NASCAR: Daytona 500 entry list could see one more change

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway next Sunday afternoon with the 66th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, and 40 drivers are set to compete in the event.

The starting lineup for the 200-lap "Great American Race" around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval is set to be determined over the course of a two-day span next week.

Wednesday night (8:15 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) is set to feature the single-car qualifying session, which sets the front row for the Daytona 500 and the starting lineups for the two 60-lap Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Thursday night (7:00 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1). The results of those Duels are set to determine the remainder of the Daytona 500 starting lineup.

Daytona 500 entry list: One more car?

The 36 charter entries (full list here) are all locked into the 40-car field. There are currently 41 cars on the entry list, meaning that there are five drivers going for the four open spots.

Two of those drivers are set to lock in on speed in Wednesday's single-car session, and the other two are set to lock in by being the highest finishing driver among non-charter entries in their respective Duel races on Thursday. Should a driver effectively lock in twice, the remaining open spot (or spots) would go to the next fastest driver (or drivers) from the single-car session.

The five teams set to field non-charter cars are Front Row Motorsports (No. 36 Ford), RFK Racing (No. 60 Ford), Beard Motorsports (No. 62 Chevrolet), Live Fast Motorsports (No. 78 Chevrolet), and Legacy Motor Club (No. 84 Toyota). Kaz Grala, David Ragan, Anthony Alfredo, B.J. McLeod, and Jimmie Johnson are set to drive these five cars, respectively.

This list could still grow to six. Though The Money Team Racing, which competed in the Daytona 500 in both 2022 and 2023, have ruled out a 2024 return, NY Racing Team are considering fielding an entry for the first time since 2022 when they ran the No. 44 Chevrolet for Greg Biffle.

If NY Racing Team were to add an entry, their driver would be competing with these other five drivers for the final four spots, and two of them would ultimately fail to qualify for the race.

Worth noting, the non-charter cars are not guaranteed to start in the final four spots in the grid. The two drivers who lock in on speed are set to occupy the 20th and final row in 39th and 40th place, but the two drivers who lock in via their Duel results are set to have their starting positioned determined by those results.

Fox is set to provide live coverage of the Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 18. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today if you have not already done so!