Kyle Busch Does Something He’s Never Done at Daytona

February 11, 2026 Greg Engle NASCAR News Top Story 0


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Kyle Busch has done just about everything in NASCAR. He’s won championships. He’s won races in everything with four wheels and a steering wheel. He’s annoyed half the garage and delighted the other half. But on Wednesday night at Daytona, Rowdy finally did something that had stubbornly eluded him.

He put his car on pole for the Daytona 500.

Busch ripped around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 49.006 seconds to claim the top starting spot for the 68th running of The Great American Race. He’ll lead the field to green alongside Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, after edging him by a razor-thin 0.016 seconds in the final round. For good measure, Busch topped both rounds of qualifying, just to make sure everyone understood this wasn’t a clerical error.

This will be Busch’s 21st start in the 500 — a race he has never won — and remarkably, it’s his first pole for the big one. For a two-time Cup champion with a trophy cabinet that requires structural reinforcement, that’s a surprising blank space now filled.

“It feels really good right now,” said Busch. “Being able to (earn) my first pole in the Daytona 500 is pretty special. I’ve had one other speedway pole in my career down here in Daytona for the summer race, but this feels good — it feels really good for RCR as a group, and everyone from ECR (Engines).”

Translation: this one matters.

Behind the front row, Bowman Gray Clash winner Ryan Preece slotted into third, with Denny Hamlin fourth and Corey Heim turning heads in fifth in his first-ever Daytona 500 attempt. Not bad for a debut — sink or swim, and Heim brought a speedboat.

Rounding out the top ten were Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano — which, if nothing else, guarantees there will be no shortage of ego on the first five rows.

Qualifying itself had a bit of everything. In the opening round, Busch was the only driver to dip into the 48-second bracket, setting the benchmark for everyone else to stare at nervously. Logano just squeaked into the pole shootout as the final transfer, while Ty Gibbs missed advancing by a cruel 0.011 seconds — which at Daytona is roughly the width of a clenched jaw.

There was also a new wrinkle for 2026: drivers are no longer allowed to put their hands against the window opening to deflect air during qualifying. A small aerodynamic detail, unless you forget about it. Noah Gragson did exactly that, had his time disallowed, and later called himself an “idiot” for the lapse. Still, at a superspeedway where you can go from 30th to third in the time it takes to sneeze, he wasn’t exactly reaching for the panic button.

Among the open entries, reigning Truck Series champion Corey Heim locked himself into the field in a fourth 23XI Racing entry, ensuring his Daytona 500 debut will be more than just a spectator sport. And for the second consecutive year, JR Motorsports punched its ticket to the 500 with former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Justin Allgaier. The celebration in the Earnhardt camp was equal parts relief and raw emotion — as if they’d just qualified for the Super Bowl with a carburetor.

Allgaier beat Corey LaJoie by a scant 0.004 seconds for the final guaranteed spot. That margin is so small it’s practically theoretical, leaving LaJoie to battle six other open entries for the final two grid spots in Thursday’s Duel races.

And so, the front row is set. Busch finally has his Daytona 500 pole. The rest of the field? They’ll have to fight for their places the old-fashioned way — 200 miles at a time, two at a time, inches apart, at 190 miles per hour.

Just the way Daytona likes it.

Greg Engle
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