NASCAR set to open season with sold-out crowd for Daytona 500

By Canadian Press on February 11, 2026.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron will try to win his third straight Daytona 500 on Sunday in front of a sellout crowd.

Daytona International Speedway announced Wednesday that all reserved grandstand seats have been purchased for the 68th running of “The Great American Race.”

Though grandstand tickets and camping are sold out for Sunday’s marquee event, limited upgrades and premium packages are still available. More than 100,000 fans are expected to pack Daytona.

Byron won last year’s event in overtime after race leader Denny Hamlin got spun on the final lap, igniting a multicar crash. Byron ended up passing eight cars on the last lap to return to victory lane.

Comedian Nate Bargatze will serve as the grand marshal and give the command for drivers to start their engines. Actor Kurt Russell is the honorary pace car driver, and country singer Miranda Lambert will perform a prerace concert. Miss America Cassie Donegan will sing the national anthem.

The purse of $31,045,575 is the largest in Daytona 500 history.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The Associated Press