NASCAR Cup Team Fielding Surprise Fourth Entry in Daytona 500
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series team Front Row Motorsports is set to attempt to field a fourth car for driver Chandler…
A storyline to focus on entering every Daytona 500 is the numerous open entries that attempt to make the race. These open (or unchartered) cars face uncertainty entering the weekend as they must qualify for the race by speed or by a high finishing order in a duel.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series team Front Row Motorsports is set to attempt to field a fourth car for driver Chandler…
Front Row Motorsports will enter a fourth car in the Daytona 500 with driver Chandler Smith behind the wheel of the No. 36 car. This will be the first time FRM has entered the No. 36 since expanding to three full-time cars in 2025, and the car’s first overall race since the 2024 Daytona 500.
Smith, who races full-time with FRM in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has attempted to qualify for the Daytona 500 twice, failing to do so with Kaulig Racing in 2023 and Carl Long’s Garage 66 in 2025. This will mark FRM’s third time entering an open car in the Daytona 500 since the start of the NASCAR Next Gen Era.
What’s Happening? JR Motorsports will enter its second-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in February as Justin Allgaier and the team’s No….
In 2026, JRM will attempt a second Daytona 500 with Allgaier in the Traveller Whiskey No. 40; they were the first open team to announce their entry to the 500.
Last season, JR Motorsports made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2025 Daytona 500. This entry, the No. 40, was a collaboration between Grammy-winning singer Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey and JRM, with driver Justin Allgaier piloting the popular entry to a top ten finish, bringing his damaged Chevrolet home in ninth.
The NY Racing Team will return for the 2026 Daytona 500 with NASCAR Cup Series veteran driver J.J. Yeley. The team has previously attempted to make the 500 in 2022, 2024, and 2025, but has only ever made the race in 2022.
Last season, the team entered 14 races, with Yeley behind the wheel of the No. 44 for ten. Fortunately, their best finish of the season came at Daytona in August, with driver Joey Gase bringing the No. 44 home in 28th.
What’s Happening? Beard Motorsports, a fan favorite family-owned race team, will attempt the 2026 Daytona 500 with driver Anthony Alfredo back…
Beard Motorsports and Anthony Alfredo will attempt to make the Daytona 500 one season after failing to do so in 2025. This marks Beard’s tenth attempt to make the race, having previously qualified six times since first attempting to do so in 2018.
In their six starts in the Daytona 500, the team has had three different drivers behind the wheel, and a best finish of seventh in 2020.
Garage 66 owner Carl Long announced that the team will attempt to make the 2025 Daytona 500 with driver Casey Mears during a December 23 interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This marks their third straight season of entering the No. 66 in the NASCAR Cup Series since the team’s return to the sport in 2024.
The team formerly known as MBM Motorsports is a staple of the Cup Series lineup of part-time teams, having raced in NASCAR for some time. Despite their consistent efforts, the team has not made the Daytona 500 since 2020, with driver Timmy Hill behind the wheel. In 2021, the team failed to make the race with Hill, and last season, they failed to make the race with Chandler Smith behind the wheel.
What’s Happening? 23XI Racing has finally announced plans for top prospect Corey Heim following an offseason packed with questions for the…
Corey Heim will get his first shot at the Daytona 500 with 23XI Racing. This marks Heim’s first-ever attempt to make the 500, and 23XI Racing’s second-ever attempt at the Great American Race.
In 2023, 23XI Racing made the 500 with Motorsports legend Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of the No. 67. Heim has yet to attempt a superspeedway race in his handful of career Cup Series starts, but could be a favorite of the open entries to do so.
McLeod, a fan favorite, returns for another shot at the Daytona 500 after failing to qualify his Live Fast Motorsports entry in its first two seasons as a non-chartered car.
The 42-year-old has made 11 Cup Series starts at Daytona, scoring a best finish of seventh in 2022’s chaotic summer race. The best finish in his five Daytona 500 starts is 19th in 2019 with Rick Ware Racing.
What’s Happening? NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson’s attempt to win his third Daytona 500 just got a little easier thanks to a…
This season, Johnson will once again tackle the Daytona 500, marking his 23rd entry into the race. As of his announcement, the 500 is one of two races that Johnson will attempt in 2026, with the legend also slated to race on the streets of San Diego in June.
In 2025, Johnson had his best Daytona 500 finish since 2019, bringing home his No. 84 in third. This effort followed a difficult stretch for the NASCAR Hall of Famer, where he struggled to finish races as a part-time driver for Legacy Motor Club.
What’s Happening? NASCAR veteran Corey LaJoie is officially joining RFK Racing, driving the No. 99 as their fourth entry in the…
For the second time in their history, RFK Racing will field an open car in the Daytona 500, having previously done so with David Ragan in the No. 60 in 2024.
For this ride, RFK is summoning the No. 99 back into its fleet, a number made popular by Carl Edwards during their Roush-Fenway Racing era. The number was most recently used by Trackhouse Racing and Daniel Suarez from 2021 to 2025, with RFK not having used the number since 2016.
Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 99 in his latest attempt in the Daytona 500. Last season, LaJoie made the field driving the No. 01 open car for Rick Ware Racing, putting together a solid run overshadowed by a late race reshuffling of the field.
This list will be updated as teams make car and driver announcements throughout the season.
