Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 is a 500-mile, NASCAR Cup Series season opener that is held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is considered the most prestigious and important race in NASCAR, and referred to as "The Great American Race."

Since its inception, the Daytona 500 has been held in mid to late February. This year, the race was held on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 1:30 p.m ET.

The Daytona 500 trophy is called "The Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy." It permanently resides inside the Daytona International Speedway, and bears the name of every Daytona 500 champion.

Richard Petty holds the record for Daytona 500 wins at 7, followed by Cale Yarborough with 4. Denny Hamlin is the only active driver with multiple victories, of which he has 3.

The Daytona 500 is 500 miles, which equates to 200 laps on a 2.5-mile track. The race takes approximately 3.5 hours for the drivers to complete.

The Daytona 500 will be broadcast on FOX. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports app and FOX One.

Tyler Reddick won the 2026 Daytona 500. It was his first Daytona win.