Kyle Busch won the pole for the 2026 Daytona 500.

Quick Scoop: Daytona 500 Pole

For the 68th running of the Daytona 500 in 2026, Kyle Busch put the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on pole, earning his first-ever Daytona 500 pole in his 21st attempt. He edged Chase Briscoe by a tiny margin—around two- hundredths of a second—after leading both rounds of qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.

Key facts

  • Pole winner: Kyle Busch.
  • Team: Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet.
  • Lap time: About 49.006 seconds in the final round of qualifying.
  • Front-row partner: Chase Briscoe will start second.
  • Notable note: Despite 60+ NASCAR Cup wins and two championships, Busch is still chasing his first Daytona 500 victory.

Recent context

In 2025, Chase Briscoe won the pole and delivered Toyota its first Daytona 500 pole, with Austin Cindric starting alongside him on the front row. The 2026 qualifying flips the script back to Chevrolet, as Busch and RCR now lead the field for NASCAR’s season-opening crown jewel.

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