Key Highlights
- Fireworks always tend to take hold of the Daytona International Speedway thoroughfare this time of year, with daring passes only matched by depth-defying wrecks. The stars tend to come out when the rubber meets the road at Daytona.
- Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson have all hoisted the crown jewel in their careers.
- All four will feature in Sunday's festivities, hoping to leave their mark on American stock car racing's grandest venue. With that, here's what you need to know about the Daytona 500 field in 2026. MORE: Printable NASCAR 2026 schedule PDFAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDaytona 500 field 2026Starting pos. DriverCar No. Team1. Kyle Busch8Richard Childress Racing2. Chase Briscoe19Joe Gibbs Racing3. Joey Logano22Team Penske4. Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports5. Ryan Blaney12Team Penske6. Carson Hocevar77Spire Motorsports7. Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing8. Kyle Larson5Hendrick Motorsports9. Brad Keselowski6RFK Racing10. Michael McDowell71Spire Motorsports11. John Hunter Nemechek42Legacy Motor Club12. Christopher Bell20Joe Gibbs Racing13. Shane van Gisbergen97Trackhouse Racing14. Josh Berry21Wood Brothers Racing15. Daniel Suarez7Spire Motorsports16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47Hyak Motorsports17. Casey Mears66Garage 6618. Tod Gilliland34Front Row Motorsports19. Ryan Preece60RFK Racing20. Ty Gibbs54Joe Gibbs Racing21. Alex Bowman48Hendrick Motorsports22. Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing23. Cole Custer41Haas Factory Team24. Erik Jones43Legacy Motor Club25. Noah Gragson4Front Row Motorsports26. Tyler Reddick4523XI Racing27. Bubba Wallace2323XI Racing28. Riley Herbst3523XI Racing29. Corey Heim6723XI Racing30. Zane Smith38Front Row Motorsports31. Jimmie Johnson84Legacy Motor Club32. Connor Zilisch88Trackhouse Racing33. Cody Ware51Rick Ware Racing34. Ty Dillon10Kaulig Racing35. AJ Allmendinger16Kaulig Racing36. Austin Cindric2Team Penske37. Ross Chastain1Trackhouse Racing38. BJ McLeod78Live Fast Motorsports39. William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports40. Justin Allgaier40JR Motorsports41. Chris Buescher17RFK RacingWhere is the Daytona 500 raced?The Daytona 500 takes place at Daytona International Speedway, a 102,000-seat behemoth that features one of NASCAR's largest tracks. Drivers traverse around a 2 1/2-mile gauntlet at speeds upwards of 140 miles per hour. Opened in 1959, Daytona International Speedway has played host to 67 Daytona 500s.
- The venue also hosts the Rolex 24 as well as various ARCA, AMA Superbike, SCCA and AMA Supercross races. MORE:How 'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz became full-time NASCAR driverWho won the Daytona 500 in 2025?William Byron hoisted the Daytona 500 title in 2025, holding off 23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick in overtime to pick up his second-straight Daytona 500 crown. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementByron was the beneficiary of a last-lap wreck that saw multiple cars go tumbling.
- Byron, sitting in seventh at the time of the crash, slalomed through the carnage to secure a memorable -- if unlikely -- win in the Great American Race.
