68th Annual Daytona 500

World Center of Racing • Sunday, February 15, 2026
🚨 START TIME MOVED UP: 1:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM CT
RECORD PURSE: $31,045,575
DISTANCE: 500 MILES / 200 LAPS
BROADCAST: 1:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM CT (FOX)
GREEN FLAG: ~2:13 PM ET / 1:13 PM CT
PRE-RACE SHOW: 11:30 AM ET / 10:30 AM CT
STAGES: 65 / 130 / 200

🌩️ Proactive Weather Strategy

To avoid evening thunderstorms (91% rain chance after 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT), NASCAR accelerated the schedule by one hour [3-5].

  • High temp: 79°F [5, 6].
  • Official Race Point: Lap 100 (Halfway) [7].
  • Winds: 6-24 mph gusts expected [5, 6].

⏱️ Final Practice Forensics (Happy Hour)

RFK Racing Dominance: Ryan Preece (#60) led a 1-2-3 sweep for RFK Racing in Saturday's final session, posting a top speed of 192.818 mph [8-10].
MetricDriverData Point
Drafting Peak (Fri)Austin Dillon (#3)195.627 MPH [11, 12]
10-Lap AverageJustin Allgaier (#40)193.216 MPH [11, 13]
Drafting Leader (Sat)Ryan Preece (#60)192.818 MPH [8, 9]

*Note: Pole-sitter Kyle Busch elected to sit out the final session [14].

🏁 Starting Grid & Transfer Logistics

RowInsideOutside
1Kyle Busch (#8)Chase Briscoe (#19)
2Joey Logano (#22)Chase Elliott (#9)
Row 18-21⬇️ TO THE REAR: Chastain (#1), Suarez (#7), Buescher (#17), Byron (#24) [11, 15]

Entry Note: B.J. McLeod (#78) qualified for the 500 for the first time since 2023 after Anthony Alfredo’s disqualification [15-17].

📜 Retirement Bulletin

Jimmie Johnson (#84) officially announced that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be his final Cup Series race [18-20]. The 50-year-old seven-time champion starts 31st today.

👀 Key Contenders & Attributes

Joey Logano (+1000): The betting favorite; commands the elite Penske drafting alliance [21, 22].
Denny Hamlin (+900): Active win leader (3). Master of strategic draft manipulation and "the nudge" [23-25].
William Byron (+1000): Defending back-to-back winner. Chasing the first-ever 500 three-peat in Cup history, starting from 39th in a backup car [26-28].
Kyle Busch (+1300): Chasing his first 500 win in his 21st career attempt from the pole [29, 30].

⚙️ Technical Fact Sheet

  • Horsepower: Restricted to 510 HP for superspeedways [31].
  • Safety: Mandatory A-post flaps (windshield sides) are active to mitigate lift during spins [32].
  • Tires: Goodyear D-5142 (Left) / D-5218 (Right); same setup as 2025 [33-35].
  • Fuel Window: Strictly 48 laps; green-flag pit entry is the #1 hurdle [29, 36, 37].
  • Sequential Shift: Teams use a 5-speed manual; gear timing on pit road is vital [38].