Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford and William Byron, driver of the #24 Axalta Chevrolet race during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. James Gilbert Getty Images

The Daytona 500 isn’t just the crown jewel of NASCAR’s Cup Series, it’s the annual reset button for drama, aerodynamics and the pure, unfiltered chaos that only superspeedway draft racing can deliver.

What time is the race? How many laps are there? Which drivers are the favorites? Here's everything to know about the 2026 Daytona 500.

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race-winner will drive the No. 25 Ford Mustang in 2026.

Bubba Wallace (+2200) Wallace has the best average finish of any active driver at Daytona at 14.4 despite crashing out in three of the last six Daytona races. He has five top-five finishes at Daytona and two second-place finishes in the Daytona 500.

Following a surprise exit from Big Machine Racing, Nick Sanchez has landed a full-time ride fo the 2026 NASCAR season.

During the trial in the antitrust case between NASCAR and 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports, the France family, which started NASCAR and still runs it as a private company today, was mentioned quite often.

In the days following the 2004 Hendrick Motorsports plane crash that killed all 10 people aboard, Bill France Jr. and Mike Helton showed up at Rick