There are 45 cars on the entry list for the 68th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, but the race is set to feature 41 cars, not 40, after Legacy Motor Club and Jimmie Johnson were granted the Open Exemption Provisional.
Johnson's No. 84 Toyota is effectively set to be treated like a 37th chartered car in terms of being locked into the race, and it cannot directly impact who gets the four remaining open spots.
This announcement means that there are eight non-chartered (open) cars set to battle for those four open spots in the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.
It also ensures that four drivers will fail to qualify.
Here's a list of the eight drivers set to battle for those four spots.
2026 Daytona 500 open cars: 4 in, 4 out
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 |
The fastest two of these eight drivers in the single-car qualifying session are set to lock themselves into the race, as are the top finishers of the two America 250 Florida Duel races among the six that did not get in on qualifying speed.
Unlike in previous years, the Duel results are also set to determine the starting positions for the open drivers who lock in on speed. Those drivers are no longer eligible to lock in via Duel result once locked in on speed, making qualifying much easier to understand than it has been before a much-needed offseason rule change.
The four drivers who fail to lock in either way will not be a part of this year's 41-car Daytona 500 field.
Tune in to Fox Sports 1 on Wednesday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET for single-car qualifying, and tune in again on Thursday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET for the two America 250 Florida Duel races. Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway starting at 2:00 p.m. ET, so begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!