2026 Daytona 500: Official Full Starting Lineup After Penalties From The Duels

The NASCAR America 250 Florida Duel races at Daytona International Speedway have set the starting positions for Sunday’s 68th Daytona 500 with intensity.

Joey Logano won Duel 1, and Chase Elliott won Duel 2, but post-race inspections triggered penalties that changed the starting lineup. Anthony Alfredo’s finish in Duel 2 was disallowed after officials found a disconnected transaxle cooling hose and an improperly attached driver cooling hose on his No. 62 Chevrolet. As a result, Alfredo was removed from the Daytona 500 field entirely. This opened the door for BJ McLeod to grab the final Open car spot.

Four drivers were assigned to backup cars after separate on-track incidents in Duel 1. Ross Chastain, William Byron and Chris Buescher go to backup equipment. Daniel Suarez will also switch to a backup car, which drops him deeper in the order.

Meanwhile, the 2026 Daytona 500 pole winner, Kyle Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet, will lead the field to the green flag, with Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Toyota starting second after single-car qualifying on Wednesday. Logano and Elliott lined up third and fourth after their Duel victories, and Ryan Blaney starts fifth.

Here is the full official 41-car starting lineup for the 2026 Daytona 500:

Daytona 500 Starting Lineup for 2026

1. Kyle Busch – No. 8
2. Chase Briscoe – No. 19
3. Joey Logano – No. 22
4. Chase Elliott – No. 9
5. Ryan Blaney – No. 12
6. Carson Hocevar – No. 77
7. Austin Dillon – No. 3
8. Kyle Larson – No. 5
9. Brad Keselowski – No. 6
10. Michael McDowell – No. 71
11. John Hunter Nemechek – No. 42
12. Christopher Bell – No. 20
13. Shane van Gisbergen – No. 97
14. Josh Berry – No. 21
15. Daniel Suarez – No. 7
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 47
17. Casey Mears – No. 66
18. Todd Gilliland – No. 34
19. Ryan Preece – No. 60
20. Ty Gibbs – No. 54
21. Alex Bowman – No. 48
22. Denny Hamlin – No. 11
23. Cole Custer – No. 41
24. Erik Jones – No. 43
25. Noah Gragson – No. 4
26. Tyler Reddick – No. 45
27. Bubba Wallace – No. 23
28. Riley Herbst – No. 35
29. Corey Heim – No. 67
30. Zane Smith – No. 38
31. Jimmie Johnson – No. 84
32. Connor Zilisch – No. 88
33. Cody Ware – No. 51
34. Ty Dillon – No. 10
35. A.J. Allmendinger – No. 16
36. Austin Cindric – No. 2
37. Ross Chastain – No. 1
38. BJ McLeod – No. 78
39. William Byron – No. 24
40. Justin Allgaier – No. 40
41. Chris Buescher – No. 17

Drivers who did not qualify for the Daytona 500 are Corey LaJoie (No. 99), Chandler Smith (No. 36), Anthony Alfredo (No. 62) and JJ Yeley (No. 44).

Weather Concern for Sunday’s Daytona 500

Rain could affect the 2026 Daytona 500 this year. Current conditions at Daytona Beach are mild and mostly sunny this morning. But the green flag is set for 2:30 pm ET on Sunday, and the forecast show the main rain threat arriving around the early-to-mid afternoon hours.

The National Weather Service shows a 50% chance of showers after 1 pm. So, the weather can affect the race schedule like it did last year. William Byron won the 2025 Daytona 500 after over three hours of weather delays.

The chance of downpours is also expected to rise into the night, which could also extend any delays or interruptions before the race concludes.

Also Read:

Winners and Losers from 2026 America 250 Duels at Daytona

Spire Motorsports Signs Former IndyCar Star for NASCAR Truck debut at St. Petersburg

What is The Purse For The 2026 Daytona 500? All You Need to Know About The Largest Purse in Motorsport History

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