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Austin Cindric enters as the race’s defending winner for Team Penske, and his teammate Joey Logano is the reigning series champion. Cindric was one of 19 different winners last year, tying the record-high.
There are eight former Cup champions on the entry list for the 2023 Daytona 500 and seven former winners of the event.
Six drivers will vying for the only four open spots in the field, including future Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. He is the oldest driver in the field at 47 years and five months, while Ty Gibbs is the youngest at 20 years and four months. Other names fighting to make the field include Travis Pastrana, Conor Daly, Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, and Austin Hill.
Martin Truex Jr. won the pre-season Clash race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and he looks to redeem himself after going winless during the 2022 season.
2023 will be an important year for veteran Kevin Harvick as well, who announced his plans to retire at the end of the season. He will then join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX Sports booth.
What time does the Daytona 500 start?
Pre-race show: 1 p.m. EST. (FOX)
Start time: 2:30 p.m. EST. (FOX)
Stages: 65-65-70 (200 laps, 500 miles)
How can I watch the Daytona 500?
- Date: Sunday, February 19th
- Start time: 2:30 p.m. EST
- TV channel: FOX | TSN 3/5 (Canada)
- Live stream: FOX Sports streaming; fuboTV
- Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Daytona 500 broadcast team
Mike Joy returns as the play-by-play announcer for the FOX Sports, alongside analyst Clint Bowyer and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart. Daytona 500-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds will add his insights from the Charlotte studio during the race.
Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Josh Sims will cover all the action from pit road with additional assistance from two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip.
Shannon Spake will host the NASCAR Raceday pre-race show, with insight from McReynolds, former Daytona 500 winners Trevor Bayne and Jamie McMurray, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte.
17-time Sports Emmy winner Tom Rinaldi will also lend his talents to pre-race coverage.
Daytona 500 qualifying
Alex Bowman earned pole position for the Daytona 500. It is his third pole in the 500, and his sixth consecutive front row start. Teammate Kyle Larson will start alongside.
Johnson and Pastrana were the top-qualifying open cars, locking themselves into the race even before the Duel races.
Starting Lineup for Duel 1 at Daytona
Starting Lineup for Duel 2 at Daytona
*Open entries
How qualifying works for the Daytona 500
Here’s a simplified explanation, breaking down the qualifying format for the NASCAR Cup Series season-opener:
– Two rounds of single-car qualifying
– Each car gets one flying lap
– Fastest ten advance into the second round
– Front row starters become the pole-sitters for each Duel race, and their starting positions are locked in place
– Qualifying results will set the starting lineup for the twin Duel races
– Duels will determine the finalized starting lineup for positions 3 – 38 on the grid.
– The final two spots on the grid will go to the two highest qualifiers who failed to be the best of the open cars in their respective Duel race (There are six open cars vying for four positions in 2023, so three in each Duel).
Stories from Media Day
On Daytona 500 Media Day, both Daniel Suarez and Alex Bowman revealed multi-year contract extensions with their respective race teams. Several drivers reflected on last year, previewed the big race, talked about changes during the off-season, and revealed their mindset heading into 2023.