Here’s how to watch the 2026 Daytona 500 for free: Start time, livestream

It’s just about that time of year again — a new NASCAR season is kicking off with the Great American Race.

That’s right: it’s Daytona 500 day!

With a 50% chance of rain Sunday afternoon, with that percentage growing into the evening hours, organizers made the decision to begin the race one hour earlier in the hopes that drivers can get all 500 miles in today.

Longtime NASCAR driver Kyle Busch will start in pole position today; it marks the first time he’s captured pole at Daytona in 20 previous starts at the track. A win today would be the two-time Cup Series champion’s very first Daytona 500 victory.

Last year’s winner, William Byron, could make some history with a win today, too; as the winner of the last two Daytona 500 races, he could become the first driver to win three consecutive Daytona 500s.

Ahead of the race, comedian Nate Bargatze will be the grand marshal of the race, while actor and former champion racer Kurt Russell serves as honorary pace car driver.

The 200-lap race is done in three phases. The first two consist of 65 laps each, while the final stage is 70 laps.

2026 Daytona 500 start time

The green flag at the Daytona 500 is scheduled at 2:13 p.m. ET today, Feb. 15. TV coverage kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

How to watch the Daytona 500 for free:

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Daytona 500 for free.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching TV live for free — it has a five-day free trial and there are a ton of options for plans that include FOX, including genre packs that offer more flexibility at lower price points. FOX is part of the MyNews genre pack ($39.99/month) and the MySports ($69.99/month) genre pack.

Sling TV is another affordable way to stream NFL games; its Select plan includes FOX and starts at $19.99/month.

2026 Daytona 500 starting lineup

1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing
2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske
4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske
6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports
7. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing
8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports
9. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing
10. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports
11. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club
12. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
13. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing
14. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing
15. Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports
17. Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66
18. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports
19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing
20. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
21. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports
22. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
23. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team
24. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club
25. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports
26. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing
27. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing
28. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing
29. Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing
30. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports
31. Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club
32. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing
33. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing
34. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing
35. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing
36. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske
37. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing
38. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports (disqualified due to a failed inspection)
39. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports
40. Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports
41. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.