The NASCAR Cup Series commences its 2026 season with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, HBO Max). The prestige of the Daytona 500 is unmatched, as well as the bragging rights that come with hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane.
That said, the Daytona 500 features a much different qualifying procedure compared to other points-paying events on the calendar. Here’s how it works.
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How the field is set
The drivers of all 36 Chartered entries are guaranteed spots into the Daytona 500.
Four additional spots are filled by non-Charter teams, often referred to as Open entries. Because Jimmie Johnson is utilizing the Open Exemption Provisional in the No. 84 Toyota, four Open entries and the No. 84 will be assigned starting positions.
Of the four spots for Open teams, the two fastest Open cars in single-car qualifying will lock into the field. The other two spots come from the top Open finisher in each Duel qualifying race.
Unofficially, the Open teams battling for four spots in this year’s field are: Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Corey Heim, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Casey Mears, Chandler Smith and JJ Yeley. The official entry list will be out later this week.
Single-car qualifying
Single-car qualifying is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 8:15 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which follows a 50-minute practice session earlier in the day (10 a.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Each driver will run one timed lap around the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway. The top 10 fastest drivers will then advance to Round 2 to fight for pole position with an additional timed lap each. The two fastest drivers in the final round lock themselves on the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, HBO Max).
Single-car qualifying also sets the lineup for each of the two Duel qualifying races. Drivers who place first, third, fifth, etc. in time trials will race in Duel 1, while drivers who place second, fourth, sixth, etc. in qualifying will race in Duel 2.
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How the Duels set the Daytona 500 lineup
The Duels are two 60-lap, 150-mile qualifying races that set positions third to 40th in the Daytona 500. The finishing order from Duel No. 1 will make up the inside rows for the Daytona 500. Then, the results from Duel No. 2 will complete the outside rows for the “Great American Race.”
Additionally, the top remaining Open car in each Duel not already locked in from time trials advances to the Daytona 500 and will start based on finishing position in their respective Duels. New for 2026: The two Open cars who qualified on speed will also use Duel results for their starting position in the Daytona 500.
The America 250 Florida Duel 1 is slated for Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) with The America Florida 250 Duel 2 scheduled to follow at around 8:45 p.m. ET.
Are points awarded in the Duels?
The top 10 finishers in each Duel will be awarded points that count toward the regular season. The winning driver of each Duel race will receive 10 points. Second place will earn nine points, and so on, down to the 10th-place finishers, who will each get one point.
What does the rest of the week look like before the Daytona 500?
Before the big race on Sunday, teams will have two more opportunities to tune up their cars and practice in the draft after the Duel races. Teams will have 50 minutes on track Friday, Feb. 13 (5:35 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and 50 minutes on Saturday, Feb. 14 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).