NASCAR: 5 Daytona 500 drivers can’t score any points
By Asher Fair
Five drivers on the entry list for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 are ineligible for Cup Series points.
The 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to get the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season underway this Sunday, February 20.
There are 42 drivers on the entry list for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida, meaning that two of them will ultimately fail to qualify after the single-car qualifying session (Wednesday, February 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1) and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels (Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1).
Must Read. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still annoys Martin Truex Jr.. light
A total of 36 drivers are locked into the field due to charters, so six drivers will ultimately be battling for the final four spots.
But of the 42 drivers on the entry list, only 37 are eligible to score any Cup Series points.
The five who are ineligible to do so include Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric, Beard Motorsports’ Noah Gragson, Spire Motorsports’ Landon Cassill, and MBM Motorsports teammates J.J. Yeley and Timmy Hill.
Hemric, Gragson and Cassill are ineligible to do so because they are full-time Xfinity Series drivers. Hemric and Cassill are set for their first seasons with Kaulig Racing while Gragson is set to be back at JR Motorsports for a fourth consecutive season.
Hill, meanwhile, is set to compete full-time in the Truck Series for Hill Motorsports. Yeley is not a full-time driver in any series, but he is eligible for points in the Xfinity Series. He is set to compete for MBM Motorsports in the Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway as well.
Interestingly, of the five Daytona 500 drivers ineligible to score Cup Series points, only three are guaranteed to be in the race. Two drivers, Hemric and Cassill, are locked in because of the fact that they are driving chartered entries, and with only two drivers set to miss the race, that guarantees that at least one of Gragson, Yeley and Hill will get in.
Next. Top 25 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark
The “Great American Race” is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20. Be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV if you have not yet done so!