2026 Daytona 500

2026 Daytona 500

Race details [1] [2] [3]
Race 1 of 36 in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series
Date	February 15, 2026 (2026-02-15)
Location	Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (800 km)
Television in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN
Booth announcers	Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and Rusty Wallace
Turn announcers	Dave Moody (1 & 2), Kyle Rickey (Backstretch), and Tim Catalfamo (3 & 4)

The 2026 Daytona 500 is an upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race and the 68th running of the event. It will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ^[3] It will be the first race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series.

Report

Background

View of cars racing on the front stretch at the 2024 Daytona 500, held at Daytona International Speedway.

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Atlanta Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. ^[4] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. ^[5] The track's turns are banked at 31  degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees. ^[5]

This will be the last Daytona 500 to be held on Presidents' Day weekend, as Daytona announced on October 22, 2025, that the 2027 Daytona 500 would be a week later, held on February 21, 2027, to avoid a conflict with the Super Bowl. ^[6]

Media

Television

See also: NASCAR on television and radio § Beyond the United States

Since 2001—with the exception of 2002, 2004 and 2006—the Daytona 500 have been carried by Fox in the United States. The booth crew consists of longtime NASCAR lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick. Reporters TBD will handle pit road for the television side. 1992 and 1998 Daytona 500 winning crew chief Larry McReynolds will provide insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox Television
Booth announcers	Pit reporters	In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer Color-commentator: Kevin Harvick	TBA	Larry McReynolds

Radio

The race will be broadcast on radio by the Motor Racing Network who have covered the Daytona 500 since 1970—and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The booth crew consists of Alex Hayden, Mike Bagley, and 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace. Longtime turn announcer Dave Moody will be the lead turn announcer, calling the race from atop the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 2 when the field races through turns 1 and 2. Kyle Rickey will work the backstretch for the race from a spotter's stand on the inside of the track & Tim Catalfamo will call the race when the field races through turns 3 and 4 from the Sunoco tower outside the exit of turn 4. On pit road, MRN will be operated by Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Brienne Pedigo.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers	Turn announcers	Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Mike Bagley Announcer: Rusty Wallace	Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Kyle Rickey Turns 3 & 4: Tim Catalfamo	Steve Post Brienne Pedigo Kim Coon

References

1. "2026 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site . Retrieved October 25, 2025.
2. "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
3. "NASCAR releases 2026 schedule, adding Chicagoland and shifting All-Star to Dover". NASCAR . August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
4. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
5. "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
6. "Daytona International Speedway Announces 2027 DAYTONA 500 Date". Daytona International Speedway . October 22, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.

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NASCAR Cup Series 2026 season

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