Rick Ware Racing have confirmed that Corey LaJoie is set to return to the team on a part-time basis throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season after he wrapped up the 2024 season behind the wheel of the No. 51 Ford.
LaJoie is set to drive the car that had been the No. 15 Ford but has been renumbered to No. 01 for his starts to align with his Stacking Pennies brand, and he is set to make his first appearance during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway as he attempts to qualify for the 67th annual Daytona 500.
Following this confirmation, the entry list for the "Great American Race" appears to be set at 45 cars. Cup Series races are generally limited to 40 cars, but that number could be upped to 41 for this race. That will be touched on in more detail below.
But first, here is a list of the 36 chartered cars. All of them are locked into the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports
No. 5 - Kyle Larson
No. 9 - Chase Elliott
No. 24 - William Byron
No. 48 - Alex Bowman
Hyak Motorsports
No. 47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Kaulig Racing
No. 10 - Ty Dillon
No. 16 - A.J. Allmendinger
Richard Childress Racing
No. 3 - Austin Dillon
No. 8 - Kyle Busch
Spire Motorsports
No. 7 - Justin Haley
No. 71 - Michael McDowell
No. 77 - Carson Hocevar
Trackhouse Racing
No. 1 - Ross Chastain
No. 88 - Shane van Gisbergen
No. 99 - Daniel Suarez
Ford
Front Row Motorsports
No. 4 - Noah Gragson
No. 34 - Todd Gilliland
No. 38 - Zane Smith
Haas Factory Team
No. 41 - Cole Custer
RFK Racing
No. 6 - Brad Keselowski
No. 17 - Chris Buescher
No. 60 - Ryan Preece
Rick Ware Racing
No. 51 - Cody Ware
Team Penske
No. 2 - Austin Cindric
No. 12 - Ryan Blaney
No. 22 - Joey Logano
Wood Brothers Racing
No. 21 - Harrison Burton
Toyota
23XI Racing
No. 23 - Bubba Wallace
No. 35 - Riley Herbst
No. 45 - Tyler Reddick
Joe Gibbs Racing
No. 11 - Denny Hamlin
No. 19 - Chase Briscoe
No. 20 - Christopher Bell
No. 54 - Ty Gibbs
Legacy Motor Club
No. 42 - John Hunter Nemechek
No. 43 - Erik Jones
Now let's have a look at the nine confirmed non-chartered (open) entries, of which only one is locked into the race.
Chevrolet
Beard Motorsports
No. 62 - Anthony Alfredo
Live Fast Motorsports
No. 78 - B.J. McLeod
JR Motorsports
No. 40 - Justin Allgaier
NY Racing Team
No. 44 - J.J. Yeley
Trackhouse Racing
No. 91 - Helio Castroneves
Ford
Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports)
No. 66 - Chandler Smith
Rick Ware Racing
No. 01 - Corey LaJoie
Toyota
Legacy Motor Club
No. 84 - Jimmie Johnson
Tricon Garage
No. 56 - Martin Truex Jr.
The top two drivers (among open entries) in the single-car qualifying session lock into the race, as do the top finishers (among open entries) in each of the two Bluegreen Vacations Duel races. Should somebody lock in twice, the next fastest driver from the single-car session would lock in.
Helio Castroneves is in regardless, as he has been granted a "world-class driver" provisional. He can still qualify himself, of course, in which case just four open entries would get in and the field would still be capped at 40 cars. But if he doesn't, he would still be in, meaning that five open entries would be in, and the field would be expanded to 41 cars.
Single-car qualifying is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 12, and the Duel races are set to be shown live on Fox beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 13. The Daytona 500 itself is set to be shown live on Fox starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 16. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!