DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The start of the 2026 NASCAR season will take place on Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. The time has come for the Daytona 500.
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The 2026 season will have one slight adjustment due to the potential for inclement weather in Florida. NASCAR has adjusted the start time for the Great American Race and moved it one hour earlier. It will now take place at 1:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
2026 Daytona 500 Cup Series race information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for cloudy skies throughout the day and a high of 79 degrees. It calls for a 2% chance of rain at the start of the Daytona 500, a 24% chance of rain at 7 p.m., and a 66% chance of rain at 8 p.m.
Green flag time: Actor/comedian Nate Bargatze will give the command to fire engines. "Simpsons" character Bart Simpson will be the honorary starter.
Starting lineup: Kyle Busch won the pole, his first pole win for the Daytona 500. Chase Briscoe qualified second. Full starting lineup here.
Pre-race: The garage opens at 6 a.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 1:15 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "NASCAR RaceDay" on Fox at 12:30 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues on Fox and Fox Deportes at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 65. The second stage ends at Lap 130. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 200.
Past winners: Multiple Cup Series drivers have celebrated Daytona 500 wins. Many others have celebrated wins in the Daytona summer race.
William Byron has won both races. His first career Cup Series win was the 2020 regular-season finale. He then won consecutive Daytona 500s in 2024 and 2025. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 2023 Daytona 500 and the 2017 summer race. Austin Dillon won the 2022 summer race and the 2018 Daytona 500.
Jimmie Johnson has won the Great American Race twice (2013, 2006). He also won the summer race in 2013 to secure the season sweep.
The other Daytona 500 winners are Austin Cindric (2022), Michael McDowell (2021), Denny Hamlin (2020, 2019, 2016), and Joey Logano (2015).
The drivers with summer Daytona wins but no Daytona 500 wins include Kyle Busch (2008), Erik Jones (2018), Justin Haley (2019), Brad Keselowski (2016), Ryan Blaney (2021, 2025), and Chris Buescher (2023).
