Six teams entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 with only one non-chartered (open) car, meaning they risked missing the race entirely. While four of those teams did indeed fail to qualify for the 67th annual "Great American Race", two of them got in.
Justin Allgaier raced his way in for JR Motorsports, delivering them their first ever Cup Series start, while Martin Truex Jr. got in on speed for Tricon Garage, delivering them their first ever Cup Series start as well.
But neither the No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet nor the No. 56 Tricon Garage Toyota is on the entry list for this coming Sunday afternoon's Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In fact, neither team has confirmed future NASCAR Cup Series plans.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has expressed interest in running full-time in the Cup Series before, and after Allgaier's ninth place finish at Daytona, that interest has never been stronger. But that won't happen in 2025, and even future aspirations depend on whether or not the timing is right for the Xfinity Series program to make the jump.
Tricon Garage's plans are even less clear, though because they ran with support from Joe Gibbs Racing, it's not hard to imagine them making select appearances moving forward, possibly even with Truex behind the wheel again.
Of the nine open cars on the Daytona 500 entry list, three are set to return at Atlanta, meaning that there is slated to be a 39-car field in the 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) high-banked Hampton, Georgia oval and thus all cars on the entry list are locked in.
The No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford is set to return, once again with Corey LaJoie behind the wheel, and the No. 44 NY Racing Chevrolet and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, which both failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, are back as well. J.J. Yeley is once again set to drive the No. 44 car, and B.J. McLeod is once again set to be in the No. 78 entry.
Fox is set to air the Ambetter Health 400 live from Atlanta Motor Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 23. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season's second superspeedway race!