NASCAR Daytona 500 entry list: Which drivers have been added, how many cars will qualify

The Daytona 500 is a month away to open the 2025 NASCAR season, but there are still some questions about who will make up the 40-car field.

The stars of the Cup Series are all set to be in Daytona on February 16 to run in the crown jewel of stock car racing to open the regular season, including defending Cup champion Joey Logano. Several stars will be running to earn their first Daytona 500 victory, including Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.

But former Cup champions Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. have not yet announced their plans for the Daytona 500, and there are some questions surrounding at least one race team with a charter.

Here’s what we know about the 2025 Daytona 500 entry list:

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The official entry list won’t be released by NASCAR until February, but here’s what we know so far.

The initial list includes these full-time drivers plus these other announced open, non-charter entries:

1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

3. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

4. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

5. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

7. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

8. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

9. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

10. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

11. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

13. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

14. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

15. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

16. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

17. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

18. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

19. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

20. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

21. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 

22. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

23. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 

24. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

25. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

26. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

27. JJ Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet (open, non-charter)

28. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet

30. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

31. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

32. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

33. Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet (open, non-charter)

34. TBD, No. 66 MBM Motorsports Chevrolet (open, non-charter)

35. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

36. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

37. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet (open, non-charter)

38. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

39. Helio Castroneves, No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (open, non-charter, eligible for OEP)

40. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Who else could be added to the Daytona 500 entry list that has not been announced? What about Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr.?

There are a handful of possible entries still unannounced or undetermined, including:

• Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club have not yet announced that Johnson is attempting to qualify for the 500 in the No. 84 Chevrolet. If he does, Johnson will have to make the field via qualifying on time or placing in the duels like in 2024. Johnson confirmed that he would be racing a part-time schedule during the season finale last November in Phoenix.

• Martin Truex Jr. is expected to be entered into the race with a yet-to-be-determined race team. Truex and former crew chief Cole Pearn will reunite for the Daytona 500, though which team the two will be competing for has yet to be announced. Just Monday, the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation posted on Instagram details about an auction to bid for a fan’s name to placed on Truex’s 500 race car. So all signs point to a entry piloted by Truex, though the details aren’t yet clear.

• Rick Ware Racing is leasing one of its two charters to RFK Racing for the Ryan Preece No. 60 full-time ride but is still expected to utilize its other charter for a full-time entry. FOX Sports reported that Cody Ware is the favorite to land in the full-time ride, but no details on the entry has been announced. RWR could also run a second car in Daytona, but that has also not been announced or clarified by the team.

• MBM Motorsports announced Monday that Mike Wallace will not been approved to race in the Daytona 500, and the team is looking for a new driver with sponsorship. Wallace, 65, hasn’t competed in a NASCAR national series race since a trio of road course races in the Xfinity Series in 2020, and hasn’t competed on a superspeedway track since 2015.

So fans can expect at least 43 entries for the Daytona 500, and possibly two or three more.

Daytona 500 qualifying format, explained: How NASCAR fills out the Daytona 500 field

Wednesday’s single-car qualifying session

• Single-car qualifying on the Wednesday before the Daytona 500 sets the front row.

• The fastest two open cars in qualifying will be locked into the field, should they not finish as the top open car in Thursday’s duel race.

Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying races

• Two 150-mile qualifying races set the field for the Daytona 500 on Thursday, Feb. 13. The first duel will set the order of the inside lane behind the pole sitter, while the second duel will set the order of the outside lane. (E.G., Duel No. 1 winner will start third, Duel No. 2 winner will start fourth, etc.)

• The 36 charter teams are locked into the field, which leaves four spots in the 40-car field for the open entries. The highest finishing open car in each duel will lock into the field. If that highest finishing car is one of the two that locked into the field on time during qualifying on Wednesday, the next-best finishing open car will make the field.

• The added open exemption provisional can add a 41st car into the field, with Helio Castroneves and the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing the only team eligible for the OEP for the 500. Castroneves will be the 41st car in the field only if he does not qualify on time or via the duel races.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Daytona 500 entry list: How many cars will attempt to qualify