin Cindric |
2 |
Team Penske |
|
37. |
Ross Chastain |
1 |
Track racing |
|
38. |
BJ McLeod |
78 |
Live Fast Motorsports |
|
39. |
William Byron |
24 |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
40. |
Justin Allgaier |
40 |
JR Motorsports |
|
41. |
Chris Buescher |
17 |
RFK Racing |
