The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Daytona this weekend for the Coke Zero 400. The entry list for the race has been released and there’s a number of notable changes after the road course event at Sonoma last weekend.
A full field of 40 cars will contest the 160-lap, 400-mile race that’ll be broadcast on NBC Saturday night. Heading the changes are three teams absent at Sonoma who are back for the third MENCS plate race of the season.
The No. 75 of Beard Motorsports is back, a restrictor plate race-only team that has Brendan Gaughan behind the wheel. BK Racing is also bringing their No. 83 Toyota, a second car running just a limited schedule in 2017. Rookie Ryan Sieg will drive that this week with sponsorship from Dustless Blasting. Rounding out the teams back on the list this week is the No. 7 owned by Tommy Baldwin. XFINITY Series regular Elliott Sadler returns to the driver’s seat armed with sponsorship from Golden Corral.
Among the notables missing this week is the No. 51 owned by Rick Ware. The car has now missed two of the last three events since Cody Ware revealed he’s suffered a back injury. The No. 96 owned by Marty Gaunt, a restrictor plate-only team also chose to skip this event, initially on their schedule while driver DJ Kennington paired up with Premium Motorsports.
Kennington will drive the No. 15 for Premium while Reed Sorenson, replaced temporarily at Sonoma is back running the No. 55. Bubba Wallace also makes his return, back in the No. 43 Ford to sub for Aric Almirola after road course expert Billy Johnson ran Sonoma in the car.
Other oval course drivers back in their seats include Jeffrey Earnhardt in the No. 33 for Circle Sport/TMG and Corey Lajoie, now in the No. 23 for BK Racing. Of note, rookie Gray Gaulding is not entered with BK Racing for this event and has not run in either of their two cars for a month.
| Entry | Car Number | Driver | Sponsor | Manu | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | TBD | Chevrolet | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Detroit Genuine Parts | Ford | Team Penske |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | American Ethanol | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's | Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | UniFirst | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 6 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Liberty National Life Insurance | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 7 | 7 | Elliott Sadler | Golden Corral | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 8 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Aspen Dental | Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Express | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 10 | 13 | Ty Dillon | GEICO Military | Chevrolet | Germain Racing |
| 11 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Mobil 1 | Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 12 | 15 | DJ Kennington | TBD | Chevrolet | Premium Motorsports |
| 13 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Fifth Third Bank | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 14 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Interstate Batteries | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 15 | 19 | Daniel Suarez | Subway | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 16 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | DEWALT Flexvolt | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 17 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 18 | 22 | Joey Logano | Shell Pennzoil | Ford | Team Penske |
| 19 | 23 | Corey Lajoie | Dr. Pepper | Toyota | BK Racing |
| 20 | 24 | Chase Elliott | NAPA Patriotic | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 21 | 27 | Paul Menard | Moen/Menards | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 22 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Velveeta Shells & Cheese | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 23 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Can-Am/Kappa | Ford | GO FAS Racing |
| 24 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Hulu | Chevrolet | Circle Sport/TMG |
| 25 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Love's Travel Stops | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 26 | 37 | Chris Buescher | Coffee Mate | Chevrolet | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 27 | 38 | David Ragan | Shriners Hospitals for Children | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 28 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Monster Energy/Haas Automation | Ford | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 29 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Credit One Bank | Chevrolet | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 30 | 43 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Smithfield | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 31 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Kroger ClickList | Chevrolet | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 32 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 33 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | TBD | Toyota | Premium Motorsports |
| 34 | 72 | Cole Whitt | RTIC Coolers | Chevrolet | TriStar Motorsports |
| 35 | 75 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Oil Distributors | Chevrolet | Beard Motorsports |
| 36 | 77 | Erik Jones | Sport Clips | Toyota | Furniture Row Racing |
| 37 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats | Toyota | Furniture Row Racing |
| 38 | 83 | Ryan Sieg | Dustless Blasting | Toyota | BK Racing |
| 39 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Nationwide | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 40 | 95 | Michael McDowell | TBD | Chevrolet | Leavine Family Racing |
About the author
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
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