American 250 Florida Duels Preview: Qualifying for the Daytona 500

Speedweeks 2026 will get underway with lap-timed qualifying. However, as a part of the qualifications and events, NASCAR uses twin qualifying races to determine most of the starting grid for the Daytona 500. These two 150-mile qualifying races (60 laps each) set the odds and evens on the starting grid and give the fans a good taste of the action that will be coming their way on Sunday. Most fantasy racing leagues don't recognize this heat race doubleheader in the fantasy racing season, but some do along with many daily fantasy racing games and racing pools that form specifically for the Duels. The competition is open to all NASCAR Cup Series teams who are entered for the Daytona 500. The Duels are how NASCAR determines which teams make the field for the Great American Race, and which teams have to pack up and head home because they didn't make the cut for the 40-car field.

NASCAR determines the pole position and outside pole position based on lap-time qualifying runs on the prior day (Wednesday evening). Once the front row is locked in after timed qualifying runs, the odds from timed qualifying make up the field of Duel 1 and the evens make the field of Duel 2. In last season's twin qualifying races, we had a field of 23 drivers and 22 drivers in the two Duels. We should see similar, if not greater numbers this season. 

These twin qualifiers are unlike our normal NASCAR events due to the split field and 150-mile sprint race for a starting grid spot. It typically creates conservative racing among the favorites since you need to preserve that car for the Daytona 500, and it creates frantic racing among the teams not locked into the Daytona 500. Those drivers and teams are scrambling and taking risks for every spot they can grab in order to make the field for the Great American Race. For our statistical analysis, we've looked back at the past two seasons of superspeedway racing to get a feel for our top contenders this week.  Below are the statistics for the last eight Cup Series events on superspeedway ovals. These include Daytona and Talladega.    

These twin qualifiers are unlike the typical Cup Series events, so we'll handle the prognostications a bit differently as well.  We'll give you our picks for who'll contend for the win in either of the Duels. The fields will be set after lap-time qualifying (Wednesday, February 11) which is the day before the Duels, so you'll have to match up which driver competes in which race. 

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Ryan Blaney – The five-time superspeedway winner and one-time Duel winner has been one of the top performers on the big ovals in recent seasons. He's racked up two wins, three Top-5 finishes and 84 laps led between Daytona and Talladega since his victory at Talladega at the end of the 2023 season. Blaney is a one-time winner of the Duels (2018) and he finished inside the Top 5 of this event four different times with 71 combined laps led in these events. Simply put, we've seen a whole lot of Blaney racing up front in these superspeedway events of the last few years. The Penske Racing star won from the pole in his last visit to Daytona last summer. That's a very good sign heading into this new racing season.

William Byron – Byron has been the most consistent and successful driver on superspeedways the last two years. With two wins and a series-leading seven Top 10's in the last 10 superspeedway events, Byron has been the man to beat each time we visit Daytona and/or Talladega. The Hendrick Motorsports star is a one-time winner of the Duels (2020) and he always qualifies extremely well for this event (4.2 average start). He led 4 laps and finished runner-up in his Duel last season. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet just always seems to be in the mix for the win on these big ovals of late. Byron should have good speed and an inside track to win in this week's Daytona Duel.        

Austin Cindric – The 2022 Daytona 500 winner and winner of last season's Daytona Duel 2 has had supreme speed on these big ovals the past few years. Before his win in last season's Duel, Cindric had reeled off a string of three-straight years finishing runner-up in this qualifying race. The No. 2 Ford has been incredibly strong and this Penske Racing driver has forged a strong average start of 4.5 in the past 10 superspeedway races. Finishing has been a bit inconsistent, but Cindric has led the series in laps led on these ovals with 141 during that time. That's a lot of time spent up front in these races. Considering that the driver of the No. 2 Ford has won or finished runner-up in his last four Duels, Cindric makes a powerful selection this week.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin is a three-time winner of the Duels (2008, 2014 and 2017) and he is one of the more dominant superspeedway performers of this generation. The Joe Gibbs Racing star is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and as recently as 2020. With over 1,100-career laps led at Daytona and Talladega, you'll find few other drivers who know as well how to get around superspeedways. Hamlin has had a tough bit of luck on the big ovals the past two seasons, but that does little to discount his knowledge and skill in this form of racing. He's finished third- and fourth-place in his last two Duels and led a combined 19 laps in those two events.

Chase Briscoe – He's a relative newcomer to this list, but what Briscoe accomplished in 2025 on the big ovals puts him squarely in contention to win his Duel this week. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the pole and finished fourth-place in last year's Daytona 500 and he grabbed his first superspeedway victory with his win at Talladega last fall. Briscoe doesn't have a long track record of success in the Duels, but he put his No. 19 Toyota on pole last year. He would lead 3 laps in the early going of that race before running into trouble and DNF in that event. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota will have a decent chance to grab his first-career win in the Duels this week.

Bubba Wallace – Two of his three-career victories have come on the larger ovals. Wallace was also a runner-up finisher at Daytona in points-paying races three separate times. He cracks the Top 5 at this track at a stout 29-percent rate. The 23XI Racing driver led 21 laps and won his Duel last season and that adds to the runner-up he registered in the Duels back in 2021. Clearly this driver and team have an affinity for superspeedway racing and most of Wallace's success has happened at Daytona, despite being a victor at Talladega. We've come to expect Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota team to show up for these races with fast cars and typically Wallace knows what to do with them. Partnering in the draft and timely moves seem to be his strengths when racing at Daytona.

Chase Elliott – Elliott is a two-time winner of the Duels (2017 and 2018) and he has finished runner-up in this event as recently as 2024. The Hendrick Motorsports star cracks the Top 5 in this race a whopping 60-percent of the time, so Elliott is typically racing among the leaders and battling for the win in this qualifying race. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet has never won a points race at Daytona but he's a two-time victor on the similar track at Talladega. Elliott has finished runner-up twice in points-paying races at Daytona, so he's been narrowly close to victory lane at this track. With 20 Cup Series starts of experience and 10 Duel starts at Daytona, you couldn't ask for a more experienced or seasoned driver in this style of racing.               

Joey Logano – Logano is the 2015 Daytona 500 winner and he cracks the Top 10 at this oval at a reasonable 32-percent. He's also finished in the Top 5 at Daytona a respectable eight times over his career. As far as the Duels are concerned, Logano has had extensive success in these qualifying races. The Penske Racing star has won three Duels and finished runner-up twice in them all since 2016. The speed Logano normally brings to Daytona is perfect for this 60-lap shootout. The veteran driver has had some tough luck finishing these superspeedway races the past two seasons, but his luck is bound to turn at some point. Logano started on the outside pole and finished fifth-place in his Duel one season ago.  

Chris Buescher – The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing veteran is a one-time Duel victor (2022) and he's only finished outside the Top 10 in all his Duels once since the 2016 season. Buescher has been a strong and consistent performer in the Daytona qualifying races. The driver of the No. 17 Ford is a one-time Daytona winner and it was the summer race of 2023. He seems to have only gotten better with age in this form of NASCAR racing. Buescher has led over 50 laps at Daytona, and most of those have come since the 2021 season. He cracks the Top 10 at this oval a strong 50-percent and he's done it in three of his last four Daytona starts. Buescher is a name that most won't consider, but he should not be overlooked in this qualifying race. He cracks the Top 10 in the Duels at a staggering 90-percent rate.