NASCAR: Big-name driver in position to miss the 2025 Daytona 500

The 2025 Daytona 500 is shaping up to have one of the most "stacked" lineups of non-chartered (open) cars the NASCAR Cup Series has had in a very long time.

For the past decade or so, the open car fields have been a little lackluster in terms of star power, name recognition, and overall performance. They have usually featured a few drivers and teams with minimal to no sponsors competing against a select few others in the same boat, with one or two missing the show following the Wednesday single-car qualifying session and Thursday Duel races.

It has gotten a little more interesting in recent years, with drivers such as Travis Pastrana, Conor Daly, and even seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on the list, with Johnson coming out of retirement and competing just to make the field rather than being locked in.

However, those recently improved lineups don't stack up whatsoever to what is likely in store for the 2025 Daytona 500.

Across the board, there are super recognizable names, all-star talent, and compelling storylines to get yourself invested into.

To start off, 65-year-old NASCAR veteran Mike Wallace is set to attempt to make the field and become the first driver to ever race the Generation 3, Generation 4, Generation 5, Generation 6 and Generation 7 Cup cars. Wallace is set to drive the No. 66 MBM Motorsports Ford, and should he qualify, it would be his first Cup Series start since the 2015 Daytona 500.

Then there's four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who has joined Trackhouse Racing's PROJECT91 entry. PROJECT91 is aimed at bringing superstar international talent to NASCAR. With Castroneves being one of the most popular and successful IndyCar drivers ever, the Brazilian will have a huge following and will likely be very competitive, given the fact that that car has already won a race in its few starts.

There are a number of other big-name entries that remain unconfirmed but are very much expected and highly likely.

2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. is all but confirmed to attempt the race and potentially ride off into the sunset with his first Daytona 500 win. It was hinted by Truex and Denny Hamlin throughout 2024 that he would attempt the race with 23XI Racing, but now it appears that he will drive for a new team, Tricon Garage, with support from Joe Gibbs Racing.

Finally, there's Johnson. Much like Truex, the Hall of Famer's official entry is not yet confirmed, but is heavily expected, given the fact that he has competed in the Daytona 500 in each of the last two years. Johnson, aiming for his third Daytona 500 victory, will also look to help his Legacy Motor Club team to open the season strong as a group after a rough first two seasons with him as a co-owner.

This list does not even include the other teams and drivers who have either already been confirmed or are likely to show up for Speedweeks, even if they are not expected to be as competitive. All in all, there could be as many as 10 drivers going for four spots.

Drama should be expected with this long, star-studded list of open entries.

If 10 open entries do end up showing up, more than half of the cars attempting to qualify for the race will be sent home, with nothing to show for it.

Additionally, with four big-name drivers on that list, and three of them likely to be very competitive, it's very likely that they will all be battling each other for a spot in the field, with somebody being sent packing.

While it's easy to suggest that Castroneves, Truex, and Johnson will easily make the field based on the equipment they have and their long history of winning, that's simply not the case. This is Daytona, and as the cliché goes, "anything can happen."

Look at 2024 as an example. Everybody figured that Johnson in the No. 84 Toyota and David Ragan in the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford would easily qualify for the race on speed. While Ragan did that, Johnson was forced to compete against J.J. Yeley in the No. 44 NY Racing Chevrolet in a Duel race, and he came within a few hundred yards of being knocked out of the field before passing Yeley off the final turn in a thrilling, nail-biting finish.

And how about 2023? Conor Daly could barely make a lap in his No. 50 Money Team Racing Chevrolet in qualifying and his Duel race because of awful vibrations that put him miles off the pace. But after Kyle Busch was spun from the lead on the back straightaway and collected Riley Herbst and Austin Hill, Daly qualified.

What those two races showed is that regardless of how fast or slow a car may be, they're never truly out of it. In addition, they encapsulated NASCAR superspeedway racing as we know it, and the immense effect that a potential crash could have on the results.

You could have the fastest car for the entire week, but if you get caught up in someone else's mess, you're heading home for the weekend, and another open car gets your spot. Much like in Indy 500 qualifying and Bump Day, with so many variables and possibilities at play, something could very well happen to anyone at the worst possible time.

Or, there's the possibility of being plain outperformed, and missing the race because you just didn't get the job done.

Either way, Speedweeks is poised to be epic in 2025. Who would have thought five years ago that you could potentially watch Wallace, Castroneves, Truex, and Johnson go toe-to-toe with each other just to make the "Great American Race", possibly even crashing with each other in their attempts to get ahead?

With so many big names on the brink, there is much more potential for a major headline upset, or at the very least, some thrilling storylines. It will be must-watch television for all race fans.