Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Sport
Nick DeGroot

Daytona 500 starting grid: How they line up for NASCAR Cup Series opener

On Wednesday, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson made it another front row lockout for Hendrick Motorsports in the Daytona 500, and will lead the field to the green flag.

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano won the first Duel race on Thursday, beating Christopher Bell by 0.018s at the finish line. A push from teammate Ryan Blaney helped to secure him the victory.

Zane Smith, the defending NASCAR Truck Series champion, raced his way into the field in the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports entry. Chandler Smith in the No. 13 Kaulig Racing entry missed the show.

The second Duel race was far more eventful. Kyle Busch led a good portion of the race until he was hooked head-on into the outside wall by Daniel Suarez, collecting several other cars.

Among them was Austin Hill, who was not locked into the field. He was forced to retire from the race, allowing Conor Daly and the TMT Racing team to make the Daytona 500 field. Hill and Beard Motorsports did not.

Todd Gilliland led the race at the white flag, but a bad push sent him sideways. He saved it, but that allowed Aric Almirola to surge ahead and take the race win ahead of Austin Cindric.

On Friday, Jimmie Johnson topped the charts in the first Daytona 500 practice of the weekend. Zane Smith claimed victory in the Truck Series season-opener, which was cut short by rain. It was his eighth career Truck Series victory and his second consecutive at Daytona.

On Saturday, only 16 cars took part in final practice. Among them, Brad Keselowski was fastest in the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford. Greg Van Alst claimed an upset victory in the ARCA race that followed, winning for the first time in his career.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race ended in dramatic fashion, with Sam Mayer flipping from the race lead. Although it was close between Austin Hill, John-Hunter Nemechek, and Justin Allgaier, NASCAR reviewed the footage and determined Hill to be the race winner for the second consecutive year.


Starting Pos. Car No. Driver Team Manufacturer 
1 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
4 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
7 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
8 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
10 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
11 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
12 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
13 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
14 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
15 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
16 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
17 36 Zane Smith Front Row Motorsports Ford
18 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Ford
20 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
21 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
22 42 Noah Gragson Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
23 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
24 99 Daniel Suarez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
25 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
26 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
27 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
28 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
29 16 AJ Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
30 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
31 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
32 78 BJ McLeod Live Fast Motorspors Chevrolet
33 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
34 50 Conor Daly TMT Racing Chevrolet
35 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford
36 8 *Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
37 77 Ty Dillon Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
38 15 *Riley Herbst Rick Ware Racing Ford
39 84 Jimmie Johnson Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
40 67 *Travis Pastrana 23XI Racing Toyota

*Car damaged in an incident during the Duel races

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.