William Byron will try to become the first driver in history to win the Daytona 500 three consecutive years when the 68th running of “The Great American Race” opens the NASCAR season on Sunday, Feb. 15.
Byron won last year’s event in overtime after race leader Denny Hamlin got spun on the final lap, igniting a multicar crash. Byron ended up passing eight cars on the last lap to return to victory lane.
Can he make it three in a row? Four others — Richard Petty in 1975, Cale Yarborough in 1985, Sterling Marlin in 1996 and Hamlin in 2021 — came up short in threepeat bids at NASCAR’s signature race.
The field includes seven other previous Daytona 500 winners, most notably three-time winner Hamlin and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin is trying to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in the 2025 season finale and the December death of his father. Johnson, meanwhile, is again driving the No. 84 Toyota for his team, Legacy Motor Club.
This will be the first non-exhibition race since NASCAR and two teams — 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports — settled a federal antitrust lawsuit that threatened the series. The outcome guaranteed permanent charters for 36 teams.
The offseason also included the death of retired driver Greg Biffle, who was among seven people killed when his plane crashed in North Carolina just a week before Christmas.
The race will be aired on Fox. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick are in the booth. Larry McReynolds provides analysis. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Josh Sims cover pit road. Fox Deportes, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio also offer live broadcasts, and the race will be streamed on the Fox One and the Fox Sports app.
The green flag drops shortly after 2:30 p.m. EST.
Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Corey Heim, Corey Lajoie, Casey Mears and Chandler Smith will try to earn a spot through either qualifying speed or their finish in a qualifying race. Allgaier is driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose famous father died 25 years ago following a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500.
Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are listed as co-favorites (plus-900) to win the race, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Byron and Austin Cindric are close behind at plus-1200.
The defending series champion is Kyle Larson. And keep an eye on 19-year-old driver Connor Zilisch, who won 10 races in the Xfinity Series last season and is considered a rising star.
Comedian Nate Bargatze will serve as the grand marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines. Actor Kurt Russell is the honorary pace car driver, and country music singer Miranda Lambert will perform a pre-race concert.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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