Each year, the NASCAR Cup Series kicks off the season with its pinnacle event — the Daytona 500. The 67th annual running is set for Sunday, Feb. 16 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). And, like any big event, some unique quirks are part of the build-up.
The most notable difference in the “Great American Race” compared to any other on the Cup schedule is how the starting lineup is set. In short: Wednesday night’s single-car qualifying set only the front row of the Daytona 500. The other drivers besides those top-two finishers lock in their Daytona 500 starting spots — or in some cases, lock into the field in general — based off their finish in Thursday’s Duel qualifying races (two races, 60 laps each).
The results of those Duel races set the lineup for the Daytona 500 itself.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe, in his first season driving the No. 19 Toyota, rocketed to the Busch Light Pole Award. Austin Cindric, who won the Daytona 500 in 2022, posted the second-quickest time to lock in the outside row for the 500. Each driver started first in their respective Duel race.
Meanwhile, two Open drivers — both Cup Series champions — locked into the field through qualifying. Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56) and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 84) posted the quickest speeds among the nine Open cars to qualify.
In the Duel races, Open drivers Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie secured the final two spots in the Daytona 500 being the highest Open-car finishers in their respective races.
To get the full lowdown, read more here on the intricacies.
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OFFICIAL DAYTONA 500 STARTING LINEUP
| STARTING POSITION | CAR | DRIVER | HOW SPOT IS DETERMINED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 19 Toyota | Chase Briscoe | Busch Light Pole winner |
| 2 | No. 2 Ford | Austin Cindric | Second fastest in qualifying |
| 3 | No. 23 Toyota | Bubba Wallace | Duel No. 1 results |
| 4 | No. 43 Toyota | Erik Jones | Duel No. 2 results |
| 5 | No. 24 Chevrolet | William Byron | Duel No. 1 results |
| 6 | No. 17 Ford | Chris Buescher | Duel No. 2 results |
| 7 | No. 10 Chevrolet | Ty Dillon | Duel No. 1 results |
| 8 | No. 11 Toyota | Denny Hamlin | Duel No. 2 results |
| 9 | No. 1 Chevrolet | Ross Chastain | Duel No. 1 results |
| 10 | No. 22 Ford | Joey Logano | Duel No. 2 results |
| 11 | No. 45 Toyota | Tyler Reddick | Duel No. 1 results |
| 12 | No. 01 Ford | Corey LaJoie* | Duel No. 2 results |
| 13 | No. 16 Chevrolet | AJ Allmendinger | Duel No. 1 results |
| 14 | No. 34 Ford | Todd Gilliland | Duel No. 2 results |
| 15 | No. 3 Chevrolet | Austin Dillon | Duel No. 1 results |
| 16 | No. 12 Ford | Ryan Blaney | Duel No. 2 results |
| 17 | No. 9 Chevrolet | Chase Elliott | Duel No. 1 results |
| 18 | No. 42 Toyota | John Hunter Nemechek | Duel No. 2 results |
| 19 | No. 40 Chevrolet | Justin Allgaier* | Duel No. 1 results |
| 20 | No. 20 Toyota | Christopher Bell | Duel No. 2 results |
| 21 | No. 8 Chevrolet | Kyle Busch | Duel No. 1 results |
| 22 | No. 5 Chevrolet | Kyle Larson | Duel No. 2 results |
| 23 | No. 54 Toyota | Ty Gibbs | Duel No. 1 results |
| 24 | No. 35 Toyota | Riley Herbst | Duel No. 2 results |
| 25 | No. 71 Chevrolet | Michael McDowell | Duel No. 1 results |
| 26 | No. 88 Chevrolet | Shane van Gisbergen | Duel No. 2 results |
| 27 | No. 60 Ford | Ryan Preece | Duel No. 1 results |
| 28 | No. 51 Ford | Cody Ware | Duel No. 2 results |
| 29 | No. 21 Ford | Josh Berry | Duel No. 1 results |
| 30 | No. 41 Ford | Cole Custer | Duel No. 2 results |
| 31 | No. 47 Chevrolet | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Duel No. 1 results |
| 32 | No. 4 Ford | Noah Gragson | Duel No. 2 results |
| 33 | No. 77 Chevrolet | Carson Hocevar | Duel No. 1 results |
| 34 | No. 6 Ford | Brad Keselowski | Duel No. 2 results |
| 35 | No. 7 Chevrolet | Justin Haley | Duel No. 1 results |
| 36 | No. 99 Chevrolet | Daniel Suárez | Duel No. 2 results |
| 37 | No. 38 Ford | Zane Smith | Duel No. 1 results |
| 38 | No. 48 Chevrolet | Alex Bowman | Duel No. 2 results |
| 39 | No. 56 Toyota | Martin Truex Jr.* | Qualifying speed |
| 40 | No. 84 Toyota | Jimmie Johnson* | Qualifying speed |
| 41 | No. 91 Chevrolet | Hélio Castroneves* | Open Exemption Provisional |
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
OFFICIAL DUEL AT DAYTONA NO. 1 RESULTS
| Finish | Start | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | No. 23 Toyota | Bubba Wallace |
| 2 | 11 | No. 24 Chevrolet | William Byron |
| 3 | 5 | No. 10 Chevrolet | Ty Dillon |
| 4 | 19 | No. 1 Chevrolet | Ross Chastain |
| 5 | 14 | No. 45 Toyota | Tyler Reddick |
| 6 | 10 | No. 16 Chevrolet | AJ Allmendinger |
| 7 | 4 | No. 3 Chevrolet | Austin Dillon |
| 8 | 8 | No. 9 Chevrolet | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | 17 | No. 40 Chevrolet | Justin Allgaier* |
| 10 | 7 | No. 8 Chevrolet | Kyle Busch |
| 11 | 13 | No. 54 Toyota | Ty Gibbs |
| 12 | 9 | No. 71 Chevrolet | Michael McDowell |
| 13 | 2 | No. 60 Ford | Ryan Preece |
| 14 | 3 | No. 21 Ford | Josh Berry |
| 15 | 12 | No. 56 Toyota | Martin Truex Jr.* |
| 16 | 21 | No. 47 Chevrolet | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 17 | 23 | No. 44 Chevrolet | J.J. Yeley* |
| 18 | 18 | No. 77 Chevrolet | Carson Hocevar |
| 19 | 1 | No. 19 Toyota | Chase Briscoe |
| 20 | 22 | No. 66 Ford | Chandler Smith* |
| 21 | 16 | No. 7 Chevrolet | Justin Haley |
| 22 | 20 | No. 91 Chevrolet | Hélio Castroneves* |
| 23 | 6 | No. 38 Ford | Zane Smith |
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
OFFICIAL DUEL AT DAYTONA NO. 2 RESULTS
| Finish | Start | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | No. 2 Ford | Austin Cindric |
| 2 | 18 | No. 43 Toyota | Erik Jones |
| 3 | 9 | No. 17 Ford | Chris Buescher |
| 4 | 3 | No. 11 Toyota | Denny Hamlin |
| 5 | 2 | No. 22 Ford | Joey Logano |
| 6 | 17 | No. 01 Ford | Corey LaJoie* |
| 7 | 7 | No. 34 Ford | Todd Gilliland |
| 8 | 10 | No. 12 Ford | Ryan Blaney |
| 9 | 19 | No. 42 Toyota | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 10 | 4 | No. 20 Toyota | Christopher Bell |
| 11 | 5 | No. 5 Chevrolet | Kyle Larson |
| 12 | 13 | No. 35 Toyota | Riley Herbst |
| 13 | 20 | No. 62 Chevrolet | Anthony Alfredo* |
| 14 | 15 | No. 88 Chevrolet | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 15 | 22 | No. 51 Ford | Cody Ware |
| 16 | 16 | No. 41 Ford | Cole Custer |
| 17 | 21 | No. 78 Chevrolet | BJ McLeod* |
| 18 | 11 | No. 4 Ford | Noah Gragson |
| 19 | 14 | No. 84 Toyota | Jimmie Johnson* |
| 20 | 8 | No. 6 Ford | Brad Keselowski |
| 21 | 12 | No. 99 Chevrolet | Daniel Suárez |
| 22 | 6 | No. 48 Chevrolet | Alex Bowman |
* denotes Open, non-Charter team
** Chandler Smith, JJ Yeley, Anthony Alfredo and BJ McLeod failed to qualify for the Daytona 500.