The entry list for the 68th annual Daytona 500, which is scheduled to kick off the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway just over two and a half weeks from now, had been coming together relatively slowly until a slew of recent team and driver announcements.
A couple of those announcements were relatively unexpected, specifically those involving expansions from RFK Racing and Front Row Motorsports from three to four cars with Corey LaJoie's No. 99 Ford and Chandler Smith's No. 36 Ford, respectively.
Further announcements are still expected in the coming weeks, and all things considered, it's looking like the entry list for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Daytona Beach, Florida oval will see a total of 45 cars.
The race is set to feature 41 cars, not 40, since Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club have taken the Open Exemption Provisional to lock the No. 84 Toyota into the race along with the 36 chartered entries, setting up what figures to be an eight-car battle for the four open spots.
Here is a list of the 36 chartered cars (plus Johnson's non-chartered/open car) that are all locked into the race.
Projected 2026 Daytona 500 entry list
Team | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|
Trackhouse Racing | No. 1 Chevrolet | Ross Chastain |
Team Penske | No. 2 Ford | Austin Cindric |
Richard Childress Racing | No. 3 Chevrolet | Austin Dillon |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 4 Ford | Noah Gragson |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 5 Chevrolet | Kyle Larson |
RFK Racing | No. 6 Ford | Brad Keselowski |
Spire Motorsports | No. 7 Chevrolet | Daniel Suarez |
Richard Childress Racing | No. 8 Chevrolet | Kyle Busch |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 9 Chevrolet | Chase Elliott |
Kaulig Racing | No. 10 Chevrolet | Ty Dillon |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 11 Toyota | Denny Hamlin |
Team Penske | No. 12 Ford | Ryan Blaney |
Kaulig Racing | No. 16 Chevrolet | A.J. Allmendinger |
RFK Racing | No. 17 Ford | Chris Buescher |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 19 Toyota | Chase Briscoe |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 20 Toyota | Christopher Bell |
Wood Brothers Racing | No. 21 Ford | Josh Berry |
Team Penske | No. 22 Ford | Joey Logano |
23XI Racing | No. 23 Toyota | Bubba Wallace |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 24 Chevrolet | William Byron |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 34 Ford | Todd Gilliland |
23XI Racing | No. 35 Toyota | Riley Herbst |
Front Row Motorsports | No. 38 Ford | Zane Smith |
Haas Factory Team | No. 41 Ford | Cole Custer |
Legacy Motor Club | No. 42 Toyota | John Hunter Nemechek |
Legacy Motor Club | No. 43 Toyota | Erik Jones |
23XI Racing | No. 45 Toyota | Tyler Reddick |
Hyak Motorsports | No. 47 Chevrolet | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Hendrick Motorsports | No. 48 Chevrolet | Alex Bowman |
Rick Ware Racing | No. 51 Chevrolet | Cody Ware |
Joe Gibbs Racing | No. 54 Toyota | Ty Gibbs |
RFK Racing | No. 60 Ford | Ryan Preece |
Spire Motorsports | No. 71 Chevrolet | Michael McDowell |
Spire Motorsports | No. 77 Chevrolet | Carson Hocevar |
Legacy Motor Club | No. 84 Toyota | Jimmie Johnson |
Trackhouse Racing | No. 88 Chevrolet | Connor Zilisch |
Trackhouse Racing | No. 97 Chevrolet | Shane van Gisbergen |
The other eight cars are set to battle for the remaining four open spots in the 41-car field, with two spots going to the fastest two entries in the single-car qualifying session, and the other two being awarded based on the results of the two 60-lap America 250 Florida Duel races.
NOTE: * denotes an expected (but not confirmed) entry
Team | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|
Front Row Motorsports | No. 36 Ford | Chandler Smith |
JR Motorsports | No. 40 Chevrolet | Justin Allgaier |
NY Racing Team | No. 44 Chevrolet* | J.J. Yeley |
Beard Motorsports | No. 62 Chevrolet | Anthony Alfredo |
Garage 66 | No. 66 Ford | Casey Mears |
23XI Racing | No. 67 Toyota* | Corey Heim |
Live Fast Motorsports | No. 78 Chevrolet* | B.J. McLeod |
RFK Racing | No. 99 Ford | Corey LaJoie |
Richard Childress Racing had been expected to run the No. 33 Chevrolet for Austin Hill, but those plans never came together. Likewise, Rick Ware Racing don't plan to add a second car like they did a year ago, and Trackhouse Racing don't plan to add a fourth like they also did a year ago.
Tricon Garage made their Daytona 500 (and overall Cup Series) debut in 2025, but they won't be back this year. Likewise, Team AmeriVet have no plans to make their first Daytona 500 attempt since 2023 this year either.
Single-car qualifying for the Daytona 500 is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from the "World Center of Racing" starting at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 11, and the two Duel races are set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 12. The 68th annual Daytona 500 itself is set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action!