Among the drivers of non-chartered (open) cars in Wednesday night's qualifying session (full results here) for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, 23XI Racing's Corey Heim and JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier posted the two fastest speeds, locking themselves into the race.
And that would have been the case even if Legacy Motor Club's Jimmie Johnson had not been granted the Open Exemption Provisional.
With Johnson's No. 84 Toyota effectively being treated like a 37th chartered entry in terms of being locked into the 41-car (not 40-car) field for Sunday's 68th running of the 200-lap "Great American Race" around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, the battle for the four open spots is between eight drivers, not nine.
Jimmie Johnson would not be locked into Daytona 500
Without the Open Exemption Provisional, Johnson would have had to race his way into the main show on Thursday night in one of the two 60-lap America 250 Florida Duel races, based on his speed on Wednesday night.
The three drivers not yet locked into the Daytona 500 who are set to compete for one of the two remaining open spots in the first Duel race are RFK Racing's Corey LaJoie, Front Row Motorsports' Chandler Smith, and Garage 66's Casey Mears, after they were 15th, 41st, and 43rd quickest on Wednesday evening.
The three drivers not yet locked into the Daytona 500 who are set to compete for the other one of the two remaining open spots in the second Duel race are Beard Motorsports' Anthony Alfredo, Live Fast Motorsports' B.J. McLeod, and NY Racing Team's J.J. Yeley, after they were 35th, 42nd, and 44th quickest on Wednesday night.
Johnson was 28th quickest on Wednesday. Had he been factored into this open car battle, he would need to beat Smith and Mears in one of the Duel races to lock into the Daytona 500.
The other Duel race would feature LaJoie, Alfredo, McLeod, and Yeley going for the only other remaining open spot.
But of course, this is all hypothetical, as Johnson is indeed locked in.
The two-time Daytona 500 winner is set to start the second Duel race in 14th place, and all he is racing for is his Daytona 500 starting position. Allgaier is set to start that race in seventh after posting the 14th fastest speed on Wednesday night, while Heim is set to start the first Duel race in third after he was fifth on Wednesday's speed chart.
Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the two America 250 Florida Duel races from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Daytona 500 itself beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15. Don't miss your chance to start a free trial of FuboTV now and be sure to catch all of the action!