NASCAR: Possible additions to 2020 Daytona 500 entry list

There are already more than 40 cars on the entry list for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. What are some of the remaining possible additions?

Last week was a big week for the NASCAR Cup Series, as several drivers were confirmed for the 2020 season-opening 62nd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway next month.

Even more notably, with the confirmations that were made last week for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Florida, the entry list now contains more cars than the maximum field size.

There are now 41 cars on the provisional entry list, meaning that at least one of the non-chartered cars will fail to qualify for the race in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels three days beforehand.

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With a maximum field size of 40, the addition of any more drivers to the entry list will result in an additional driver among the non-chartered teams being bumped out of the field and left on the outside looking in after Thursday, February 13.

And there is still quite a bit of potential for some additional entries for this race.

Rick Ware Racing have yet to confirm who the driver of their third full-time car for this race will be. They did confirm a third driver alongside full-time drivers J.J. Yeley and Joey Gase, with that driver being David Ragan, but that will likely be in an additional entry, as they fielded this entry via a partnership with Front Row Motorsports. Ragan retired from full-time competition after the 2019 season ended.

It is believed that the charter used by the discontinued #36 team at Front Row Motorsports will end up at Rick Ware Racing for their third full-time entry, as only two of Rick Ware Racing’s three planned full-time entries are currently chartered. This would be the 36th and final charter and would guarantee that this entry would not be bumped out of the field.

Assuming Ragan is separate from the third full-time entry, which is not a guarantee since they could always use multiple drivers in their third full-time entry throughout the season and Ragan could simply be one of them, this would bring the entry list total to 42 with six non-chartered cars going for the final four spots.

Gaunt Brothers Racing have competed in each of the last three Daytona 500s, and there is even a rumor that they will compete full-time in the 2020 season with Daniel Suarez behind the wheel of the #96 Toyota.

Regardless of whether or not they end up competing full-time, don’t expect them to miss the Daytona 500. Expect either Suarez or Parker Kligerman, who drove for the team in last year’s Daytona 500 and in 13 of their other 14 starts throughout the season, behind the wheel.

This would bring the entry list total to 43 with seven non-chartered cars going for the final four spots.

It is hard to see Premium Motorsports not fielding the #27 Chevrolet in addition to their full-time #15 Chevrolet, likely for Reed Sorenson, who competed in 14 races for the team and 11 for the Premium Motorsports-affiliated Spire Motorsports team last year. This would bring the entry list total to 44 with eight non-chartered cars going for the final four spots.

Then there are a few other less likely possibilities as well, including but not limited to a third Richard Childress Racing car and a Tommy Baldwin Racing car. Regardless, we should have a battle on our hands to determine which four non-chartered entries will qualify for the race and which other few will be heading home early.

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How many cars will ultimately be on the entry list for the 62nd annual Daytona 500 next month? The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season opener is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 16.

The single-car qualifying session for the race is set to be broadcast live from the track one week earlier on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels are set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 13.

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