Jeff Gordon‘s successor is about to see his first Sprint Cup Series action.
NASCAR released the entry list for the March 29 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway earlier today (March 23). The first short track race of the season will have 46 entrants, meaning that three teams will fail to qualify for Sunday’s race.
2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott is among the entrants for the first time in his young career. Elliott, 19, is set to replace Gordon in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet next season. The Georgia native will pilot the No. 25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet as he attempts to make his first Sprint Cup Series start.
Michael Waltrip Racing developmental driver Brett Moffitt is currently entered in the No. 55 after filling in for Brian Vickers in the No. 55 Toyota at Auto Club Speedway. Vickers, the usual driver of the car, is out for an indefinite amount of time after suffering from blood clots last week. Chris Buescher will fill in once again in Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34.
TMG Racing will return with the No. 30 at Martinsville with driver Ron Hornaday after electing to skip the West Coast Swing. The team last finished 42nd at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Sprint Cup Series will get their first look at Martinsville in 2015 on Friday for one practice session and Coors Light Pole Qualifying. They’ll return for two practice sessions on Saturday, with one final chance to work on their setups. Coverage of the STP 500 will begin on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET.
2015 STP 500 ENTRY LIST
| Entry | Car # | Driver | Manu. | Sponsor | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | Cessna | Felix Sabates |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski (PC3) | Ford | Miller Lite | Roger Penske |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | Cheerios | Richard Childress |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick (PC1) | Chevy | Budweiser / Jimmy John's | Tony Stewart |
| 5 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Farmers Insurance | Linda Hendrick |
| 6 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | Jack Roush |
| 7 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Chevy | TBA | Tommy Baldwin |
| 8 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Ford | Medallion Bank / Mercury Marine | Richard Petty |
| 9 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevy | TaxAct | Tony Stewart |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Express | J D Gibbs |
| 11 | 13 | Casey Mears | Chevy | GEICO | Bob Germain |
| 12 | 14 | Tony Stewart (PC4) | Chevy | Code 3 Associates / Mobil 1 | Margaret Haas |
| 13 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 5-Hour Energy | Rob Kauffman |
| 14 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Ortho | Jack Roush |
| 15 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Fastenal | John Henry |
| 16 | 18 | David Ragan | Toyota | M&M's Crispy | Joe Gibbs |
| 17 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | Arris | J D Gibbs |
| 18 | 20 | Matt Kenseth (PC6) | Toyota | Dollar General | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | Walter Czarnecki |
| 20 | 23 | J.J. Yeley(i) | Toyota | Dr. Pepper | Ron Devine |
| 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (PC7) | Chevy | Axalta | Rick Hendrick |
| 22 | 25 | Chase Elliott (i) | Chevy | NAPA Auto Parts | Rick Hendrick |
| 23 | 26 | Jeb Burton # | Toyota | Maxim.com | Anthony Marlowe |
| 24 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Pittsburg Paints / Menards | Richard Childress |
| 25 | 30 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Chevy | Curtis Key Plumbing | Curtis Key Sr. |
| 26 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | Quicken Loans | Richard Childress |
| 27 | 32 | Mike Bliss(i) | Ford | CorvetteParts.net | Archie St. Hilaire |
| 28 | 33 | Alex Kennedy | Chevy | TBA | Joe Falk |
| 29 | 34 | Chris Buescher | Ford | A&W All American Food | Bob Jenkins |
| 30 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Ford | TBD | Jerry Freeze |
| 31 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | Brad Jenkins |
| 32 | 40 | Landon Cassill(i) | Chevy | TBA | Mike Hillman |
| 33 | 41 | Kurt Busch (PC5) | Chevy | Haas Automation | Gene Haas |
| 34 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | Target | Chip Ganassi |
| 35 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | STP | Richard Petty |
| 36 | 44 | TBA | Chevy | TBA | John Cohen |
| 37 | 46 | Michael Annett | Chevy | Pilot Flying J | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 38 | 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevy | Bush's Beans | Tad Geschickter |
| 39 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (PC2) | Chevy | Lowe's | Jeff Gordon |
| 40 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | Chevy | Fraternal Order of Eagles / Switch Hitch | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 41 | 55 | Brett Moffitt | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine | Michael Waltrip |
| 42 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Chevy | TBA | Jay Robinson |
| 43 | 78 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Chevy | Furniture Row / Visser Precision | Barney Vissar |
| 44 | 83 | Matt Dibenedetto | Toyota | Burger King | Ron Devine |
| 45 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Diet Mountain Dew | Rick Hendrick |
| 46 | 98 | Josh Wise | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing | Mike Curb |
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.