It’s just about that time of year again — a new NASCAR season is kicking off with the Great American Race.
That’s right: it’s Daytona 500 day!
With a 50% chance of rain Sunday afternoon, with that percentage growing into the evening hours, organizers made the decision to begin the race one hour earlier in the hopes that drivers can get all 500 miles in today.
Longtime NASCAR driver Kyle Busch will start in pole position today; it marks the first time he’s captured pole at Daytona in 20 previous starts at the track. A win today would be the two-time Cup Series champion’s very first Daytona 500 victory.
2026 Daytona 500: what to know
When: Feb. 15, 2:13 p.m. ET
Where: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona, Florida)
Channel: FOX
Streaming: DIRECTV (get five days free)
Last year’s winner, William Byron, could make some history with a win today, too; as the winner of the last two Daytona 500 races, he could become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s.
Ahead of the race, comedian Nate Bargatze will be the grand marshal of the race, while actor and former champion racer Kurt Russell serves as honorary pace car driver.
The 200-lap race is done in three phases. The first two consist of 65 laps each, while the final stage is 70 laps.
2026 Daytona 500 start time
The green flag at the Daytona 500 is scheduled at 2:13 p.m. ET today, Feb. 15. TV coverage kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
How to watch the Daytona 500 for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Daytona 500 for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching TV live for free — it has a five-day free trial and there are a ton of options for plans that include FOX, including genre packs that offer more flexibility at lower price points. FOX is part of the MyNews genre pack ($39.99/month) and the MySports ($69.99/month) genre pack.
Sling TV is another affordable way to stream NFL games; its Select plan includes FOX and starts at $19.99/month.
2026 Daytona 500 starting lineup
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing
Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports
John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing
Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports
Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66
Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team
Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club
Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing
Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing
Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing
Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club
Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing
Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing
BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports (disqualified due to a failed inspection)
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
