Each year, the NASCAR Cup Series kicks off the season with its pinnacle event — the Daytona 500.
The 64th annual running is set for Sunday, Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/FOX Sports App) at Daytona International Speedway. And like any big event, some unique quirks are part of the build up.
The Great American Race’s most notable difference compared to any other on the Cup schedule is how the starting lineup is set. Forty cars will make the Daytona 500 starting grid. Thirty-six teams are guaranteed starting spots thanks to their Charters, leaving only four spots available for Open teams.
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The process began with single-car qualifying on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 8:05 p.m. (FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/FOX Sports App), where the two fastest drivers — Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman — secured the front-row starting positions for Sunday’s race, with Larson claiming the Busch Light Pole.
The remaining results from qualifying set the field of the two Bluegreen Vacation Duel races on Thursday, Feb. 17 (7 p.m. ET, FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/FOX Sports App). Drivers who qualified in odd-numbered positions make up the starting grid of Duel No. 1, while those who qualified in even-numbered positions make up Duel No. 2.
The highest-finishing Open car in each Duel will advance into the Daytona 500, while the final two spots in the Daytona 500 field will be awarded to the two fastest Open cars based on their single-car qualifying speeds.
The results of Duel No. 1 will set the inside row for the 2022 Daytona 500, while the results of Duel No. 2 will set the outside row for Sunday’s race.
Stay locked on this page throughout Wednesday and Thursday as we update in real time.
Bluegreen Vacation Duel No. 1 Results
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
| Finishing Position | Car No. | Driver |
| 1 | 6 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2 | 2 | Austin Cindric |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 4 | 14 | Chase Briscoe |
| 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott |
| 6 | 43 | Erik Jones |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson |
| 8 | 8 | Tyler Reddick |
| 9 | 45 | Kurt Busch |
| 10 | 1 | Ross Chastain |
| 11 | 99 | Daniel Suarez |
| 12 | 24 | William Byron |
| 13 | 31 | Justin Haley |
| 14 | 77 | Landon Cassill |
| 15 | 38 | Todd Gilliland |
| 16 | 41 | Cole Custer |
| 17 | 16 | Daniel Hemric |
| 18 | 50 | Kaz Grala* |
| 19 | 55 | JJ Yeley* |
| 20 | 78 | BJ McLeod |
| 21 | 62 | Noah Gragson* |
Bluegreen Vacation Duel No. 2 Results
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
| Finishing position | Car No. | Driver |
| 1 | 17 | Chris Buescher |
| 2 | 34 | Michael McDowell |
| 3 | 21 | Harrison Burton |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 5 | 20 | Christopher Bell |
| 6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
| 8 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 11 | 7 | Corey LaJoie |
| 12 | 42 | Ty Dillon |
| 13 | 44 | Greg Biffle* |
| 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman |
| 15 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 16 | 51 | Cody Ware |
| 17 | 15 | David Ragan |
| 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 19 | 10 | Aric Almirola |
| 20 | 66 | Timmy Hill* |
| 21 | 27 | Jacques Villeneuve* |
Daytona 500 starting lineup
| Position | Car No. | Driver | How Spot is Determined |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Fastest in qualifying |
| 2 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Second fastest in qualifying |
| 3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Duel No. 1 winner |
| 4 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Duel No. 2 winner |
| 5 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Duel No. 1 second place |
| 6 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Duel No. 2 second place |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Duel No. 1 third place |
| 8 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Duel No. 2 third place |
| 9 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Duel No. 1 fourth place |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Duel No. 2 fourth place |
| 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Duel No. 1 fifth place |
| 12 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Duel No. 2 fifth place |
| 13 | 43 | Erik Jones | Duel No. 1 sixth place |
| 14 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Duel No. 2 sixth place |
| 15 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Duel No. 1 eighth place |
| 16 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Duel No. 2 seventh place |
| 17 | 45 | Kurt Busch | Duel No. 1 ninth place |
| 18 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Duel No. 2 eighth place |
| 19 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Duel No. 1 10th place |
| 20 | 22 | Joey Logano | Duel No. 2 ninth place |
| 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Duel No. 1 11th place |
| 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Duel. No. 2 10th place |
| 23 | 24 | William Byron | Duel No. 1 12th place |
| 24 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Duel No. 2 11th place |
| 25 | 31 | Justin Haley | Duel No. 1 13th place |
| 26 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Duel No. 2 12th place |
| 27 | 77 | Landon Cassill | Duel No. 1 14th place |
| 28 | 44 | Greg Biffle* | Duel No. 2 13th place |
| 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Duel No. 1 15th place |
| 30 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Duel No. 2 15th place |
| 31 | 41 | Cole Custer | Duel No. 1 16th place |
| 32 | 51 | Cody Ware | Duel No. 2 16th place |
| 33 | 16 | Daniel Hemric | Duel No. 1 17th place |
| 34 | 15 | David Ragan | Duel No. 2 17th place |
| 35 | 50 | Kaz Grala* | Duel No. 1 18th place |
| 36 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Duel No. 2 18th place |
| 37 | 78 | BJ McLeod | Duel No. 1 20th place |
| 38 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Duel No. 2 19th place |
| 39 | 62 | Noah Gragson* | Fastest Open car in qualifying (not in via Duels) |
| 40 | 27 | Jacques Villeneuve* | Second-fastest Open car in qualifying (not in via Duels) |
Note: In addition to two Open cars that make the race on their qualifying speed, two additional Open cars will make the race based on their Duel results and will line up according to their finish in that race.
