2026 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona Starting Lineup: Ross Chastain on Pole & Starting Grid — August 29

Ross Chastain starts P1, with Chris Buescher alongside in P2 for the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway. The listed field contains 40 starters.

Pole position

Ross Chastain

No. 1 · Chevrolet

Outside pole

Chris Buescher

No. 17 · Ford

Field

40 starters

NASCAR Cup Series

Race weekend

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Open weekend hub →

Grid briefing

Ross Chastain leads the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona starting lineup

How the front row was set

Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher occupy row one in the latest available starting order. The table below preserves the listed start-position order, car number and manufacturer supplied for the event.

What track position means at Daytona International Speedway

Daytona's high-banked 2.5-mile tri-oval creates large drafting packs; drivers need lane momentum, partners and precise timing for the final block or pass.

NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona grid watch

Cup teams must balance stage points with the setup and track position needed for the final run. Follow lane energy, controlled pushes and which drivers save a move for the final run. The cutoff is fixed after this race, so a penalty or crash cannot be recovered in the regular season. For this event, the season role is the Cup regular-season finale that locks the top-16 Chase field.

Starting-order facts checked against ESPN Core. A post-qualifying inspection or unapproved adjustment can still send a car to the rear without changing its scored starting position.

Row-by-row grid

NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona starting positions

Find a driver or car

Row	Start	Driver	Car	Manufacturer	Sponsor
1	1	Ross Chastain	No. 1	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
1	2	Chris Buescher	No. 17	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
2	3	Austin Hill	No. 33	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
2	4	Ryan Preece	No. 60	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
3	5	Harrison Burton	No. 35	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
3	6	Shane van Gisbergen	No. 97	Chevrolet	Red Bull
4	7	Connor Zilisch	No. 88	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
4	8	Austin Cindric	No. 2	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
5	9	Joey Logano	No. 22	Ford	Shell Pennzoil
5	10	Kyle Larson	No. 5	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
6	11	Corey Heim	No. 67	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
6	12	Chase Briscoe	No. 19	Toyota	Bass Pro Shops
7	13	William Byron	No. 24	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
7	14	Ty Gibbs	No. 54	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
8	15	Erik Jones	No. 43	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
8	16	Cole Custer	No. 41	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
9	17	Tyler Reddick	No. 45	Toyota	Chumba Casino
9	18	Michael McDowell	No. 71	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
10	19	Ryan Blaney	No. 12	Ford	BODYARMOR FLASH I.V
10	20	Alex Bowman	No. 48	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
11	21	Brad Keselowski	No. 6	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
11	22	Chase Elliott	No. 9	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
12	23	Daniel Suarez	No. 7	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
12	24	Josh Berry	No. 21	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
13	25	Cody Ware	No. 51	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
13	26	Bubba Wallace	No. 23	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
14	27	John Hunter Nemechek	No. 42	Toyota	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
14	28	Carson Hocevar	No. 77	Chevrolet	Zeigler Auto Group
15	29	Austin Dillon	No. 3	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
15	30	Denny Hamlin	No. 11	Toyota	Progressive
16	31	Ty Dillon	No. 10	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
16	32	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	No. 47	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
17	33	Todd Gilliland	No. 34	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
17	34	Zane Smith	No. 38	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
18	35	Christopher Bell	No. 20	Toyota	Interstate Batteries
18	36	AJ Allmendinger	No. 16	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
19	37	Noah Gragson	No. 4	Ford	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
19	38	Casey Mears	No. 62	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
20	39	Daniel Dye	No. 78	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade
20	40	Joey Gase	No. 44	Chevrolet	Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade

40 listed starters shown.

Grid to checkered flag

How the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona winner started

Ryan Preece won after starting P4

Ryan Preece moved from P4 to the win, a net gain of 3 positions. The starting grid records where the car took the green; the race recap explains the decisive sequence that produced the finish.

Read the race recap and finishing order →

Quick answers

NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona starting lineup FAQ

Who is on pole for the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona?

Ross Chastain is listed in pole position.

Who starts on the front row?

Ross Chastain starts P1 and Chris Buescher starts P2.

How many cars are in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona starting lineup?

The listed field has 40 starters.

Can the starting lineup change after qualifying?

Yes. Inspection failures, backup cars and unapproved adjustments can send a driver to the rear. The official scored start position may remain unchanged even when the car drops behind the field for the green flag.

How to use this tool

Read the starting grid

1
Use Start for the exact grid spot and Row to see which two cars share a row.
2
Search a driver, car number or manufacturer to jump straight to that entry.
3
Open the race recap after the checkered flag to compare start versus finish.

Race fan notes:

An entry list is not a confirmed lineup.
A car sent to the rear can retain its original scored starting position.