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The Cup Series calendar kicks off with a flourish on Sunday afternoon with the running of the 68th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Forty-one drivers will prance across the track, hoping to strike gold in one of American stock car racing’s crown jewel events. The cast of characters set to take part in the festivities is a notable one, with multiple-time Daytona 500 champions Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Jimmie Johnson sharing the asphalt with veterans yet to hoist the prize, like Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.

Busch will start the day on the pole, having burst past his foes in Wednesday’s qualifying. His trophy cabinet beckons with gold — Busch is a two-time Cup Series champion and 63-time race winner. Still, it’s hard to imagine he’ll have many better opportunities to contend for the sport’s greatest prize than in 2026.

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from the Daytona 500. Follow below for highlights, live results and more from an enchanting day at the races at Daytona International Speedway.

STREAM: Watch the Daytona 500 live with Fubo (free trial)

Daytona 500 resultsPosDriverCar Make1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  

This section will be updated after the race has concluded.

Daytona 500 live updates, results, highlights from 2026 race

(All times Eastern)

4:23 p.m.: All told, 20 cars were infirm as a result of the collision. Wallace will take the stage under caution.

4:18 p.m.: CAUTION! There’s the Big One! Allgaier attempted to block Hamlin from stealing a march on him in the top lane. But the block was late and lazy, sending him, Hamlin and 18 other cars spiraling. Bubba Wallace, who was second at the time of the collision, escaped the carnage to take first place.

The field stacks up and the caution is out on Lap 124. pic.twitter.com/FvCEFaow7S

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026

4:00 p.m.: Busch and Kyle Larson are jostling for first at present, with Busch holding a slight edge over the reigning Cup Series champion at the moment. Just 24 laps to go in the second stage.

3:38 p.m.: CAUTION! Boy wonder Connor Zilisch had been racing impressively at the start of the stage. But he lost his footing after getting into Justin Allgaier. Austin Dillon goes spiraling, as does Cody Ware and Chase Briscoe. Lots of damage across the board. Expect a fair few cars to limp into pit road for triage.

Trouble in the tri-oval collects @ConnorZilisch, @chasebriscoe and many others! pic.twitter.com/JebaFwfLkQ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026

3:27 p.m.: We’re underway for the second stage of action! Austin Cindric leads the way, with fellow Ford standouts Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher in the mix. So too is Denny Hamlin, who sits comfortably in third.

3:25 p.m.: The forecast at Daytona looks a bit daunting, it must be said. Rain is on the forecast in the Gator State, although it’s still unclear if that poses a threat to the car’s latter stages.

Looking safe to get to halfway and more but full race? Not sure. pic.twitter.com/s11xaY00Nh

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 15, 2026

3:15 p.m.: Zane Smith finishes the opening stage in first. Looks like his push for fuel-saving worked a treat. He’ll get 10 stage points for his efforts. That’s his first ever Cup Series stage win.

3:09 p.m.: The Toyotas are headed to pit road! Well, some of them. Johnson goes spinning into the infield, although he has gotten himself back fired. Looks like the Hendrick Motorsports thoroughbreds will follow the Toyotas into the pit. Fords sit at the front of the race track.

3:08 p.m.: William Byron gets into the wall! Doesn’t look like he incurred too much damage, although smoke did emanate from his side. Looks like Shane van Gisbergen got into him, having absorbed a push from another driver.

2:57 p.m.: Briscoe takes the lead after going three-wide with Nemechek and Logano. We’ve got about 20 laps remaining in the opening stage.

2:45 p.m.: After an early caution flag, John Hunter Nemechek leads things at Daytona. The Legacy Motor Club talent is going stride-for-stride with Team Penske star Joey Logano. Busch, who was the lone driver to opt against refueling during the caution lap, sits in fourth.

2:25 p.m.: The fans pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt Sr. on the 25th anniversary of his death at Daytona.

On the 25th anniversary of his passing, we remember Dale Earnhardt during Lap 3 of the #DAYTONA500. pic.twitter.com/aMu1FHByC5

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026

For Dale. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/OTMkDatqxT

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 15, 2026

2:16 p.m.: And here we go! We’re off from Daytona! Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe lead the group from the front row!

2:15 p.m.: Puka Nacua is driving in the ceremonial pace car. The Cup Series chariots are officially on the track. Bart Simpson will wave the green flag to formally kick off the 2026 Cup Series season.

2:05 p.m.: The starter’s orders have been offered. Here comes the 68th running of the Daytona 500!

1:55 p.m.: The national anthem has been delivered and the cars are out on pit road. We’re mere moments from the start of today”s contest.

1:30 p.m.: Plenty of activity inside the track at present. We’re 15 or so minutes out from the waving of the green flag.

1:15 p.m.: This is the final Cup Series start in Jimmie Johnson’s career, he announced on Saturday. Can he make it a memorable one?

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, will make his final NASCAR Cup Series start in next year’s Daytona 500, Johnson announced.

Johnson plans to continue racing in other series, but won’t return to stock car’s premier level. pic.twitter.com/SbLSzEwi8B

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 14, 2026How to watch the Daytona 500 in 2026Daytona 500 start time 

The 2026 Daytona 500 is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. The contest was initially slated to start one hour later. However, with the threat of rain looming, race organizers opted to push the start time. 

What channel is the Daytona 500 on?TV channel: FoxLive stream: FoxSports.com, Fubo

Fox will handle broadcasting duties for the 2025 Daytona 500, per usual. The booth will be filled with racing luminaries, both in the form of longtime duo Mike Joy (lap-by-lap), Clint Bowyer (analyst), and Kevin Harvick (analyst), as well as guest commentator Larry McReynolds.

The race will also be live-streamed on FoxSports.com, as well as Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Daytona 500 starting lineupStarting pos.DriverCar No.Team1.Kyle Busch8Richard Childress Racing2.Chase Briscoe19Joe Gibbs Racing3.Joey Logano22Team Penske4.Chase Elliott9Hendrick Motorsports5.Ryan Blaney12Team Penske6.Carson Hocevar77Spire Motorsports7.Austin Dillon3Richard Childress Racing8.Kyle Larson5Hendrick Motorsports9.Brad Keselowski6RFK Racing10.Michael McDowell71Spire Motorsports11.John Hunter Nemechek42Legacy Motor Club12.Christopher Bell20Joe Gibbs Racing13.Shane van Gisbergen97Trackhouse Racing14.Josh Berry21Wood Brothers Racing15.Daniel Suarez7Spire Motorsports16.Ricky Stenhouse Jr.47Hyak Motorsports17.Casey Mears66Garage 6618.Tod Gilliland34Front Row Motorsports19.Ryan Preece60RFK Racing20.Ty Gibbs54Joe Gibbs Racing21.Alex Bowman48Hendrick Motorsports22.Denny Hamlin11Joe Gibbs Racing23.Cole Custer41Haas Factory Team24.Erik Jones43Legacy Motor Club25.Noah Gragson4Front Row Motorsports26.Tyler Reddick4523XI Racing27.Bubba Wallace2323XI Racing28.Riley Herbst3523XI Racing29.Corey Heim6723XI Racing30.Zane Smith38Front Row Motorsports31.Jimmie Johnson84Legacy Motor Club32.Connor Zilisch88Trackhouse Racing33.Cody Ware51Rick Ware Racing34.Ty Dillon10Kaulig Racing35.AJ Allmendinger16Kaulig Racing36.Austin Cindric2Team Penske37.Ross Chastain1Trackhouse Racing38.B. J. McLeod78Live Fast Motorsports39.William Byron24Hendrick Motorsports40.Justin Allgaier40JR Motorsports41.Chris Buescher17RFK Racing