Kyle Busch will start on the pole for the 68th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 15.
It’s Busch’s first time on the pole for the big race during a career that’s spanned over two decades.
‘It sounds really good right now,’ Busch said on the FS1 broadcast. ‘This feels really good. It would be really nice to be doing an interview like this on Sunday night after finishing No. 1.’
Busch will be one of just seven NASCAR Cup champs in the field this weekend. Chase Briscoe will start from the second position.
The rest of the Daytona 500 lineup will be set Thursday following two Daytona Duel races.
The Daytona Duel races use Wednesday’s qualifying results to determine the starting order. Whichever driver qualifies on the pole will start first in Duel 1 and the second-fastest driver will lead the way in Duel 2.
This year’s Daytona 500 marks the Cup Series debut of Connor Zilisch with Trackhouse Racing. Nine drivers are attempting to race without a charter and will have to qualify via the Duel races. There are 41 spots in the race and 45 drivers vying to compete.
Here’s the results from Wednesday night’s qualifying:
Kyle Busch on pole for Daytona 500
Kyle Busch will be on the pole for the Daytona 500 this weekend. Busch claimed the top spot with a time of 49.006 in the final round of qualifying on Wednesday. Chase Briscoe will start in the second position.
Dayton 500 final qualifying round results
- Kyle Busch (49.006)
- Chase Briscoe (49.023)
- Ryan Preece (49.061)
- Denny Hamlin (49.100)
- Corey Heim (49.148)
- Alex Bowman (49.152)
- Kyle Larson (49.158)
- Chris Buescher (49.184)
- Chase Elliott (49.220)
- Joey Logano (49.275)
Justin Allgaier qualifies for Daytona 500 as open driver
Justin Allgaier locked in a spot for the 2026 Daytona 500 after finishing the first round of qualifying with a time of 49.201. He also bumped Corey LaJoie out of the top 10.
Allgaier was also bumped out of the top 10 moments later after Joey Logano (49.138) jumped into the top 10. Regardless of his placement at the end of the round, Allgaier secured a spot in the Daytona 500 as one of the two fastest non-chartered drivers along with Corey Heim.
Corey Heim qualifies for Daytona 500
Corey Haim of 23XI Racing qualified for the Dayton 500 on time on Wednesday evening. Heim was ranked third with a time of 49.14 seconds (183.16 MPH) in the first round when he officially qualified.
Kyle Busch (48.932) and Ryan Preece (49.081) remain in first and second, respectively.
Noah Gragson’s time disallowed
Noah Gragson had his initial first-round time disallowed after he broke a new window rule.
NASCAR set a new rule that penalizes drivers who put their hand in the side window. Gragson was seen sticking his hand out of the netting of his car. The rule was set in place by NASCAR to prevent drivers from taking their hands off the wheel, according to the FS1 broadcast.
‘I forgot about that rule, … ‘ Gragson said on the FS1 broadcast. ‘I feel like an idiot.’
Gragson will return on Thursday to compete in the Duels. The duels will be two 150-mile qualifying races that help determine the third to 40th positions for the Daytona 500.
Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece lead pack early
Kyle Busch has jumped ahead of the field early, with the fastest qualifying time in round one so far, at 48.932 seconds through the first 17 drivers. Ryan Preece is currently second with a time of 49.081.
How to watch Daytona 500 pole qualifying
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 11
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
- TV: FS1
- Stream:Fubo, foxsports.com, Fox Sports app
How to watch and stream 2026 Daytona 500
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
- TV: Fox
- Stream: Fubo, foxsports.com, Fox Sports app
Watch the 2026 Daytona 500 with a Fubo subscription
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