NASCAR: 5 Daytona 500 cars not returning for Atlanta race

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season's second race, the Ambetter Health 400, is scheduled to take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday afternoon.

Fortunately for everybody, the weather forecast for this 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval looks far more promising than it did for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway last Sunday.

The 66th annual "Great American Race" ended up needing to be postponed from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon/evening due to rain.

5 Daytona 500 cars not competing at Atlanta

The entry list for the Ambetter Health 400 consists of just 37 cars, compared to the 42 cars that were on the entry list for the Daytona 500. Five cars that showed up to Daytona International Speedway last weekend will not be at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

These cars include the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford, which was driven by Kaz Grala, the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet, which was driven by J.J. Yeley, the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, which was driven by David Ragan, the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet, which was driven by Anthony Alfredo, and the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, which was driven by Jimmie Johnson.

Grala, Ragan, Alfredo, and Johnson all managed to qualify for the Daytona 500; only four non-charter entries were allowed in the field, as the 36 charter entries were all guaranteed starting spots and Cup Series field sizes are capped at 40 cars. Yeley failed to qualify.

The only non-charter car set to return this weekend is the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by B.J. McLeod. This car was the other car that failed to qualify for the Daytona 500. McLeod drove it last week as well.

Tune in to Fox at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 25 for the live broadcast of the Ambetter Health 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss it!