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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Busch has captured the pole position for the 68th running of the Daytona 500, delivering a blistering lap of 49.006 seconds at 183.651 mph around the iconic 2.5-mile superspeedway. This marks a significant achievement for the two-time Cup Series champion, as it is his first-ever pole for "The Great American Race." He will share the front row with Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing, who qualified second, just 0.016 seconds behind Busch in the final round of qualifying. Busch also led both sessions of the qualifying event.
This pole is a notable milestone for Richard Childress Racing (RCR), marking their seventh Daytona 500 pole in the organization’s storied history. The last time RCR started from the pole for the Daytona 500 was in 2014, when Austin Dillon achieved the feat.
Speaking after his qualifying run, Busch expressed his satisfaction with the accomplishment. "Certainly, here on Wednesday night, being able to qualify on my first pole for the Daytona 500, that’s pretty special," Busch stated. "I’ve had one other speedway pole down here in Daytona for the summer race. This feels good." He extended his gratitude to his team and sponsors, highlighting the contributions of ECR Engines, Zone Nicotine Pouches, and Lucas Oil. "Feels really good for RCR as a group. Everybody from ECR (Engines), thanks to Bob (Fisher, Senior Vice President of ECR Engines), and his whole team there. Thanks to Zone Nicotine Pouches being on board for us. Maybe it was the flames that brought us all the speed and heat we needed for tonight. But also Lucas Oil, obviously their fuel treatments and oil treatments, everything that we run in this race car to give us the speed we need to be up front." He concluded with a forward-looking sentiment, "Just a valiant effort by everybody here. It would be really nice to be doing an interview like this about being No. 1 come Sunday night."
The qualifying session saw a strong performance from Ryan Preece, who qualified third, followed by Denny Hamlin in fourth. Corey Heim, making his debut in the Daytona 500, impressed by securing the fifth starting position. The remainder of the top ten qualifiers included Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano.
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The qualifying results set the stage for the highly anticipated Duel qualifying races, which will determine the remainder of the starting grid. Busch will lead the field to the green flag in Duel #1, with Preece starting alongside him. Briscoe will anchor Duel #2, with Hamlin positioned next to him.
In the initial round of qualifying, Busch was the sole competitor to break into the 48-second bracket, approaching an average lap speed of 184 mph. Joey Logano was the last driver to advance to the pole-deciding round, while Ty Gibbs narrowly missed out, falling short by a mere 0.011 seconds.
A new regulation for the 2026 season prohibits drivers from placing their hands against the window opening to deflect air during qualifying. Noah Gragson inadvertently violated this rule, resulting in his qualifying time being disallowed. Gragson later acknowledged the oversight, referring to it as a lapse in judgment, but expressed optimism about his ability to move forward in the field during the upcoming Duel races.
Heim and Allgaier Secure Guaranteed Starting Spots
Among the open entries, reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion Corey Heim successfully locked himself into the Daytona 500 field, marking his inaugural appearance in the prestigious event. Heim qualified fifth overall for 23XI Racing’s fourth entry.
"Yeah, just kind of nerve-wracking for sure to say the least," Heim commented on the pressure of qualifying. "But as soon as we knew all cars would be out in the second round except for us, that’s kind of the final solidifying factor. I thought for a minute, three of us were going to be in the final round and we were going to have to race it out." He expressed his appreciation for 23XI Racing and Toyota’s support, stating, "To cap it off, so impressed and thank you for 23XI Racing and Toyota coming here with an open car and a fourth team at 23XI. To be able to do that is pretty impressive even from my eyes. I feel like that’s a very big accomplishment from those guys. Just blessed to be a part of the team."
For the second consecutive year, JR Motorsports secured a starting position in the Daytona 500 with former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Justin Allgaier. Allgaier’s successful qualifying run prompted emotional celebrations within the Earnhardt-owned team. He edged out Michael McDowell by a scant 0.004 seconds for the final locked-in spot. This leaves McDowell among the remaining six open entries vying for the final two starting positions in the Duel qualifying races.
"It feels really good," Kelley-Earnhardt Miller remarked to FOX Sports 1 following Allgaier’s achievement. "I don’t know about less stress, but it feels really good. We’re super proud of Justin." Dale Earnhardt Jr. added, "It is a lot of fun. It’s such a great sport, and it’s so much fun to be a part of it. It’s awesome to be able to come down here and try to make your way in. It is stressful, but that’s the best part about it."
Daytona 500 Qualifying Results:
- Kyle Busch (RCR)
- Chase Briscoe (JGR)
- Ryan Preece
- Denny Hamlin
- Corey Heim (23XI Racing)
- Alex Bowman
- Kyle Larson
- Chris Buescher
- Chase Elliott
- Joey Logano
The Duel qualifying races are scheduled to take place on Thursday, with the results of these events and the results of the open car qualifying determining the complete starting lineup for the 2026 Daytona 500.
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