NASCAR: Four teams aiming for big Daytona 500 advantage

Four two-car teams are trying to put a third car into the field for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500.

There are 36 drivers who know they are guaranteed a spot in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, based on the fact that they are set to drive chartered cars that are effectively locked into all 36 races on the schedule.

Things are far less certain for everybody else. There are six non-chartered cars on the entry list, and with the field capped at 40 cars, only four of them will end up qualifying.

Two are set to do so in the single-car qualifying session (Wednesday, February 15 at 8:15 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1) and two more are set to do so in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels (Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1).

This year’s group of non-chartered entries is considered by many to be the strongest since the charter system was implemented back in 2016.

One of the reasons why this is the case, other than the stout resumes each driver brings to the table, is the fact that four of the drivers are set to compete for solid, established teams that are already locked into the field with their other two full-time entries.

Kaulig Racing, which are set to field the No. 13 Chevrolet for Chandler Smith, are already locked in with A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet and Justin Haley’s No. 31 Chevrolet.

Front Row Motorsports, which are set to field the No. 36 Ford for Zane Smith, are already locked in with Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Ford and Todd Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford.

23XI Racing, which are set to field the No. 67 Toyota for Travis Pastrana, are already locked in with Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota and Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 Ford.

And Legacy Motor Club, which are set to field the No. 84 Chevrolet for Jimmie Johnson, are already locked in with Noah Gragson’s No. 42 Chevrolet and Erik Jones’s No. 43 Chevrolet.

These four NASCAR Cup Series teams are trying to enter the Daytona 500 with a big advantage.

Unlike at most other races on the schedule, teamwork is paramount on the race track when it comes to superspeedway races such as the Daytona 500.

Throughout the entire duration of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, drivers competing for the same teams and manufacturers work together in the draft to put themselves in the best position for the closing laps, and that involves techniques such as pitting at the same time during every pit cycle.

The value of having an extra teammate cannot be underestimated nor overlooked in any way, shape, or form by anybody.

Worth noting, we have not seen a Daytona 500 winner come from a team with fewer than three cars since Austin Dillon won it with a two-car Richard Childress Racing organization in 2018. The last time it happened with a driver who actually led more than just the final lap was in 2015, when Joey Logano won it with a two-car Team Penske organization.

Of course, single-car teams The Money Team Racing, which are set to field the No. 50 Chevrolet for Conor Daly, and Beard Motorsports, which are set to field the No. 62 Chevrolet for Austin Hill, will be looking to spoil the party and get into the race themselves, thus ensuring that at least one of these four larger teams won’t successfully qualify three cars.

But inevitably, at least two of these two-car teams are set to become three-car teams, and that should not be taken lightly, especially with the talent behind the wheel of this year’s non-chartered entries.

Who will ultimately end up in the final four spots? The 40-car field is set to take the green flag on Sunday, February 19, when the 65th annual Daytona 500 is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss any of the upcoming action from Daytona International Speedway!