Qualifying for the 2025 Daytona 500 is set to take place today (Wednesday, February 12) ahead of the official Cup Series season opener on Sunday night.
This Sunday's edition of the prestigious race is set to be its 67th running, but there is plenty of on-track action to take place ahead of the grueling 500-mile test.
With Daytona being the jewel in NASCAR's crown, it is perhaps unsurprising that the qualifying format for this weekend's race is unlike any other on the schedule.
Qualifying on Wednesday night, for example, will determine who starts on the front row for the 2025 Daytona 500, but the rest of the field will be determined in two qualifying races on Thursday — officially known as Duel 1 and Duel 2.
However, qualifying tonight is still absolutely crucial as it determines the starting lineups for those duels.
For a full rundown on the qualifying and race format this week, please see here.
NASCAR Cup Series: Daytona 500 qualifying start times
The all-important qualifying kicks off today (Wednesday, February 12, 2025) at 8:15 pm ET. Here are the start times converted to your city and time zone:
City (Time Zone)
Session start time
New York, NY (ET)
8:15 PM
Charlotte, NC (ET)
8:15 PM
Columbia, SC (ET)
8:15 PM
Charleston, WV (ET)
8:15 PM
Augusta, ME (ET)
8:15 PM
Chicago, IL (CT)
7:15 PM
Pierre, SD (CT)
7:15 PM
Nashville, TN (CT)
7:15 PM
Des Moines, IA (CT)
7:15 PM
Montgomery, AL (CT)
7:15 PM
Mexico City, MX (CT)
7:15 PM
Phoenix, AZ (MT)
6:15 PM
Denver, CO (MT)
6:15 PM
Salt Lake City, UT (MT)
6:15 PM
Albuquerque, NM (MT)
6:15 PM
El Paso, TX (MT)
6:15 PM
Los Angeles, CA (PT)
5:15 PM
Las Vegas, NV (PT)
5:15 PM
Seattle, WA (PT)
5:15 PM
Portland, OR (PT)
5:15 PM
San Francisco, CA (PT)
5:15 PM
Rio de Janeiro, BR (BRT)
10:15 PM
London, GB (GMT)
1:15 AM (Thursday)
Madrid, ES (CET)
2:15 AM (Thursday)
Sydney, AU (AEDT)
12:15 PM (Thursday)
Perth, AU (AWST)
9:15 AM (Thursday)
Qualifying action from Daytona International Speedway ahead of the Daytona 500 is live on television for NASCAR fans to watch.
All of the action will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 in the United States. Radio coverage is also available from MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.