Nine drivers will compete for four open spots. One driver has a guaranteed spot that could increase the field size for the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. β NASCAR legends, racing series champions, rookies, and a complete smorgasbord of characters will attempt to make the 2025 Daytona 500.
There are 45 drivers attempting to make the 40-car field. Qualifying on Wednesday night will determine the front row for Sunday’s Great American Race and set the field for the Daytona Duel races. Those races will officially set the field for the Daytona 500.
Four or five people will miss the big show. The discrepancy exists because of a new rule that allows a new provisional that allows world-class drivers to be guaranteed into the field. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was granted the provisional in his one-race deal with Trackhouse Racing.
There are 36 drivers locked into the show through charter agreements. Most drivers are staying in place from 2024 but there are several ride changes for 2025.Β
Nine open drivers will attempt to fill the remaining four spots, with an additional spot opening if Castroneves does not race or qualify his way in.
The 45-car entry list is the largest for the Daytona 500 since 2015 when 50 cars attempted to make the 43-car field. NASCAR qualifying is at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday on FS1.
Martin Truex Jr.
The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion will have to qualify or race his way into the Great American Race. Truex, who retired at the end of the 2024 season, is racing the No. 56 Toyota for 23XI Racing.
Despite a Hall of Fame resume, Truex has not won the Daytona 500 yet. His best finish in 20 starts was second in 2016.
Truex has 34 wins in the Cup Series.
Jimmie Johnson
A seven-time champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner will need to earn his way into the field.
Johnson, who won the prestigious race in 2006 and 2013, is racing the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, his own team.
Johnson won the NASCAR Cup Series championship a record-tying seven times (2006-2010, 2013, 2016). He has 83 wins in his career but has struggled since his return to part-time racing in 2023.
Corey LaJoie
Rick Ware Racing tapped LaJoie to run a part-time schedule with the team in the No. 01 Ford. He will carry sponsorship from Take 5 Oil Change.Β
LaJoie has seven full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series on his resume. His best finish in his 272 starts is fourth, which he has done three times — most recently in the 2024 Daytona 500.
LaJoie started 2024 with Spire Motorsports but changed to RWR by the end of the year in a driver swap with Justin Haley. The “Stacking Pennies” podcast that LaJoie hosts is quite popular among NASCAR fans.
Justin Allgaier
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports will make its first foray into the Cup Series with a Daytona 500 entry. Allgaier, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, will pilot the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet for the team.
Allgaier has 82 Cup Series starts with a best finish of eighth at Bristol in 2018. His best finish in two Daytona 500 attempts was 27th in 2014.
The Xfinity Series is where Allgaier’s talents have shined the brightest. He has 25 wins in the series and 11 top-five finishes in the points standings.
J.J. Yeley
The NY Racing Team will once again turn to Yeley to attempt the Daytona 500 in the No. 44 Chevrolet.Β
Yeley has competed in Cup Series races since 2004 with a best finish of second at Charlotte in 2007. His best finish in the Daytona 500 was 10th in 2013.
NY Racing ran 10 races in 2024. It’s not known how many races the team will attempt this year.
Anthony Alfredo
Alfredo will race the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. It’s his second year in a row attempting the Daytona 500 with the team.
The best finish of Alfredo’s career was sixth at Talladega in 2024. In two Daytona 500 starts, his best finish is 27th in 2024.
Alfredo will race full-time with Young’s Motorsports in 2025 in the Xfinity Series.
Chandler Smith
Smith is looking to make his Daytona 500 debut with MBM Motorsports in the No. 66 Ford. The 22-year-old has three Cup Series starts with a best finish of 11th at Talladega in 2023.Β
MBM originally planned to put former Xfinity Series race winner Mike Wallace in the car, but NASCAR prohibited the 65-year-old driver from competing due to lack of recent racing experience.
Smith won two races in the Xfinity Series in 2024 and finished fifth in the points standings. He is returning full-time to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025 with Front Row Motorsports.
BJ McLeod
Once again racing for his own team, Live Fast Motorsports, McLeod is attempting the big show in the No. 78 Ford.
McLeod has two top 10s in his Cup Series career, both of which came in July Daytona races. In five Daytona 500 starts, McLeod’s best finish is 19th in 2019.
Helio Castroneves
The four-time Indy 500 champ is hoping to make his NASCAR debut in the Daytona 500.
Castroneves has won in IndyCar, IMSA, and sports cars, and competed in various other leagues. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021.Β
Castroneves is racing the No. 91 Chevrolet with Trackhouse Racing.
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