Next up for the NASCAR XFINITY Series: the Arizona desert.
NASCAR released the preliminary entry list for the Mar. 12 Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. The list includes 42 entrants, meaning two will fail to qualify for Saturday’s race.
Bad news for the field: Kyle Busch will return to his No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota. Busch has gone two-for-two to start the year in the machine, leading 199 out of 200 laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Joining Busch from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott.
Truck series regular Spencer Gallagher will step up to the XFINITY Series on Saturday, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for GMS Racing.
The XFINITY Series will return to action at Phoenix on Friday, Mar. 11 for three practice sessions at 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (all times ET). The field will then return on Saturday for Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 11:45 a.m. ET. Coverage for the Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200 will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
| Car No. | Driver | Sponsor | Manu | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Garrett Smithley | teamjdmotorsports.com | Chevy | Gary Cogswell |
| 01 | Ryan Preece | teamjdmotorsports.com | Chevy | Johnny Davis |
| 1 | Elliott Sadler | OneMain | Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 2 | Austin Dillon(i) | Ruud | Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Boats | Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | teamjdmotorsports.com | Chevy | Gary Keller |
| 6 | Darrell Wallace Jr | Cheez-It Ford Mustang | Ford | Jack Roush |
| 7 | Justin Allgaier | BRANDT | Chevy | Kelley Earnhardt-Miller |
| 07 | Ray Black Jr | Scuba Life | Chevy | Bobby Dotter |
| 10 | Jeff Green | TBD | Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 11 | Blake Koch | LeafFilter Gutter Protection | Chevy | Matt Kaulig |
| 13 | DJ Kennington | Northern Provincial Pipelines | Dodge | Derek White |
| 14 | Benny Gordon | TBD | Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 15 | TBA | TBD | Chevy | Rick Ware |
| 16 | Ryan Reed | Lilly Diabetes / American Diabetes Association | Ford | Jack Roush |
| 18 | Kyle Busch(i) | NOS Energy Drink | Toyota | J D Gibbs |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | Juniper Networks | Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Reser's Fine Foods | Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 21 | Spencer Gallagher(i) | TBD | Chevy | Maurice Gallagher Jr |
| 22 | Brad Keselowski(i) | Discount Tire | Ford | Roger Penske |
| 24 | Corey LaJoie | JGL YOUNG GUNS | Toyota | Gregg Mixon |
| 25 | TBA | Wrap Nation | Chevy | Rick Ware |
| 28 | Dakoda Armstrong | Winfield Be Greater | Toyota | James Whitener |
| 33 | Brandon Jones | E-Z-GO | Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Chevy | Rod Sieg |
| 40 | Josh Reaume | Braille Battery / Grafoid | Toyota | Derek White |
| 42 | Justin Marks | Katerra | Chevy | Chip Ganassi |
| 43 | Jeb Burton | J. Streicher | Ford | Richard Petty |
| 44 | David Starr | Zachry | Toyota | Mark Smith |
| 48 | Brennan Poole | DC Solar | Chevy | Chip Ganassi |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | RepairableVehicles.com | Chevy | Tony Clements |
| 52 | Joey Gase | TBD | Chevy | Jimmy Means |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point | Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 70 | Derrike Cope | TBA | Chevy | Mary Louise Miller |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | TBA | Dodge | Mike Harmon |
| 78 | B J McLeod | Batteries Plus Bulbs | Ford | B J Mcleod |
| 88 | Chase Elliott(i) | TaxSlayer.com | Chevy | Rick Hendrick |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | TBA | Chevy | Cindy Shepherd |
| 90 | Mario Gosselin | BuckedUp Apparel / CrashClaimsR.Us | Chevy | Michelle Gosselin |
| 93 | Dylan Lupton | RSS Racing, Inc. | Chevy | Pamela Sieg |
| 97 | Harrison Rhodes | VroomBrands | Chevy | Victor Obaika |
| 99 | Todd Peck | Batteries Plus Bulbs | Ford | Jessica Smith |
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.