There may be 37 cars, not just 36, locked into this year's Daytona 500, but there are still set to be four non-chartered (open) cars that lock themselves into the field, as NASCAR has removed the possibility that only three will qualify.
Cup Series fields are generally capped at 40 cars, but starting last year, NASCAR added a world class provisional option for teams that add an extra car for a driver considered to be a "world class" talent.
One such provisional, officially dubbed the Open Exemption Provisional, can be used each race, though since only one Cup race since 2018 other than the Daytona 500 has ever featured an entry list with more than 40 cars, the main reason for the introduction of this rule was indeed the Daytona 500.
In 2025, Helio Castroneves and Trackhouse Racing were granted that provisional, but Castroneves was still given the opportunity to qualify for the Daytona 500 normally, either by taking one of the two spots on speed in the single-car qualifying or one of the other two in his Duel race.
Had he done either, the field would have remained at 40 cars, but he didn't, so the field was expanded to 41.
But this year, the Daytona 500 is guaranteed to see 41 cars, an exact car count that had not been seen since 1993 prior to 2025.
Jimmie Johnson locked into 2026 Daytona 500
This year's provisional has gone to Legacy Motor Club's Jimmie Johnson, and because of an offseason rule change related to the provisional, he is ineligible for any of the four open spots, even though the No. 84 Toyota is a non-chartered (open) car.
The No. 84 car is effectively being categorized as a chartered car as it pertains to being guaranteed a starting spot, leaving four open spots alongside the 37 – not just 36 – locked-in entries and ensuring Johnson will not be a part of the ever-stressful battle just to get into the race.
So while Johnson can technically do as well as take pole position in qualifying for the 68th annual running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, he will not be in direct competition with the drivers who must battle just to get into the field.
There are expected to be seven of those drivers, with three having already been confirmed. Justin Allgaier is set to drive for JR Motorsports, Casey Mears is set to drive for Garage 66, and B.J. McLeod is set to drive for Live Fast Motorsports.
Part-time teams NY Racing Team and Beard Motorsports are expected to each field one car, while Richard Childress Racing and 23XI Racing are expected to expand by adding one car each for Austin Hill and Corey Heim, respectively.
In a non-chartered car, Johnson needed to successfully qualify for the race in each of his appearances from 2023 through 2025, and he managed to do so each year. The seven-time series champion won the race in 2006 and 2013.
The single-car qualifying session for this year's Daytona 500 is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from Daytona International Speedway (time TBD) on Wednesday, February 11. The America 250 Florida Duel races are set to be shown live on the same channel beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 12, while the Daytona 500 itself is set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15.