Even with Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club having been granted the Open Exemption Provisional by NASCAR, thus expanding the field for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway from 40 to 41 cars, there were still eight non-chartered (open) cars in the battle for the final four spots.
Two drivers locked themselves into the 68th annual running of the "Great American Race" by being the fastest two drivers among those eight entries in Wednesday night's single-car qualifying session around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.
The other six were split into groups of three for Thursday night's two 60-lap America 250 Florida Duel races, and the top finisher of the three in each race locked into Sunday's 200-lap main event as well.
4 drivers miss the 2026 Daytona 500
After 23XI Racing's Corey Heim and JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier locked themselves into the show with their qualifying speeds on Wednesday night, Garage 66's Casey Mears locked himself into the race with his eighth place finish in the first Duel race.
Front Row Motorsports' Chandler Smith and RFK Racing's Corey LaJoie finished the race in 16th and 19th place, respectively, and thus failed to qualify after being involved in late incidents. LaJoie was in position to lock himself in until the last lap of overtime.
Mears overcame an early incident while entering the pits. He lost a lap but got back on the lead lap with the wavearound and avoided the multi-car pileup on the race's last lap to lock himself in.
Garage 66 had not been in the race since 2020, and Mears' successful qualifying effort ended an 0-for-7 run for the Carl Long-owned organization.
Beard Motorsports' Anthony Alfredo initially locked himself into the Daytona 500 as well with a 18th place finish in the second Duel race, eliminating Live Fast Motorsports' B.J. McLeod, who finished 19th, and NY Racing Team's J.J. Yeley, who finished 22nd.
But Alfredo's finish was disallowed after a transaxle cooling hose was loose and a driver cooling hose wasn't properly attached after the race. As a result, McLeod locked himself in with an 18th place finish. Yeley remained eliminated in 21st.
As a result, Smith, LaJoie, Yeley, and Alfredo have failed to qualify for the Daytona 500.
A full Daytona 500 starting lineup can be found here.
Tune in to Fox at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 15 for the live broadcast of the 68th running of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway, weather permitting. Start a free trial of FuboTV now if you have not already done so and don't miss any of the action from the "World Center of Racing"!