The 2026 Daytona 500 is quickly approaching, and with it comes announcements of non-chartered cars entering the NASCAR Cup Series’ opening race.
Though the official entry list for the 2026 edition of the Great American Race has not yet been released, multiple teams have already confirmed plans to join the 36 chartered entries to try to make the 40-car field (or 41; more on that later).
Here’s who’s thrown their hat into the ring so far, from part-time organizations to regular Cup teams entering one-off cars.
Chandler Smith (No. 36, Front Row Motorsports)
After failing to qualify for the 2023 and 2025 Daytona 500s while driving for Kaulig Racing and Garage 66, Chandler Smith is back for a third go at it, this time with Front Row Motorsports.
FRM will field the No. 36 for Smith, one of its full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers, in a fourth entry for the organization.
It’s the first time the No. 36 has been fielded by FRM since 2024, when Kaz Grala finished 38th in that year’s Daytona 500.
Justin Allgaier (No. 40, JR Motorsports)
Back for a second year is JR Motorsports’ Cup car, the No. 40, which debuted in the 2025 Daytona 500. Justin Allgaier was also the driver that race, finishing ninth in JRM’s first time in the Cup field.
To date, it’s still JRM’s only Cup start, unless Allgaier and the No. 40 can qualify their way in for a second year in a row.
No. 44, NY Racing Team
NY Racing Team hasn’t explicitly put out a press release shouting from the rooftops that it’ll be at Daytona International Speedway come February or anything, but the longtime part-time Cup team has made posts on social media that indicate it will be among the open cars at the track.
One of said posts tagged JJ Yeley, its most commonly entered driver. Yeley also drove for the team in the 2024 and ’25 500s, failing to qualify for both.
Anthony Alfredo (No. 62, Beard Motorsports)
Beard Motorsports is a perennial presence at the Daytona 500 (and the majority of the Cup Series’ superspeedway races as a whole), and 2026 is no different. For the third year in a row, Anthony Alfredo will be the part-time team’s driver.
Beard is coming off a season where it failed to qualify for the 500, though it made the race with Alfredo in 2024, finishing 27th.
Its best result in the event to date remains the 2000 edition, when Brendan Gaughan came home seventh.
Casey Mears (No. 66, Garage 66)
In his continued quest for 500 Cup starts (he enters 2026 with 494), Casey Mears will attempt the Daytona 500 with Garage 66.
Should he qualify, it’ll be Mears’ first 500 since 2019, when he finished 40th with Germain Racing.
Garage 66, formerly known as MBM Motorsports in the series, is looking to start its first 500 since Timmy Hill finished 27th in 2020.
Corey Heim (No. 67, 23XI Racing)
Not much is known about Corey Heim‘s 2026 plans, but the defending Truck champion does have a Daytona 500 ride on the docket.
Heim, who drove the No. 67 in four races for 23XI Racing in 2025, returns for the season opener in what will be his first attempt at the 500.
Currently, this is the only announced race for the No. 67, 23XI’s part-time fourth car, for the season.
BJ McLeod (No. 78, Live Fast Motorsports)
The plans for Live Fast Motorsports in 2026 are still somewhat shrouded in mystery, but one thing’s for certain: the No. 78 will be at Daytona with its owner-driver, BJ McLeod.
LFM will be trying for its first start in the race since selling its charter and moving to a part-time schedule beginning in 2024.
Jimmie Johnson (No. 84, Legacy Motor Club)
Here’s where that prospective 41st starting spot comes in. Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club’s part-time No. 84 are back again, currently one of two scheduled starts for the seven-time Cup champion this season.
Legacy has applied for the open exemption provisional for Johnson, meaning that if he is unable to qualify as one of the top four open cars (aka the normal route), he’ll be given the 41st starting position, similar to what occurred with Helio Castroneves in 2026.
Corey LaJoie (No. 99, RFK Racing)
Corey LaJoie will be at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium next month as a fill-in driver for the injured Brad Keselowski. A few weeks later, RFK will enter him in a fourth car, the No. 99, for the Daytona 500.
It’ll be LaJoie’s third team in three years in the 500; he drove an extra Rick Ware Racing car in 2025 and was still full time for Spire Motorsports in 2024.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.