Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car makes Daytona 500 again; Kyle Busch is on the pole

Alex Zietlow, The Charlotte Observer on Feb 11, 2026

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. admits that it’s stressful.

Then again: The stress is the best part about it.

Earnhardt expressed all this after he learned that the car he owns — JR Motorsports’ 40 car, driven by Justin Allgaier — qualified for the Daytona 500 “on speed” at the conclusion of the festivities at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday.

And how did he do that? The No. 40 Chevrolet finished as the second-best Open car — or non-chartered car — during single-car Cup qualifying. The best Open car Wednesday was Corey Heim, driver of the No. 67 Toyota.

The top two finishers among the Open rides Wednesday are locked into the Daytona 500, according to NASCAR rules.

Allgaier reflected on what it meant to make the Great American Race in two consecutive years after qualifying Wednesday. The 39-year-old driver, who runs full-time in the O’Reilly Series, said that there was extra pressure to deliver this year after the spectacle that was last year — the first year JR Motorsports had a Cup car in the Daytona 500; the first time Earnhardt Jr. was the owner of a Daytona 500 car.

“I thought there would be less stress (than last year),” Allgaier said. “But I felt like, for me, the stress actually went up. I just feel like the expectation of last year, what we were able to accomplish, the effort we put in, and when you do something ... you feel like you’re going to come back in a better capacity. And we did that. ...

“I think last year, we made it so exciting on Thursday, and it was really cool. And it was special. But I feel like this year, I can go through the Duels, and we can work on the cars in a way different capacity. It allows us to go to the 500 and really feel like we’re competing for a win and competing for a great position. So I think it’s just different. But I’m really proud of our team.”

Earnhardt reflected, too.

“It was fun,” Earnhardt said. “We got here today, and we had some nerves, and I kept thinking: Man, this is why it’s fun. And if it was all handed to you, it wouldn’t be as much fun. ... When it works out, it’s a great feeling.”

Earnhardt added: “When you go through what we went through last year, I mean — that was a blast. That was incredible. Me and him (Allgaier), we ran ninth, but it was one I’ll never forget. And we did that together. He’s the one who had to go out there and make the shifts, and get the car through the last couple laps on the Duel. He had a lot on his shoulders. ... It was so much fun.”

Here’s what else you should know from Wednesday’s racing results.

Kyle Busch takes pole position for Daytona 500

Kyle Busch has yet to win the Daytona 500 in 20 career starts. On Wednesday, the undeniably all-time-great driver put himself in the best position possible to put an end to all that.

Busch will start on the pole on Sunday’s Daytona 500. He earned such a right after finishing Wednesday with a field-best speed of 183.651. This will mark Busch’s first time starting the Daytona 500 in P1 — and it marks his second pole in 42 races at Daytona International Speedway.

“Certainly, here on Wednesday night, being able to qualify on my first pole for the Daytona 500, that’s pretty special,” Busch said on pit lane after learning he’d won the pole. “I’ve had one other speedway pole down here in Daytona for the summer race. This feels good. Feels really good for RCR as a group.

Busch added: “Just a valiant effort by everybody here. It would be really nice to be doing an interview like this about being No. 1 come Sunday night.”

Busch will start alongside Chase Briscoe, who will start P2 on the front row. Briscoe’s top speed: 183.587.

The last time a driver won the Daytona 500 from pole position was Dale Jarrett in 2000.

Other notes from single-car Cup qualifying

— Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished in the top 10 on speed on Wednesday, a good sign for the winningest race team in NASCAR Cup Series history. The wrinkle? The only HMS driver to not finish in the top 10 was William Byron, who is going for his third consecutive Daytona 500 victory on Sunday.

— Allgaier and Heim are the two Open cars to qualify for the Daytona 500 on Wednesday. There are six remaining Open cars that will battle for the final two Open spots during the Duel races Thursday. Those six: Anthony Alfredo (No. 62), Corey LaJoie (No. 99), B.J. McLeod (No. 78), Casey Mears (No. 66), Chandler Smith (No. 36) and JJ Yeley (No. 44).

— The full Daytona 500 starting lineup — in other words, every position besides the top 2 positions — will be established after the Duel events on Thursday.