The wait may have been longer than it has been in past years, when the race was contested in the spring, but the NASCAR Cup Series is set for its annual trip to Dover Motor Speedway for this weekend's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
Like there were for this past weekend's race at Sonoma Raceway, there are 37 cars on the entry list for Sunday afternoon's 400-lap race around the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilomete) high-banked "Monster Mile" oval in Dover, Delaware.
Excluding the impending non-chartered (open) status of the entire three-car 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports teams, there is just one open car on the entry list this weekend, and it's not the same open car that ran at Sonoma.
Live Fast Motorsports out, NY Racing Team in at Dover
Last weekend at Sonoma, Live Fast Motorsports made their third appearance in a row and second in a row with Katherine Legge behind the wheel of the No. 78 Chevrolet. However, they do not plan to return until next weekend's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, again with Legge in the No. 78 car.
This weekend, NY Racing Team are set to return and make their first appearance since last month's race at Pocono Raceway, when Brennan Poole made his first Cup start since 2023.
However, J.J. Yeley is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 44 Chevrolet at Dover, marking his sixth start of the year and his first since the early June race at Nashville Superspeedway, which he finished in 34th.
With Cup Series races capped at 40 cars, the fact that the No. 44 Chevrolet is the only open car on the entry list means that all cars are locked into the race, and yes, this would still be true even if 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are considered open teams by the time the weekend rolls around.
Dover Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 this Sunday, July 20, with live coverage set to be provided by TNT Sports beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.