NASCAR: Daytona 500 field filled, thanks to unexpected entry
By Asher Fair
With MBM Motorsports now expected to run two cars in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500, the field should end up being full after all.
All offseason, there has been speculation that the field may not be full for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in under three weeks.
With the 2022 season marking the debut of the Gen 7 car, plus the supply shortages associated with that, it was feared that the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida could very well host its first race without at least 40 cars since 1968.
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But it appears as though those concerns have finally been alleviated.
It was initially expected that MBM Motorsports would only be fielding the #66 Ford for Timmy Hill, but according to team owner Carl Long, they also plan to enter the #13 Ford.
This would make the #13 Ford the fourth non-chartered car on the Daytona 500 entry list, which, barring something unforeseen in the single-car qualifying session or the Bluegreen Vacations Duels, would ensure a full field for the race and prevent NASCAR from seeing the first ever Daytona 500 with fewer than 40 cars.
Carl Long confirms that he expects this deal to be signed with JJ Yeley for a second MBM car in the Daytona 500. That would bring potential entries to 42 with the open cars Gragson, Villeneuve, Hill, Yeley and then potentially Grala, TBA-NY Racing. https://t.co/orhFLskJ1b
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 27, 2022
MBM Motorsports fielded both of these cars for the Daytona 500 last year, with Hill behind the wheel of the #66 Ford and Garrett Smithley behind the wheel of the #13 Ford.
But with eight non-chartered entries battling for the final four spots in the field, four cars ended up going home, and these two cars were among those four that failed to qualify.
Notably, there are still two other cars that could be added to the entry list: the #50 The Money Team Racing Chevrolet for Kaz Grala and the #44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet, possibly for Greg Biffle through some sort of partnership with Richard Childress Racing.
Even without either one of these cars, the field would still be full, thanks to Long’s team.
In addition to the two MBM Motorsports entries, the non-chartered entries currently lined up to attempt to qualify for the race include the #27 Team Hezeberg powered by Reaume Brothers Racing Ford for Jacques Villeneuve and the #62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet for Noah Gragson.
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The Bluegreen Vacations Duels are scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 17, and they are set to be broadcast live from Daytona International Speedway on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The 64th running of the “Great American Race” is scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 20, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. So if you have not yet begun your free trial of FuboTV, these next few weeks would be a great time to do so!