DAYTONA BEACH — It’s been a long time since they were run in the daytime, a long time since they were 125 miles, and even longer since they were simply known as the Twins.
But the Thursday qualifying races at Daytona — a pair of 150-mile sprints officially known as the Duel at Daytona — continued to do what they’ve always done: Set the starting lineup for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
The pair of 60-lap races featured 22 cars in one and 23 in the other and highlighted today’s activities at Daytona International Speedway. The first race began shortly after 7 p.m. (TV: Fox Sports 1), with the second following shortly after 9.
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A pair of practice sessions also adorned the afternoon — the ARCA Series at 4 and the Truck Series at 5.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal provided live updates throughout the day. Scroll down for a play-by-play recap.
Daytona 500 qualifying updates
Anthony Alfredo had his finish disallowed after failing post-race tech inspection. BJ McLeod, the next closest non-chartered driver, gets the final Daytona 500 spot.
Chase Elliott won the second Duel, finishing ahead of a battle for second among Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson.
Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
“That was a great way to get the blood pumping,” Elliott said. “Looking forward to Sunday”
Among the non-chartered “open” cars in the second Duel, the available Daytona 500 starting spot went to Anthony Alfredo in the Beard Motorsports Chevy, a tiny part-time outfit with one full-time employee. He finished 18th in the 22-car field, but was comfortably ahead of his competition.
One night after finishing second during qualifying, Chase Briscoe is again running well during his Duel race. He leads the second one of the night with 30 laps to go.
Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott are immediately behind him in second and third.
After Joey Logano won the first Duel qualifier of the night, the second one is about to get underway. The cars are on track and following the pace car.
The 60-lap event will solidify the outside row for Sunday’s Daytona 500 starting lineup.
First Duel results: Joey Logano wins after caution on final lap; Casey Mears in Daytona 500
Oh my.
On the final lap, a crash broke out and collected Corey LaJoie, who was in position to make the Daytona 500 as an open entry. That opened the door for Casey Mears.
When the yellow emerged, Joey Logano was in the lead, meaning he was also deemed the winner. It is his fourth Duel victory (2019, 2020, 2023 and 2026), most among active drivers.
With four laps left, the yellow flag is back out.
Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, William Byron and Chandler Smith wrecked on the backstretch.
Wallace won the first Duel in 2025 while Byron claimed his second straight Daytona 500.
Joey Logano holds the lead.
With 14 laps to go, the caution flag came out. Casey Mears and Noah Gragson spun on pit entry.
Cole Custer is in front.
Through 38 laps, Ryan Preece leads the first Duel. He is followed by Chris Buescher, Corey LaJoie, Brad Keselowski and John Hunter Nemechek.
No pit stops have been made yet.
It’s almost time for racing.
The drivers are being introduced ahead of the first of two Duel qualifiers. The first is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Two open spots remain in Sunday’s Daytona 500. The lineup will be finalized tonight.
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds touched down Thursday afternoon in Daytona Beach ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500. They will fly over Daytona International Speedway before the race.
Dave Marcis back at Daytona International Speedway
Dave Marcis is one of the most familiar faces in Daytona history.
But Thursday he stepped foot on the property for the first time in 20 years.
“I retired in 2002, but kept testing the IROC cars here until 2006, and hadn’t been back since,” Marcis said while making his way around the paddock during the afternoon, looking quite familiar in his Goodyear cap and jacket.
Marcis, who turns 85 in three weeks, started 883 Cup Series races between 1968 and 2002. He holds the record for most Daytona 500 starts (33) and consecutive starts (32). His best finish was a sixth in 1978.
Daytona 500 qualifying: When are Daytona Duels tonight?
- Start time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV channel: FS1
- Live streaming: Fubo (free trial)
- Radio: MRN | SiriusXM (Channel 90)
Duel 1 is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with Duel 2 expected to begin at 8:45. Both races will be broadcast on FS1. Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
Watch Daytona 500 qualifying live on Fubo (free trial)
Duel 1
- Row 1: Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece
- Row 2: Corey Heim and Alex Bowman
- Row 3: Chris Buescher and Joey Logano
- Row 4: Austin Dillon and Corey LaJoie
- Row 5: John Hunter Nemechek and Brad Keselowski
- Row 6: Ryan Blaney and William Byron
- Row 7: Cole Custer and Cody Ware
- Row 8: Jimmie Johnson and Bubba Wallace
- Row 9: AJ Allmendinger and Ross Chastain
- Row 10: Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez
- Row 11: Chandler Smith and Casey Mears
- Row 12: Noah Gragson
Duel 2
- Row 1: Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin
- Row 2: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott
- Row 3: Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell
- Row 4: Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric
- Row 5: Zane Smith and Michael McDowell
- Row 6: Connor Zilisch and Erik Jones
- Row 7: Josh Berry and Carson Hocevar
- Row 8: Riley Herbst and Todd Gilliland
- Row 9: Anthony Alfredo and Ty Dillon
- Row 10: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick
- Row 11: BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley
Here is the list of drivers competing in 2026 Daytona 500 events, with those needing to qualify for Sunday’s race marked with an asterisk.
- 1: Ross Chastain
- 2: Austin Cindric
- 3: Austin Dillon
- 4: Noah Gragson
- 5: Kyle Larson
- 6: Brad Keselowski
- 7: Daniel Suarez
- 8: Kyle Busch
- 9: Chase Elliott
- 10: Ty Dillon
- 11: Denny Hamlin
- 12: Ryan Blaney
- 16: AJ Allmendinger
- 17: Chris Buescher
- 19: Chase Briscoe
- 20: Christopher Bell
- 21: Josh Berry
- 22: Joey Logano
- 23: Bubba Wallace
- 24: William Byron
- 34: Todd Gilliland
- 35: Riley Herbst
- 36: Chandler Smith*
- 38: Zane Smith
- 40: Justin Allgaier (qualified Wednesday)
- 41: Cole Custer
- 42: John Hunter Nemechek
- 43: Erik Jones
- 44: JJ Yeley*
- 45: Tyler Reddick
- 47: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- 48: Alex Bowman
- 51: Cody Ware
- 54: Ty Gibbs
- 60: Ryan Preece
- 62: Anthony Alfredo*
- 66: Casey Mears*
- 67: Corey Heim (qualified Wednesday)
- 71: Michael McDowell
- 77: Carson Hocevar
- 78: BJ McLeod*
- 84: Jimmie Johnson
- 88: Connor Zilisch
- 97: Shane Van Gibergan
- 99: Corey LaJoie*
When is Daytona 500 2026?
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
- Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Fox
- Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Daytona 500 odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Feb. 12:
- Ryan Blaney: +1200
- Joey Logano: +1200
- William Byron: +1400
- Denny Hamlin: +1400
- Austin Cindric: +1600
- Chase Elliott: +1600
- Kyle Busch: +1600
Daytona 500 tickets
As of Feb. 12, tickets for the 2026 Daytona 500 were available on StubHub for $104 in the grandstand. Two-day passes were available for $263.
