NASCAR has released the official entry list for the 59th running of the Daytona 500.
Forty-two cars will vie for the 40 spots in the starting lineup of the Great American Race.
Six teams without a charter are entered into the event and will have to qualify their way into the event, by way of qualifying speed or finishing position in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona.
XFINITY Series regular Elliott Sadler will attempt to make the event in Tommy Baldwin’s No. 7 Chevy. Baldwin sold his charter at the end of last season, and this is a one-off deal for the team.
Premium Motorsports does not have a charter this season for its No. 55 and will try to get Reed Sorenson into the field. Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip is entered in Premium’s No. 15, which does have a charter that is acquired from HScott Motorsports.
The race is expected to be Waltrip’s last.
BK Racing recently leased its No. 83 charter to TriStar Motorsports’ No. 72 entry of Cole Whitt, so BK’s new driver Corey LaJoie will have to qualify his way into Daytona.
Whitt, Timmy Hill, Brendan Gaughan and DJ Kennington will all drive for teams that are new or returning to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Hill, Gaughan and Kennington do not have the luxury of a charter and will have to qualify their way in.
The race will mark the Cup debut of Mexico-born driver Daniel Suarez, as he takes the reins of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota from the recently retired Carl Edwards.
It will also mark the first race for Furniture Row Racing’s No. 77 entry, with rookie Erik Jones driving, and JTG Daugherty’s No. 37 entry, with Chris Buescher at the helm. Both cars acquired charters over the offseason and are guaranteed a starting spot in the Great American Race.
Car # | Driver | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | Cessna / McDonald's | Chip Ganassi Racing |
2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Miller Lite | Team Penske |
3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | Dow | Richard Childress Racing |
4 | Kevin Harvick | Ford | Jimmy John's | Stewart-Haas Racing |
5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Farmer's Inusrance | Hendrick Motorsports |
6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | Roush Fenway Racing |
7*[59] | Elliott Sadler(i) | Chevy | Golden Corral | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
10 | Danica Patrick | Ford | Aspen Dental | Stewart-Haas Racing |
11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Express | Joe Gibbs Racing |
13 | Ty Dillon # | Chevy | GEICO | Germain Racing |
14 | Clint Bowyer | Ford | Mobil 1 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
15[15] | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | Aaron's | Premium Motorsports |
17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Fastenal | Roush Fenway Racing |
18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&M's | Joe Gibbs Racing |
19 | Daniel Suarez # | Toyota | ARRIS | Joe Gibbs Racing |
20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | DeWalt | Joe Gibbs Racing |
21[32L] | Ryan Blaney | Ford | Motorcraft /Quicklane | Wood Brothers Racing |
22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | Team Penske |
23 | Joey Gase(i) | Toyota | Best Home Furnishings | BK Racing |
24 | Chase Elliott | Chevy | NAPA Auto Parts | Hendrick Motorsports |
27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Menards / Peak | Richard Childress Racing |
31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | Caterpillar | Richard Childress Racing |
32[44L] | Matt DiBendetto | Ford | Can-Am | GO FAS Racing |
33[95] | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Chevy | Starter | Circle Sport / TMG |
34 | Landon Cassill | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | Front Row Motorsports |
37[16L] | Chris Buescher | Chevy | Cottonelle | JTG Daugherty Racing |
38 | David Ragan | Ford | Juice Battery | Front Row Motorsports |
41 | Kurt Busch | Ford | Haas Automation / Monster Energy | Stewart-Haas Racing |
42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing |
43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Smithfield Foods | Richard Petty Motorsports |
47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevy | Kroger Click List | JTG Daugherty Racing |
48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevy | Lowe's | Hendrick Motorsports |
51* | Timmy Hill(i) | Chevy | TBA | Rick Ware Racing |
55* | Reed Sorenson | Toyota | TBA | Premium Motorsports |
72[83L] | Cole Whitt | Ford | Florida Lottery | TriStar Motorsports |
75* | Brendan Gaughan(i) | Chevy | Beard Oil / TSS Logistics | Beard Motorsports |
77[46] | Erik Jones # | Toyota | Five-Hour Energy Extra Strength | Furniture Row Racing |
78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | Bass Pro Shops / Trakker Boats | Furniture Row Racing |
83* | Corey LaJoie | Toyota | Dustless Blasting | BK Racing |
88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Nationwide | Hendrick Motorsports |
95[7] | Michael McDowell | Chevy | Klove Radio / WRL Contractors | Leavine Family Racing |
96* | D.J. Kennington(i) | Toyota | Lordco Auto Parts / Castrol | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020. Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
Remember the days of 50+ entries for the 500? And never knowing who might be driving in a one-off deal for whom, or what kind of car they’d throw together for the race? The most boring off-track part of the sport now might be the entry lists.
Even though the race winnings are not publicly released, it seems clear that they have taken a nosedive and this is further proof. At one time you could luck your way into a decent finish at the 500 and be able to scrape a few more races together if you were a low buck team.
I see Mikey’s back. What are the odds he’ll bring out the first caution when he gets a little behind in his steering?
When the few remaining stars retire, this series will be even more pathetic than it is now. No wonder the stands are half empty and ratings are down. What was a good series has become a boring shell of its former self