The 2026 Daytona 500 will open the NASCAR Cup Series season at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The 68th running of ‘The Great American Race’ will precede a full week of Speedweeks, where full-time drivers and open entries fight for a place in the 41-car field.
William Byron has won the 500-mile race for the past two years, and now the season opener will see changes to the qualifying format and other rules. Here is the full entry list for the Daytona 500, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 15:
- No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
- No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske
- No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 4, Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- No. 7, Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports
- No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing
- No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 10, Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing
- No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
- No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing
- No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- No. 19, Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 21, Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing
- No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske
- No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 34, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 35, Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing
- No. 36, Chandler Smith, Front Row Motorsports (open entry)
- No. 38, Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports
- No. 40, Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports (open entry)
- No. 41, Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team
- No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club
- No. 44*, J.J. Yeley, NY Racing (open entry)
- No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
- No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., HYAK Motorsports
- No. 48, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports
- No. 51, Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing
- No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing
- No. 60, Ryan Preece, RFK Racing
- No. 62, Anthony Alfredo, Beard Motorsports (open entry)
- No. 66, Casey Mears, MBM Motorsports (open entry)
- No. 67, Corey Heim, 23XI Racing (open entry)
- No. 71, Michael McDowell, Spire Motorsports
- No. 77, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports
- No. 78, BJ McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports (open entry)
- No. 84, Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Club (open entry/provisional)
- No. 88, Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing
- No. 97, Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing
- No. 99, Corey LaJoie, RFK Racing (open entry)
Full Weekend Schedule for 2026 Daytona 500 and Speedweeks
The Daytona 500 has a different qualifying system than any other NASCAR race. Only two drivers lock in their spots early, the pole winner and the outside-pole driver from qualifying. Everyone else will have to race their way in.
All teams first run single-car qualifying. This sets the front row for the 500 and the lineups for the two Thursday night Duel races. The 36 charter teams are guaranteed a place, but open teams have to earn a spot.
The Duel races give drivers a second chance. Duel 1 sets the inside row, and Duel 2 sets the outside row. The best finishing open cars in these races qualify for the Daytona 500. The rest go home. With the Open Exemption Provisional, the field can expand to 41 cars.
Here is the schedule for the whole week leading up to the main Daytona 500 race on Sunday.
- Wednesday, Feb 11
10:00-10:50 AM: Cup Series Practice 1 (FS1)
8:15-10:00 PM: Cup Series Qualifying (FS1)
- Thursday, Feb 12
5:00-5:50 PM: Truck Series Practice
7:00 PM: Daytona 500 Duel 1 (FS1)
8:45 PM (approx): Daytona 500 Duel 2 (FS1)
- Friday, Feb 13
3:00-4:30 PM: Truck Qualifying
5:35-6:25 PM: Cup Practice 2 (FS1)
7:30 PM: Truck Series Race (FS1, NRN Radio)
- Saturday, Feb 14
10:00-11:30 AM: Xfinity Qualifying (CW App)
3:00-3:50 PM: Cup Practice 3 (FS1)
5:00 PM: Xfinity Race (CW, MRN Radio)
- Sunday, Feb 15
2:30 PM: 68th Daytona 500 (FOX, MRN Radio)
Also Read:
NASCAR changes ahead of the 2026 season: The Chase format, Daytona 500 rule changes and more
What changes has NASCAR made to Daytona 500 qualifying in 2026?
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