Of the 41 cars confirmed for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 thus far, only 40 have confirmed drivers.
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get away in under three weeks with the 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
In addition to the 36 chartered entries which are locked into this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida, there are five non-chartered entries (so far) set to attempt to get into the race via the single-car qualifying and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels.
This list excludes the one notable car that is still not confirmed for the Daytona 500, but with the field capped at 40 entries, it ensures a full field. There had been legitimate concerns that a full field would not be possible this year.
However, while much of the focus has been on filling the field as of late, there is still one chartered car that doesn’t have a driver.
Of the 36 chartered cars, 32 have full-time drivers. Another one, the #16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, has three part-time drivers lined up to compete throughout the 36-race season, including Daniel Hemric for the Daytona 500, leaving three other entries.
These three other entries all still need more drivers, though two of them have Daytona 500 drivers. B.J. McLeod is set to drive the #78 Ford for the team he co-owns, Live Fast Motorsports, and David Ragan is set to drive the #15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing.
But the #77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, which is set to be run using a charter the team acquired from Rick Ware Racing after selling two of their previous three to Kaulig Racing, is still without a confirmed driver for the Daytona 500.
The only driver confirmed for the #77 Chevrolet for the upcoming season is Josh Bilicki, who is set to compete in “most” of the races on the schedule. But his first start isn’t scheduled to come until the race at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, February 27.
Landon Cassill is set to drive the car in this Sunday night’s Busch Light Clash exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and he is thought to be in contention to land the seat for the Daytona 500 as well.
So who will be behind the wheel of the #77 Chevrolet for the 2022 season opener? Fox is set to broadcast the 64th annual Daytona 500 live from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20.