NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DAYTONA 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT
FEBRUARY 11, 2026
Kyle Busch, Chevrolet Takes Pole Position for the “Great American Race”
- Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, posted a fastest lap of 49.006 seconds in the final round of qualifying to capture the pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500.
- Busch’s first-career DAYTONA 500 pole marks Chevrolet’s 32nd all-time pole win in the “Great American Race”, with 15 of those feats coming in the past 18 seasons.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2026) – With sights set on its fourth consecutive DAYTONA 500 championship title, Chevrolet returned to the top of the qualifying speed chart with Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team taking the coveted pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. The 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native was the fastest driver in both rounds – laying down a blistering lap of 49.006 seconds in Round Two of qualifying to drive Chevrolet to its series-leading 32nd pole win in the “Great American Race”.
“Certainly, here on Wednesday night, being able to get my first pole for the DAYTONA 500, that’s pretty special,” said Busch. “I’ve had one other speedway pole down here in Daytona for the summer race. This feels really good for RCR as a group. Everybody from ECR, thanks to Bob (Fisher) and his whole team there.”
After an impressive debut in their first-ever NASCAR Cup Series start one year ago, JR Motorsports has made their return to the division for a second bid for a starting position in the crown jewel event. Back behind the wheel of the organization’s No. 40 Chevrolet entry, Justin Allgaier ended the qualifying session 14th overall – an effort that secures one of the two open positions on speed following the evening’s qualifying session.
With the front-row set, the two 60-lap, 150-mile, Duels at Daytona will determine the remaining starting lineup for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. FS1 will telecast the Duels on Thursday, Feb. 12, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes
“This is special for all of us at Richard Childress Racing; for Richard and Jim Pohlman, with it being his first race as the crew chief. Obviously having the opportunity to come down here with fast speedway cars, and I’ve had fast speedway cars with RCR every time we’ve been here. It feels really good to sit on the pole and to have the No. 1 starting spot come Sunday. But we also want the No. 1 finishing position on Sunday.
Thank you to everyone at ECR; Lucas Oil for everything they do for our power; and all of our partners that support this No. 8 Chevrolet team.
“I think we learned some things last year at a couple of the speedway races. I feel like those guys have really tuned-in on those things that worked. I hope it turns out to be what we all think it should be for speed on Sunday. I’m sure we’ll find a little bit more about it tomorrow.”
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