There were four winners after Daytona 500 qualifying

As always by the end of Wednesday night at the modern Daytona 500, there were four groups of winners after qualifying for the Great American Race.

Kyle Busch and the Richard Childress Racing No. 8
Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Corey Heim and the 23XI Racing No. 67
Justin Allgaier and the JR Motorsports No. 40

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Busch and Briscoe locked into the front row while Heim and Allgaier posted the two fastest laps amongst the non-chartered teams. In other words, this leaves Corey Lajoie, Chandler Smith and Casey Mears set to race it out for a spot in Qualifying Race No. 1 and Anthony Alfredo, BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley racing it out in Qualifying Race No. 2.

For Busch, this is his 21st year in pursuit of the one trophy most obviously missing from his case, but he picked up another one he hadn’t earned previously with a Daytona 500 pole too.

“Yeah, it’s a box we got to check,” Busch said. “Here we are. This is an opportunity to be able to do that. I’ve come down here a lot of years. I think I finished in about every position possible. It would be nice to close out 2026 with a victory here in the Daytona 500.”

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Kyle Busch and Richard Childress after winning pole position for the 2026 Daytona 500

Does it get annoying that it’s the same question every year? Is this the year you’re going to win the Daytona 500?

“We just got to get the job done so we stop talking about it,” Busch said. “No better time than right now here in 2026.

“It’s just the nature of what this race is and what it holds. Being in the right place at the right time, making the right moves when you can. We were just talking about it. It would be nice to lead all 200 laps, stink up the show and win this thing. I don’t think you’ll make it on fuel if you did that.

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“There’s all kinds of different strategies. There’s going to be 30 other guys plus that have that same opportunity that they believe they can win this race as well, too. That’s why you got to run the place and play it all out as it comes.”

It’s a big confidence booster for new crew chief Jim Pohlman too. Busch said Pohlman was resolute on Wednesday morning that this was achievable. Everyone has bought into his process this winter and have been immediately rewarded for it.

Team owner Richard Childress offered similar praise for Pohlman but also made the next edict really clear.

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“Getting Jim on and just watching how he fit into our family at RCR, it’s great,” Childress said. “I stand back and watch a lot. To watch how they worked this winter, the way they just do everything right now, I’m just happy and proud of all of ’em.

“Kyle, we got to get this 500.”

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Giddy Briscoe

Chase Briscoe says he feels like a Hendrick Motorsports driver after his second consecutive front row lock.

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“I felt like forever Hendrick cars on the front row, seven, eight years in a row,” Briscoe said. “It’s cool for sure to be able to consistently two years in a row now. It’s really a testament to the folks back at JGR. We’ve made so many improvements on our superspeedway program. This race really comes down to, at least in qualifying, attention to detail (and) just doing every little thing.”

Out of a Joe Gibbs Racing group that is holistically elite at so many things, that the 19 team is continually breaking through as one of the leaders of the pack excites him.

“Just a lot of pride in that, right,” Briscoe said. “I know for me, every week when I get in the car, I know I’m in arguably the best car every single week. When we come here and do stuff like we’ve done two years in a row validates that.

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“It’s the kid in me to be able to lead the field to green two years — not lead the field, but being in the front row, for two years in a row at the Daytona 500.”

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Second helpings

Last year, when Allgaier and JR Motorsports qualified their way into the Daytona 500, there was exuberance and joy.

This year, there was pride, but it also felt like business as usual.

“Yeah, I mean, I think last year was so different emotionally,” Allgaier said. “I think, too, there is a lot of — I think everybody in our group feels the want to go be better this year, right?

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“Last year we wanted to get in, we wanted to make laps and get JR Motorsports in the racetrack for the first time and do all these things. We hit all those markers, finished in the top 10, and it was great.”

Now, they want to lead laps and be one of the dominant cars, and maybe go challenge for the Harley J. Earl.

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

For co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., a historian of the sport, he got to fully enjoy what it was like back in the day with a car that was good enough to make the show on time but still needed to sweat it out.

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There was no open exemption provisional for JR Motorsports.

“We got here today and we had some nerves,” Earnhardt said. “I kept thinking, Man, this is why it’s fun. If it was all handed to you, it wouldn’t be as much fun.

“Coming down here nervous and scared, standing out there worried, wondering if you’d run a good enough lap. I mean, that really is the payoff to being in racing and motorsports. It’s the anxiety and stuff, but it’s really enjoyable because when it works out, it’s such a great feeling.

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“Enjoyed the process and everything out there.”

Allgaier claimed the final Wednesday lock-in by 0.004 over Lajoie.

Earnhardt is just living his best life once again chasing the biggest win of the year, something he did twice as a driver, but now in his new lot in life as an owner. His second appearance in the Daytona 500 is just as cool as the first.

“I would say this is like just having more dessert, man,” Earnhardt said. “We ate the whole course last year, and we’re getting to be back for seconds at the dessert table, just have a little more. Feel like we’re in bonus time, if you will.”

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Heim time

Corey Heim knows what it’s like to fail to qualify for a NASCAR Cup Series race. It was last year in Downtown Chicago and he didn’t want to experience that on a much larger scale in his first-ever attempt in the Daytona 500.

Last July, he just sent it hard into a corner going for a pole lap, but hit the wall and broke a toe link. This time, with superspeedway qualifying, it’s a little more procedural and no braking whatsoever, but the pressure is real nevertheless.

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“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely been a lot of pressure,” Heim said. “It’s been stressful I think just as a driver. You never can guarantee that you’re going to lock in qualifying. Looking back at last year, I kind of was able to see which teams were successful in the speedway qualifying side of things. It’s 99 percent car if not more as far as where you qualify here.

“Just kind of looking back at the other teams and how they qualified, I was like, ‘Dang, it’s going to be pretty tight,’ depending on how we unload.”

Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota

However, one percent could be the difference between locking in and needing to race via the Daytona Duel.

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“Definitely was stressful coming down here to lock myself in,” Heim said. “Yeah, I can’t say enough about the piece we brought. Such a relief off your shoulders to just go have some fun in the Duels tomorrow, try to learn. Even if I do make a mistake, it’s not going to be a terminal mistake. That’s definitely a relief, and I’m looking forward to the race.”

What stands out to him is that no one at 23XI made him feel guilty for his mistake at Chicago.

“I mean, kind of like I said earlier, this is so dependent on the car that 23XI brings to the racetrack,” Heim said. “Obviously they brought a really good one for me. That’s what helped me lock into the show, whereas Chicago was just a mess-up on my part. Apples to oranges.

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“At the end of the day, we’re all a team, all one. After that Chicago race, everyone really stuck behind me and understood that I’m a developing race car driver and I’ll make those mistakes. Worked their tails off to bring me a great Daytona 500 car. Super cool feeling to have that support. No one gave up on me after that race. Hopefully we can build off of this one and go race on Sunday and go compete in some more after this.”

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