Kyle Busch Wins Daytona 500 Pole

By Dennis Krause

In twenty years of trying, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had never won the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 - until Wednesday night.

The 41-year-old Busch posted the fastest speed in the first round of one-lap, single-car qualifying on the high-banked, 2.5-mile superspeedway, and then backed it up in the second round with a lap of 183.651 mph in No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

With the addition of crew chief Jim Pohlman during the off-season, Busch called winning the pole in their first race together a real boost for the team.

“I think it’s a huge boost. Bringing Jim on board and having his passion and determination of what he’s done all off-season long, leading his group of guys, having them all believing in him and putting our faith in what he’s got to do for our team and being able to give us what we need to go out there to succeed.

“This is just a first step of it. This is the beginning of the year, first qualifying attempt of the season. There’s a whole heck of a lot more we have to do throughout the season to be good, to be real, to be contenders. But it sure feels good in the moment right now.

“A lot of hard work behind the scenes with everybody at RCR, everybody at ECR. It feels good to give this guy another pole down here. Love nothing more than to make history and put ourselves in Victory Lane Sunday night.”

Team owner Richard Childress agreed.

“Yeah, it’s great. Getting Jim on and just watching how he fit into our family at RCR, it’s great. 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.’

Childress then turned to Busch.

“Kyle, we got to get this 500.”

If Busch is to win Sunday’s 500, he’d make history as no driver has earned their first 500 win after making twenty starts.

“Yeah, it’s a box we got to check,” Busch noted. “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.”

While Busch has won just about everything else in NASCAR’s Cup Series, the Daytona 500 has been elusive. It’s been a topic for years and years heading into NASCAR’s biggest race. And Busch is more than ready to put it to rest.

“We just got to get the job done so we stop talking about it. 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.

“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.”

But before Sunday’s 500, Busch will have to balance the benefits and drawbacks of racing for points in his Duel race Thursday night. With a new championship format in place, Busch wants to score as many points as possible but not risk tearing up his pole-winning car in the process.

“Yeah, that’s definitely something we have to sit down and talk about, figure out what your game plan is going to be.

“There is that plus and minus of it, right?” Busch noted. “We’ve got a great opportunity to start on the front row with this race car. We’ve got to get through the Duel race.

“I’ve been with Richard here three years now, this will be my fourth, I think we’ve wrecked two of those years. We’d like to not do that tomorrow night and have a good, clean race to come out and be able to use this car for Sunday and start the race from the number one spot.”

Last year’s Daytona 500 pole sitter, Chase Briscoe earned his second consecutive front row starting position in his No. 19 Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” said Briscoe. “I feel like I’m a Hendrick driver almost (smiling). I felt like forever Hendrick cars on the front row, seven, eight years in a row.

“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, just doing every little thing.

“The 19 group has consistently kind of been the best one. That’s really exciting for us. Just a lot of pride in that, right? 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.

“It’s the kid in me…being in the front row, for two years in a row at the Daytona 500. It’s a really big deal.

"It should be awesome to be on the front row again Sunday.”

Reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Corey Heim, driving the No. 67 Toyota for 23XI Racing, and current NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Justin Allgaier in JR Motorsports’ No. 40 Chevrolet, locked into Sunday’s starting field by virtue of being the two fastest non-chartered cars in qualifying.

Not only did Heim qualify for his first Daytona 500, he made the top ten in the first round of qualifying.

“Going out first, no one really knew kind of where we were going to wrap up compared to our practice qualifying times. Pretty similar, maybe a little bit faster. I knew it was going to be really close between — I thought it was going to be the 40 (Allgaier) and 99 (Corey LaJoie) based on looking at the practice speeds and whatnot.

“Yeah, just kind of nerve-wracking for sure to say the least. But as soon as we knew all cars would be out in the second round except for us, that’s kind of the final solidifying factor. I thought for a minute, three of us were going to be in the final round and we were going to have to race it out.

“To cap it off, so impressed and thank you for 23XI Racing and Toyota coming here with an open car and a fourth team at 23XI. To be able to do that is pretty impressive even from my eyes. I feel like that’s a very big accomplishment from those guys. Just blessed to be a part of the team.”

For Allgaier, it was a different situation from last year when he was forced to earn a starting position in the race in his Duel.

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

“At the end of the day, to be as far up in the grid as we are, we still got to the run the Duels, still have to finish well, but I just felt like it was such a relief to get it done tonight and not have to get it done tomorrow.”

The remainder of the field and starting positions will be determined in Thursday night’s America 250 Florida Duel at DAYTONA.

Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.

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