Ross Chastain wins Daytona pole for Coke Zero Sugar 400
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 29, 2026
Chastain grabs Daytona
Ross Chastain put himself in front for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, winning the pole and giving Trackhouse Racing the lead spot for the regular-season finale. Chastain posted a 48.808-second lap in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and beat Chris Buescher by 0.051 seconds. The effort gave him his first Busch Light Pole Award of the 2026 season and the third pole of his Cup Series career. It also set up a prime starting position for one of the biggest races on the schedule, with Chastain set to open the event from the front of the field after a clean and quick qualifying run.
Chastain did not treat the result like just another fast lap. He called it a “life achievement,” a reflection of what the pole meant in the moment and what it represented in his Cup Series career. The margin over Buescher was tight, and the lap time underscored how close the field was in qualifying. Chastain’s run also fit the style that often matters at Daytona, where track position and timing can shape the opening stages of a race. For Chastain, the pole marks a clear highlight in a season where every qualifying session can carry extra weight, and it gives him first crack at controlling the pace when the green flag drops Saturday night.
Trackhouse fills top seven
Trackhouse Racing left qualifying with a strong overall showing, placing all three of its cars in the top seven. That kind of spread gave the team a clear presence near the front and a strong base entering the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Austin Hill qualified third, Ryan Preece took fourth, Riley Herbst was fifth, Shane van Gisbergen lined up sixth and Connor Zilisch was seventh. Chastain at the top, then three more cars inside the top seven, turned qualifying into a statement session for the organization. It was the kind of result teams want at Daytona, where starting spots still matter even in a race built around drafting and late-race movement.
The group also showed balance across the board. Chastain claimed the pole, Buescher split the Trackhouse group in second and the next three positions stayed tight behind them. Hill’s third-place run gave him a start near the front. Preece, Herbst, van Gisbergen and Zilisch all put themselves in position to stay in the mix early. For Trackhouse, the result was deeper than one pole. It put three cars within striking distance of the front and gave the team a solid opening setup for the race that closes the regular season. The qualifying results also showed how competitive the field was, with small gaps separating the front runners and a number of drivers lining up in positions that could give them an early lane into the race.
Ty Gibbs gains lap
Ty Gibbs also had a notable qualifying day after NASCAR mistakenly turned on the caution lights as he exited Turn 2, which gave him a second lap. Gibbs used the extra chance to improve his position and moved up to 14th. That change mattered because it turned a rougher sequence into a better starting spot for the race. In a field where track position can help shape strategy, every place gained matters. Gibbs made the most of the second lap and left qualifying with a stronger result than the one he first had in hand.
Brad Keselowski qualified 21st after a tougher session that started with his No. 6 Ford failing pre-race inspection twice. The missed inspections cost the team pit selection, and the setback showed up in the final starting spot. Gray Gaulding was the only driver who failed to qualify. Those details rounded out a busy qualifying day that produced both strong runs and costly trouble. Chastain’s pole stood at the top of it all, but the rest of the field still shaped the setup for Saturday night. Gibbs improved when given another shot. Keselowski dealt with inspection issues that hurt his position. Gaulding missed the race entirely. All of it fed into the same picture, a Daytona qualifying session where small details carried real weight and the front of the grid belonged to Chastain when the dust settled.
