Kyle Busch Wins Daytona 500 Pole, Chase Briscoe Second

Kyle Busch won the pole award for the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Wednesday, laying down the fastest lap among the NASCAR Cup Series field. The achievement guarantees Busch his first time starting first in the Great American Race. Chase Briscoe also clinched a front row starting spot, putting himself second alongside Busch. Also determined in Wednesday night’s qualifying session: the first two open cars to lock their way into the Daytona 500 field. Having entered without a guarantee of making the race, Corey Heim and Justin Allgaier secured their starting spots as the quickest two of those whose fates were up in the air. Busch’s No. 8 Zone Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet was fastest in both the first and second rounds of qualifying. The top ten cars after each team had run a lap then went to a runoff to finalize their results. Busch and Briscoe were first and second in the opening round and they successfully defended their showings when they went again. The first two starting spots are the only ones set in stone after Wednesday. The inside line of the starting grid will be decided by the first of two Duel races on Thursday, while the outside row will be set by the second. Busch and Briscoe would only lose their starting spots if they sustained damage before Sunday’s Daytona 500 and had to switch to a backup car or make substantial adjustments. “We’ve got a great opportunity to start on the front row with this race car, so we’ve got to get through the Duel race,” Busch said. “It’s definitely a tougher balance than what it was last year,” Briscoe said of the points opportunity in the Duel races. “Those ten points could be a huge difference-maker at the end of the year. It’s hard to sit here and talk about the first ten points, but those ten points pay the same as the last ten points.” By nabbing the pole award, Busch has given Richard Childress Racing its first Daytona 500 pole position since Austin Dillon pulled it off in 2014. He also snapped a two-year run of Chevrolet missing the pole spot, having won it eleven consecutive years leading up to that. Neither Busch nor Briscoe have ever won the Daytona 500. Busch is among the most accomplished drivers in NASCAR history who haven’t won the sport’s biggest race; coming into 2026 with 20 attempts and a best finish of second place in 2019. Briscoe has made five tries, peaking with a third-place run in 2022. The feat of winning the Daytona 500 pole position is a triumphant debut for Jim Pohlman as Kyle Busch’s new crew chief. Pohlman was moved from Justin Allgaier’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series crew after the end of 2025 to replace the outgoing Randall Burnett. Both Corey Heim and Justin Allgaier were visibly relieved by the results of qualifying. Neither driver knew for sure if they’d even have the chance to run the Daytona 500 when their days began, and now both have their tickets punched.  “Following through and being able to get it done like that is very rewarding,” said Heim, who’s preparing for his first ever Daytona 500 start. “Glad I’m with the right group of people. Looking forward to the Duel and looking forward to Sunday.” Six more open drivers will have to race for their spot in Thursday night’s Duel races: Corey LaJoie, Anthony Alfredo, Chandler Smith, BJ McLeod, Casey Mears, and JJ Yeley. Though two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson wasn’t officially locked in with a Cup Series charter, he was granted an open exception provisional intended for drivers of note. One driver wound up costing themselves a shot at the pole through a rules violation: Noah Gragson stuck his hand out the window of his No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, an aerodynamic strategy now banned by NASCAR. Gragson said after his qualifying run that he’d forgotten NASCAR’s new policy, but that he wasn’t worried about the end result. 2026 Daytona 500 Qualifying Results Italics indicate open team. No. 8 – Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing) No. 19 – Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing) No. 60 – Ryan Preece (RFK Racing) No. 11 – Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) No. 67 – Corey Heim (23XI Racing) No. 48 – Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports) No. 5 – Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) No. 17 – Chris Buescher (RFK Racing) No. 9 – Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) No. 22 – Joey Logano (Team Penske) No. 54 – Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) No. 3 – Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) No. 20 – Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing) No. 40 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports) No. 99 – Corey LaJoie (RFK Racing) No. 42 – John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club) No. 2 – Austin Cindric (Team Penske) No. 6 – Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing) No. 38 – Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports) No. 12 – Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) No. 71 – Michael McDowell (Spire Motorsports) No. 24 – William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing) No. 41 – Cole Custer (Haas Factory Team) No. 43 – Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) No. 51 – Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing) No. 21 – Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing) No. 84 – Jimmie Johnson (Legacy Motor Club) No. 77 – Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) No. 23 – Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) No. 35 – Riley Herbst (23XI Racing) No. 16 – AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing) No. 34 – Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports) No. 1 – Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing) No. 62 – Anthony Alfredo (Beard Motorsports) No. 10 – Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing) No. 97 – Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing) No. 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports) No. 7 – Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports) No. 45 – Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) No. 36 – Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports) No. 78 – BJ McLeod (Live Fast Motorsports) No. 66 – Casey Mears (MBM Motorsports) No. 44 – JJ Yeley (NY Racing) No. 4 – Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports)