We know who will start from the front row of the 2026 Daytona 500.
Now it’s time to sort out the rest of the starting grid.
Wednesday night’s pole qualifying session ended with Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe securing their spots at the front of the field for the 68th running of the biggest event in NASCAR. That also means they lead the field for today’s two Daytona Duels to determine almost the whole starting grid.
The Duel at Daytona sets the field for the 2026 Daytona 500 using lineups determined by last night’s pole qualifying results. As the polesitter, Busch will lead the way from the front for Duel 1 at Daytona. Subsequently, and Briscoe leads the way for Duel 2 at Daytona.
The Duels are two 60-lap (150-mile) races tonight to finalize the starting order for Sunday’s race. Both Daytona Duels include regular season points for the Cup Series drivers.
Here’s everything to know about the Daytona Duels:
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How to watch the Duels at Daytona: Time, TV channel, live stream
Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
Duel 1 Time: 7 p.m. ET
Duel 2 Time: 8:45 p.m. ET (approximate)
TV: FS1 (both duel races)
Streaming: Fubo, FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
What are the Duels at Daytona? What to know about unique qualifying
For the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500 uses a unique qualifying format. Things start off with the usual time-based format last night for pole qualifying. From there, everything changes.
The Duels at Daytona use two 60-lap races to set the grid. Duel 1, led by the pole winner from pole qualifying, features the odd-numbered finishers from qualifying. The finishing order from Duel 1 will determine the inside lane order for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Duel 2, led by the second-fastest driver in pole qualifying, includes the even-numbered finishers from the qualifying session. This race’s finishing order determines the outside lane order for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
