March 9, 2026
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch will lead the field to green for Sunday’s Daytona 500 after winning the pole in Wednesday night’s qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.
Busch turned a lap of 49.006 seconds in the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, edging Chase Briscoe by 0.017 seconds to secure the top starting spot. Briscoe will start alongside Busch on the front row. The remainder of the starting order will be determined during Thursday night’s qualifying Duel races.
The pole is Busch’s first for the Daytona 500 and his second at a superspeedway. After several quiet seasons, Busch said the run provides early momentum.
“This is just a first step of it,” Busch said. “This is the beginning of the year, first qualifying attempt of the season. There’s a whole heck of a lot more we have to do throughout the season to be good, to be real, to be contenders. But it sure feels good in the moment right now.”
Qualifying also locked in two open entries for the race. Justin Allgaier secured a spot in the No. 40 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, while Corey Heim earned a berth in the No. 67 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jimmie Johnson will start using the Open Exemption Provisional in the No. 84 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, expanding the field to 41 cars. The remaining open drivers will attempt to race their way into the lineup during the Duel races.
The Duels are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, with Busch and Briscoe looking to build on their strong qualifying performances ahead of Sunday’s race.
