Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson confirmed that he plans to drive the No. 84 Toyota for the Legacy Motor Club team he co-owns at Daytona International Speedway this coming February as he attempts to make a 23rd career Daytona 500 start.
The two-time Daytona 500 winner successfully qualified his non-chartered (open) car in each of the past three years after returning to the Cup Series from his two-year run in IndyCar, but he could actually be locked into the 2026 field if he is granted the world-class provisional.
DraftKings Sportsbook published their way-too-early Daytona 500 odds earlier in the offseason, and there have already been several changes between early November and now, including at the very top.
There are 39 drivers listed thus far. Yet Johnson isn't one of them.
The 36 drivers of chartered cars are all listed, and only one other open car has been confirmed on the entry list thus far, that being the No. 40 JR Motorsporsts Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier is set to drive that car for the second year in a row, and he is listed at +5500 after a ninth place finish in 2025.
But where is Johnson, who finished third – matching his best finish in any Cup race since his 83rd and most recent victory at Dover Motor Speedway in 2017 – this past February?
What is even more mind-boggling about Johnson's omission is the fact that two other longshots, Live Fast Motorsports' B.J. McLeod and Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill, are listed at +10000, despite the fact that they have not even been formally confirmed yet.
Additionally, they would both have to either race their way in or time their way in on speed, as neither one is eligible for the world-class provisional (even if Johnson doesn't get it). McLeod failed to qualify in both years (2024 and 2025) since his team sold their charter, and Hill's lone Daytona 500 attempt (2023) also ended in a DNQ.
McLeod and Hill are among six likely additions to the entry list from now until February. Four other longshot additions are still possible, but it appears as though there will be eight drivers going for the final four open spots (or five, pending the provisional).
Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are currently listed as +1000 favorites to win the race.
Daytona 500 qualifying is scheduled to take place at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and the Duel races are scheduled to solidify the full starting lineup on Thursday, February 12. Fox is set to provide live coverage of the race itself beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15.