2026 Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying Recap - Busch Finally Gets It, RFK Showing Speed, and More

After his 21st attempt, Kyle Busch is on top, as he has won the pole for the 2026 Daytona 500. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will start on pole for the first time ever in the Great American Race, beating out Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe to get the spot.

In addition, 2025 Truck Series champion Corey Heim and 2024 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Justin Allgaier have earned two of the four allotted open spots on speed during qualifying, leaving two more spots open for tonight's Duels at Daytona.

Chase Briscoe and Kyle Busch, from left, pose for a photo after NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Daytona, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The first, and most unique, qualifying session of the NASCAR Cup Series season has come and gone. Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying is unique, in the sense that only the top two in the session by the end are secure in their starting positions.

Those two drivers that will start on the front row, barring a major wreck in their respective Duel races, will be the driver of the number eight Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Kyle Busch, and the driver of the number 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Chase Briscoe. This is Busch's 21st attempt at running the Great American Race and his first pole position, saying:

Certainly, here on a Wednesday night, being able to qualify on my first pole for the Daytona 500, that’s pretty special. I’ve had one other speedway pole down here in Daytona for the summer race. This feels good. Feels really good for RCR as a group.

Chase Briscoe will start on the front row for the 500 for the second straight year with Joe Gibbs Racing, saying that the consistency is "really a testament to the folks back at JGR."

Ryan Preece, the 2026 Cook Out Clash winner, was third-quickest, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin in fourth. One of the most impressive runs of the night goes to one of the cars Hamlin owns, in Corey Heim, who was the only open car that made the final round in qualifying, and ended up fifth. Regarding the fast speed of his number 67 23XI Racing Toyota, Heim said that it was “just kind of nerve-wracking for sure to say the least."

Meanwhile, Justin Allgaier beat Corey LaJoie by 0.004 of a second to get the second guaranteed open car spot. Regarding the 14th-place spot on qualifying for JR Motorsports' second-ever attempt at running the 500, Allgaier said that “I thought there would be less stress, but I felt like for me, the stress level actually went up compared to last year with what we are able to accomplish."

The Duels at Daytona begin Feb. 12, 2026 at 7 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports 1, followed by the Great American Race on Feb. 15, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Fox.