Kyle Busch is 0-20 in NASCAR’s biggest race, but he earned pole position on Wednesday for Richard Childress Racing. Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing will join him on the front row.
Joey Logano and Chase Elliott won the Duel qualifying races on Thursday, while Chandler Smith completed a heroic four-wide pass for the win to secure victory in the Truck Series season-opener on Friday. Austin Hill continues his superspeedway domination on Saturday, winning the NASCAR O’Reilly race, while Gio Ruggiero claimed victory in the ARCA season-opener.
It’s been a dramatic week with four-wide passes for the win, inspection drama, and a lot of torn up race cars at Daytona International Speedway.
What is the 2026 Daytona 500 Speedweek schedule?
Time / Series and Session / Where to watch
Wednesday, February 11
10am EST – Daytona 500 practice #1 – FOX SPORTS 1
8:15pm EST – Daytona 500 qualifying – FOX SPORTS 1
Thursday, February 12
4pm EST – ARCA practice – N/A
5pm EST – NASCAR Truck practice – FOX SPORTS 1
7pm – NASCAR Cup Duels at Daytona (60 laps each) – FOX SPORTS 1
Friday, February 13
1:30pm EST – ARCA qualifying – N/A
3pm EST – NASCAR Truck qualifying – FOX SPORTS 1
4:30pm EST – NASCAR O’Reilly practice – CW APP
5:30pm EST – Daytona 500 practice #2 – FOX SPORTS 1
7:30pm EST – NASCAR Truck race (100 laps) – FOX SPORTS 1
Saturday, February 14
10am EST – NASCAR O’Reilly qualifying – CW APP
12pm EST – ARCA race (80 laps) – FOX
3pm EST – Daytona 500 practice #3 – FOX SPORTS 1
5pm EST – NASCAR O’Reilly race (120 laps) – THE CW NETWORK
Sunday, February 15
*NOTE: NASCAR has moved up the start of the race by an hour due to the threat of rain*
11:30am EST – Daytona 500 pre-race show – FOX
1:30pm – 68th running of the Daytona 500 (200 laps) – FOX
More details on how I can watch the Daytona 500
Date: Sunday, February 15
TV start time: 11:30am EST
Green flag: 2:13pm EST
Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 500 miles
Stages: 65 / 65 / 70
TV channel: FOX | TSN (Canada) | Other international viewing options
Live stream: FOX One | In-car cameras on HBO MAX
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Who is competing in the 68th running of the Daytona 500?
There are 36 chartered entries that are guaranteed a spot in the Daytona 500, and the only full-time driver set to make their 500 debut is Connor Zilisch in the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing.
There were also eight open entries set to battle for four available spots on the grid. A ninth open entry is already locked in via the Open Exemption Provisional, and that is 7x Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
While Corey Heim (#67 23XI Racing Toyota) and Justin Allgaier (#40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) locked in via qualifying, Casey Mears (#66 Garage 66 Ford) dramatically raced his way in through Duel #1 while sustaining damage in a last-lap crash. BJ McLeod (#78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet) claimed the final spot on the grid despite Anthony Alfredo besting him in Duel #2, because Alfredo’s car failed post-race inspection.
Full starting lineup can be found below:
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