The full 41-car starting lineup for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 was set after Wednesday night's single-car qualifying session and Thursday night's two America 250 Florida Duel races at Daytona International Speedway.
However, not all drivers are set to start Sunday's 200-lap "Great America Race" around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval where they qualified.
Spire Motorsports' Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain, as well as Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, are all set to drop to the rear as a result of the fact that they've gone to backup cars following incidents in the first Duel race.
Chastain, Byron, and Buescher were scored in 21st, 22nd, and 23rd in the 23-car field in the first Duel race, so they were already set to start down in 37th, 39th, and 41st. Even by dropping "to the rear" of the inside lane, they are set to retained their initial starting positions.
Suarez was set to start 15th after his seventh place Duel race finish, but he is set to drop down to 35th, placing him 18th on the inside lane ahead of only Chastain, Byron, and Buescher.
All drivers who had been set to start behind Suarez on the inside lane, minus Chastain, Byron, and Buescher, are set to move up one row (two positions) each.
Here's a look at how the 41-car field is actually set to take the green flag on Sunday afternoon.
Updated 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 starting lineup
1 - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
4 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
5 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
6 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
7 - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
8 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
10 - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
11 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
12 - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
14 - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
15 - Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
16 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
17 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
18 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
19 - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
22 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
23 - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
24 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
25 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
26 - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
27 - Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
28 - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
29 - Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
30 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
31 - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
32 - Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
33 - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
35 - Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
36 - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
37 - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
38 - B.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
39 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
40 - Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
41 - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
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