Drivers, start your engines.
With Super Bowl LVIII in the rearview mirror, it’s time for the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing.”
Unlike the NFL, NASCAR starts the season with its biggest event – the Daytona 500. Forty drivers will battle it out at Daytona International Speedway this week, where speeds around the 2.5-mile track can reach upwards of 200 mph. Winning the “Great American Race” is on the bucket list for every competitor, but only one will lift the Harley J. Earl Trophy on Monday.
Here’s everything you need to know for the 66th annual Daytona 500:
Starting lineup for 2024 Daytona 500 on Monday
There were 42 drivers who attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 – including 36 chartered teams who were locked into the race and six “open” teams who fought to make it in. The field is capped at 40 cars, so two drivers went home after the qualifying races: B.J. McLeod and J.J. Yeley.
After qualifying on Wednesday, Joey Logano secured the pole award with a speed of 181.947 mph. Michael McDowell, with a speed of 181.686 mph, will start second. The rest of the starting lineup was set by the Duel qualifying races on Thursday night.
Here’s the full starting lineup for Monday's Daytona 500 (driver, car number, team, sponsor):
- Joey Logano, No. 22, Team Penske, Shell/Pennzoil
- Michael McDowell, No. 34, Front Row Motorsports, Love’s RV Stops
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing, Monster Energy
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing, DeWalt/Interstate Batteries
- Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Auto Parts
- Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske, Discount Tire
- Alex Bowman, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Financial
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing, FedEx
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77, Spire Motorsports, Zeigler/Gainbridge
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, Legacy Motor Club, Dollar Tree
- Erik Jones, No. 43, Legacy Motor Club, Advent Health
- Harrison Burton, No. 21, Wood Brothers Racing, Motorcraft/DEX Imaging
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99, Trackhouse Racing, Freeway Insurance
- Zane Smith, No. 71, Spire Motorsports, WeatherTech
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6, RFK Racing, Castrol
- Kyle Larson, No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com
- William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta
- Chris Buescher, No. 17, RFK Racing, Fastenal
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Mahindra Tractors
- Ross Chastain, No. 1, Trackhouse Racing, Busch Light
- Justin Haley, No. 51, Rick Ware Racing, TreeTop Apple Juice
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 84, Legacy Motor Club, Carvana
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 23XI Racing, McDonald’s
- Ryan Preece, No. 41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Haas Tooling
- Kaz Grala, No. 36, Front Row Motorsports, Ruedebusch
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops
- A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16, Kaulig Racing, Celsius
- Corey LaJoie, No. 7, Spire Motorsports, Chili’s Grill & Bar
- Josh Berry, No. 4, Stewart-Haas Racing, SunnyD
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38, Front Row Motorsports, gener8tor
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske, Menards
- Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops
- Kyle Busch, No. 8, Richard Childress Racing, Zone Nicotine Pouches
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger
- Riley Herbst, No. 15, Rick Ware Racing, Monster Energy
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31, Kaulig Racing, Cirkul
- Noah Gragson, No. 10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Black Rifle Coffee
- Anthony Alfredo, No. 62, Beard Motorsports, Death Wish Coffee
- David Ragan, No. 60, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com
Blaney, Byron, Busch, Gragson and Hemric will give up their starting spots and drop to the back of the field on the pace laps after going to backup cars due to damage from the Duels.
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NASCAR Duel results
Reddick and Bell won the first and second Duels, respectively, to secure the third and fourth starting positions. Here are the full results from each Duel:
DUEL 1 RESULTS
- Tyler Reddick
- Chase Elliott
- Alex Bowman
- Carson Hocevar
- Erik Jones
- Daniel Suarez
- Joey Logano
- Ty Gibbs
- Kyle Larson
- Chris Buescher
- Ross Chastain
- Jimmie Johnson
- Ryan Preece
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Corey LaJoie
- J.J. Yeley (DNQ for Daytona 500)
- Todd Gilliland
- Austin Dillon
- Anthony Alfredo
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Daniel Hemric
DUEL 2 RESULTS
- Christopher Bell
- Austin Cindric
- Denny Hamlin
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Harrison Burton
- Zane Smith
- Brad Keselowski
- William Byron
- Chase Briscoe
- Justin Haley
- Bubba Wallace
- Kaz Grala
- AJ Allmendinger
- BJ McLeod (DNQ for Daytona 500)
- David Ragan
- Michael McDowell
- Josh Berry
- Ryan Blaney
- Kyle Busch
- Riley Herbst
- Noah Gragson
When is the Daytona 500 in 2024?
The Daytona 500 was originally set for Sunday, Feb. 18, but was postponed to Monday, Feb. 19, due to rain.
Daytona 500 schedule, TV and streaming info in 2024
Monday, Feb. 19 (FOX and streaming)
- Daytona 500: 4 p.m. ET, FOX, FOXSports.com
Daytona 500 past winners, race history
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of JTG Daugherty Racing won the Daytona 500 last year in an upset. Stenhouse, now entering his 12th full-time season, has just three career wins in 400 starts.
Six other active drivers have won the Daytona 500: Denny Hamlin (2016, 2019, 2020), Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013), Joey Logano (2015), Austin Dillon (2018), Michael McDowell (2021) and Austin Cindric (2022).
Daytona 500 favorites, drivers to watch for 2024
With the frequency of accidents at tracks like Daytona, it can be tough to find a favorite to win. But even with the unpredictability of the race, the sport’s best drivers usually find their way to the front of the field.
Hamlin, with three Daytona 500 wins, is one of the best drivers in the history of the Daytona 500. He’s one of just six drivers in history with at least three victories.
Beyond Hamlin, Bubba Wallace (second-place in 2018 and 2022), Ryan Blaney (second-place in 2017 and 2023) and Joey Logano (2015 winner, six top-10s in last nine starts) have had recent success in the Daytona 500.
In recent years, though, the winner has become even harder to predict. Over the first 62 years of the Daytona 500, 36 of the 62 winners were future NASCAR Hall of Famers – and that doesn’t include likely future inductees Hamlin, Logano, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. But over the last three years, two drivers scored their first-ever win (McDowell, Cindric) and another (Stenhouse) won just his third race.
Will the underdogs continue to steal the show, or is it time for the best of the best to reclaim the Harley J. Early Trophy?