Martin Truex Jr.'s entry for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway was one of the last entries to be confirmed for this year's running of the "Great American Race".
The 2017 Cup Series champion is set to drive the No. 56 Toyota for Tricon Garage, which have never before entered a Cup Series event. The team are set to enter the car with support from Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex's team from 2019 to 2024.
But with the No. 56 Toyota being one of 45 cars on the entry list for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, Truex is not necessarily locked into the main event for what would be the 21st consecutive year.
The 36 chartered cars are all locked into the 40-car field, but the non-chartered (open) entries need to qualify to secure one of those four remaining spots.
Other confirmed open entries include the No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford for Corey LaJoie, the No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Justin Allgaier, the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet for J.J. Yeley, the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet for Anthony Alfredo, the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford for Chandler Smith, the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet for B.J. McLeod, the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota for Jimmie Johnson, and the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet for Helio Castroneves.
That means there are nine drivers going for four spots (potentially five).
Bottom line, simply qualifying for the Daytona 500 won't be easy for anybody who isn't already locked in.
The fastest two drivers (among open entries) in the single-car qualifying session lock in, as do the top finishers (again, among open entries) in each of the two 60-lap Bluegreen Vacations Duel races. Should somebody effectively lock in twice, the next fastest driver from the single-car session would lock in.
As for how five, not just four, open entries could lock in, this is the case because of the "world-class driver" provisional given to Castroneves.
Should the four-time Indy 500 winner take one of these four open spots, the field would remain capped at 40 cars. But if not, he'd still be locked in, and thus the field would expand to 41.
Daytona 500 qualifying is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 12 (8:15 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1), and the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races are scheduled to follow suit on Thursday, February 13 (7:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1). The 67th running of the "Great American Race" is then scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 16 (2:30 p.m. ET on Fox). Begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action!