Official starting lineup for the 2026 Daytona 500

Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag in this Sunday’s Daytona 500, driving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Chase Briscoe will join him on the front row for ‘The Great American Race’ after these two topped qualifying on Wednesday.

But after the Duel qualifying races on Thursday, which were won by Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, we now know the starting positions for the rest of the field. Corey LaJoie, Chandler Smith, JJ Yeley, and Anthony Alfredo (who was disqualified) all missed the field, but 41 others will take part in the 2026 season-opener on Sunday. Let’s take you through the entire grid, with accompanying pictures for each of the challengers.

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1. Kyle Busch — #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

2. Chase Briscoe — #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

3. Joey Logano — #22 Team Penske Ford

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

4. Chase Elliott — #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

5. Ryan Blaney — #12 Team Penske Ford

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

6. Carson Hocevar — #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

7. Austin Dillon — #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

8. Kyle Larson — #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

9. Brad Keselowski — #6 RFK Racing Ford

Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

10. Michael McDowell — #71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

11. John-Hunter Nemechek — #42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

John-Hunter Nemechek, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

12. Christopher Bell — #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

13. Shane van Gisbergen — #97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

14. Josh Berry — #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

15. Daniel Suarez — #7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Backup car)

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — #47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

17. Casey Mears — #66 Garage 66 Ford

Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

18. Todd Gilliland — #34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

19. Ryan Preece — #60 RFK Racing Ford

Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

20. Ty Gibbs — #54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

21. Alex Bowman — #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

22. Denny Hamlin — #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

23. Cole Custer — #41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet

Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet

24. Erik Jones — #43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

25. Noah Gragson — #4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

26. Tyler Reddick — #45 23XI Racing Toyota

Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

27. Bubba Wallace — #23 23XI Racing Toyota

Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

28. Riley Herbst — #35 23XI Racing Toyota

Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

29. Corey Heim — #67 23XI Racing Toyota

Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota

30. Zane Smith — #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

31. Jimmie Johnson — #84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Club Toyota

32. Connor Zilisch — #88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

33. Cody Ware — #51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

34. Ty Dillon — #10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

35. AJ Allmendinger — #16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

36. Austin Cindric — #2 Team Penske Ford

Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

37. Ross Chastain — #1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (Backup car)

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

38. BJ McLeod — #78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet 

BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

39. William Byron — #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Backup car)

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

40. Justin Allgaier — #40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

41. Chris Buescher — #17 RFK Racing Ford (Backup car)

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing Ford

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