Top Cards for The 2026 Daytona 500’s First Three Rows: Briscoe, Busch & More
Since 1959, the Daytona 500 has been NASCAR’s ultimate stage—a 500-mile superspeedway chess match where the draft keeps the entire field in contention and the “Big One” can erase half the favorites in a single corner. It’s the rare race where a first-timer can shock the sport, a veteran can finally complete their resume, and a last-lap push from 12th can still end in Victory Lane. That chaos is exactly why starting up front matters—and why this year’s first three rows feel stacked with storylines collectors already understand.
The 2026 running again opens the Cup Series season at Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile tri-oval, and the front six drivers represent a perfect mix of champions, contenders, and a rising disruptor.
And as NASCAR collectors know, most patches are race-used, 1/1s are grails for driver super-collectors, and top hits still rank among the hobby’s best values.
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Row 1: A Legend With One Box Left to Check
Kyle Busch – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing (Pole)
Two Cup titles, more than 60 career wins, and victories in just about every major race—except this one. Busch has finished second in the 500, led hundreds of laps, and won at Daytona in other NASCAR series, but the Harley J. Earl Trophy has always slipped away. That’s what makes this pole so compelling. In his 21st attempt, one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation will control the start of the sport’s biggest race while chasing the only crown jewel missing from his collection.
Chase Briscoe – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing (Outside Pole)
Briscoe’s move into Joe Gibbs Racing equipment signaled a new phase of his career, and this qualifying run instantly validated it. A dirt-track racer at heart who became the 200th different Cup winner with his 2022 Phoenix breakthrough, he now finds himself on the front row of the biggest race in stock-car racing not as a surprise underdog, but as a legitimate Toyota contender with the speed to stay there.
Row 2: Proven Superspeedway Closers
Joey Logano – No. 22 Team Penske
Few drivers manage the draft more aggressively (or more successfully) than Logano. The 2015 Daytona 500 winner and multi-time Cup champion treats the final laps here like a controlled demolition, positioning himself to strike when the field gets desperate. Starting third after winning his Duel puts one of the modern era’s most reliable plate racers exactly where he wants to be.
Chase Elliott – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
The sport’s perennial Most Popular Driver has everything except a Daytona 500 victory. He’s won poles, Duels, and finished runner-up, but the main event has remained just out of reach. Rolling off fourth gives him track position, clean air, and another chance to convert his superspeedway consistency into the defining win of his restrictor-plate resume.
Row 3: The Reigning Closer and the New Disruptor
Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Team Penske
Blaney has quietly become one of the most dangerous late-race drivers in the draft. A Daytona 500 champion earlier in his career and a recent Cup titleholder, he’s built a reputation for threading moves in traffic when everyone else is hanging on. Starting fifth keeps him in the lead pack, exactly where his patience and timing become weapons.
Carson Hocevar – No. 77 Spire Motorsports
Every Daytona front row needs a wildcard, and this year it’s Hocevar. The reigning Rookie of the Year isn’t just riding along— he raced his way into this spot with speed in the Duel and the confidence to push veteran champions. Surrounded by title winners, he’s the one driver in the first three rows with nothing to lose, which makes him one of the most dangerous drivers in the early race.
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A Front Row Built for Storylines
Put together, these six cars tell the whole modern NASCAR story in one snapshot: a two-time champion chasing history, a newly reloaded contender in elite equipment, a Daytona winner who thrives in chaos, the sport’s most popular driver hunting his biggest missing trophy, a reigning champion at the peak of his superspeedway powers, and a fearless young driver announcing himself on the biggest stage.
In a race defined by moments, this is exactly why their cardboard matters as much as their track position.
Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
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