An exciting week of NASCAR action culminates with the Daytona 500 today - Sunday, February 15 - and we've got the full rundown on the Cup Series starting lineup.
In total, we have a 41-car grid for the 68th edition of the Great American Race, with 36 full-time chartered cars, four open entries, and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson using the Open Exemption Provisional.
First and foremost, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will be leading the field away when the green flag drops. Busch put on a stunning performance in qualifying on Wednesday night, setting the fastest times in both rounds to take his first-ever Daytona 500 pole.
Alongside Busch on the front row will be Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe, who also secured his spot in qualifying on Wednesday night. Behind Busch and Briscoe will be the two winners of the Daytona Duels - Joey Logano on the inside and Chase Elliott on the outside.
Elsewhere at Daytona, Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell round out the top 10 for today's start.
The open cars to qualify for today's race are Casey Mears, Corey Heim, BJ McLeod and Justin Allgaier, who will lineup 17th, 29th, 38th and 40th, respectively.
We should note that McLeod is only in the race due to Anthony Alfredo having been disqualified from his Daytona Duel, where he had finished 18th on the track and earned his spot in Sunday's race, only to have it taken away due to a cooling hose not having been attached to his car properly.
With all of that said, let's take a look at the full starting lineup below.
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Daytona 500 2026 starting lineup 2026
Here is how the NASCAR Cup Series field lines up for the 2026 Daytona 500.
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Busch (#8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe (#19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 3 | Joey Logano (#22) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 4 | Chase Elliott (#9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney (#12) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 6 | Carson Hocevar (#77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 7 | Austin Dillon (#3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 8 | Kyle Larson (#5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski (#6) | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) |
| 10 | Michael McDowell (#71) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 11 | John Hunter Nemechek (#42) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 12 | Christopher Bell (#20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 13 | Shane Van Gisbergen (#97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 14 | Josh Berry (#21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 15 | Daniel Suarez (#7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#47) | HYAK Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 17 | Casey Mears (#66) | Garage 66 (Ford) |
| 18 | Todd Gilliland (#34) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 19 | Ryan Preece (#60) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 20 | Ty Gibbs (#54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 21 | Alex Bowman (#48) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 22 | Denny Hamlin (#11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 23 | Cole Custer (#41) | Haas Factory Team (Ford) |
| 24 | Erik Jones (#43) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 25 | Noah Gragson (#4) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 26 | Tyler Reddick (#45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 27 | Bubba Wallace (#23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 28 | Riley Herbst (#35) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 29 | Corey Heim (#67) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 30 | Zane Smith (#38) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 31 | Jimmie Johnson (#84) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 32 | Connor Zilisch (#88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 33 | Cody Ware (#51) | Rick Ware Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | Ty Dillon (#10) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 35 | AJ Allmendinger (#16) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 36 | Austin Cindric (#2) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 37 | Ross Chastain (#1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 38 | B.J. McLeod (#78) | Live Fast Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 39 | William Byron (#24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 40 | Justin Allgaier (#40) | JR Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 41 | Chris Buescher (#17) | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) |
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