Busch and Briscoe to Lead the Field at Daytona
– Kyle Busch will start on the pole for the 2026 Daytona 500 after a blistering qualifying run on Wednesday, with Chase Briscoe starting alongside him. The starting lineup for Sunday’s race was finalized Thursday night following the completion of the Daytona Duel qualifying races.
The Duels, each 150-mile races, determined the remaining starting positions from third through 40th for the Great American Race. Busch and Briscoe earned the top two spots based on their qualifying times, and subsequently started first in their respective Duel races.
Daytona Duel 1 Starting Lineup
Row 1: Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece
Row 2: Corey Heim and Alex Bowman
Row 3: Chris Buescher and Joey Logano
Row 4: Austin Dillon and Corey LaJoie
Row 5: John Hunter Nemechek and Brad Keselowski
Row 6: Ryan Blaney and William Byron
Row 7: Cole Custer and Cody Ware
Row 8: Jimmie Johnson and Bubba Wallace
Row 9: AJ Allmendinger and Ross Chastain
Row 10: Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez
Row 11: Chandler Smith and Casey Mears
Row 12: Noah Gragson
Daytona Duel 2 Starting Lineup
Row 1: Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin
Row 2: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott
Row 3: Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell
Row 4: Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric
Row 5: Zane Smith and Michael McDowell
Row 6: Connor Zilisch and Erik Jones
Row 7: Josh Berry and Carson Hocevar
Row 8: Riley Herbst and Todd Gilliland
Row 9: Anthony Alfredo and Ty Dillon
Row 10: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. And Tyler Reddick
Row 11: BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley
Twenty-three cars started in the first Duel, while 22 cars took the green flag in the second. The finishing order of each Duel determined the starting positions for the Daytona 500, with Duel 1’s results setting the inside row and Duel 2’s results setting the outside row.
According to motorsport.com, the Duel races also awarded points towards the regular season, with the top 10 finishers in each race earning points equivalent to a stage in a typical NASCAR race – 10 points for first, nine for second, and so on.
Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion with 63 career race wins, is still seeking his first victory in the Daytona 500. He expressed delight with his car’s performance after qualifying, according to NASCAR.com. Briscoe, last year’s pole-sitter, will start alongside him, setting the stage for a potentially thrilling start to the 2026 Daytona 500.
The single-car qualifying on Wednesday determined the lineup for the Duels, with drivers in odd-numbered positions competing in Duel 1 and those in even-numbered positions racing in Duel 2.
