For the first time since June 2023, Gray Gaulding's name appeared on a NASCAR Cup Series entry list this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway, ending a 118-race absence from action at the sport's top level.
Gaulding had never previously competed for Carl Long's Garage 66, formerly known as MBM Motorsports. Unfortunately, he technically still hasn't.
The No. 66 Ford was one of five non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list for the regular season finale, and Gaulding ended up being the only driver who failed to qualify. It marked just the third time since November 2018 that a Cup Series entry list for a race other than the Daytona 500 featured more than 40 cars and thus resulted in a DNQ.
Gaulding has plans to return to Cup later this year, but not this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Garage 66 have confirmed that a familiar face will be back behind the wheel of the No. 66 car at the track "Too Tough to Tame".
Chad Finchum set for NASCAR Cup Series return at Darlington
Including Gaulding's DNQ (but excluding their two last-minute withdrawals at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway), Garage 66 have made 12 appearances so far this season, and five drivers have spent time behind the wheel of the No. 66 car.
Chad Finchum leads the way with six starts, and he is set to make number seven this week, after entering the season having never run more than three races in a single year. He owns the team's top finishes of the year, a pair of 28th place results at Talladega Superspeedway and Nashville Superspeedway which are also the top finishes of his Cup career.
The decision to run Finchum comes as somewhat of a surprise, after it was Timmy Hill who competed in the Southern 500 for the team in both 2024 and 2025, before also competing at Darlington back in March of this year.
Finchum has never competed in a Cup race at the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) egg-shaped "Lady in Black", but that is set to change this weekend since there are only two open cars on the entry list and therefore both are locked into the 367-lap race. The other one is the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota, which Corey Heim is set to drive for the 10th time this year.
As for Gaulding, he is set to return for the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and the race at Martinsville Speedway in November. Josh Bilicki, who has run three races for the team this year, is set to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway later this month, while the team have yet to confirm a driver for October's race at Talladega Superspeedway. They do not plan to compete in any of the other races remaining on this year's schedule.
USA Network is set to provide live coverage of the Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway starting at 5:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 6. Don't miss any of the action from the first race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase!
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