The nine open entries battling for a spot in the 2025 Daytona 500

The race to make the 2025 Daytona 500 may be just as exciting as the 500 itself with the largest field of ‘open’ entries in a decade. Among the entrants are two former Cup champions and a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Ultimately, nine drivers will be fighting for the final four spots on the grid (potentially five spots but we’ll explain that a bit later on). First, let’s meet the drivers and teams who will be battling to be part of the 67th running of ‘The Great American Race.’

Corey LaJoie – No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford

Corey LaJoie, Rick Ware Racing, Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Corey LaJoie is at a crossroads in his Cup career. After a difficult 2024 where he struggled for results and was forced to change teams mid-season, it was unclear if we’d even see him on the track this year. It’s not a full-time ride, but he has secured a partial schedule with Rick Ware Racing, driving a number that hasn’t been seen at the Cup level in 17 years (and pays tribute to his ‘Stacking Pennies’ mantra). He’s a perfectly capable superspeedway racer with a fourth-place finish in last year’s Daytona 500, but if he wants to make a ninth consecutive start in this crown jewel event, he will have to beat some really impressive names.

Justin Allgaier – No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Champion Champion Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports, BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: NASCAR Media

The Earnhardt-owned organization is finally going Cup racing. With support from the mighty Hendrick Motorsports and sponsorship from country music legend Chris Stapleton, they’ve put together a team for this year’s 500. Defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier will pilot the No. 40 Chevy and while he is an experienced Cup racer, he hasn’t participated in this event since 2015.

J.J. Yeley – No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet

J.J. Yeley, Rick Ware Racing, Nabor Force Ford Mustang

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

A true underdog story. Yeley is a veteran journeyman racer with nearly 400 Cup starts over the last two decades. In his ten Daytona 500 attempts, he has failed to make the show on four occasions. His last start came ten years ago despite three attempts with three different teams over the last few years, which always ended in a DNQ. Last season was especially cruel as he somehow found himself in a transfer spot, moments away from beating seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in a shock upset. Unfortunately, a stack-up in the final corner opened the door for Johnson and denied Yeley a spot in the big race. And beyond the two Cup champions on this list, Yeley is by far the most experienced driver attempting to race their way into the show. 

Martin Truex Jr. – No. 56 TRICON Garage Toyota

Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry

Photo by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Images

This is an intriguing one. The 2017 NASCAR Cup champion retired from full-time competition at the end of last year, but he’s still searching for that elusive Daytona 500 victory. He will be in unfamiliar territory as an open entry, but he will have strong support from Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing (his former team). The organization he’ll officially be driving for is TRICON Garage, a Truck Series operation hoping to make its first start in the Cup Series. Truex has 20 previous appearances in the 500, but zero victories. Of note, he will be reuniting with his former crew chief Cole Pearn, who guided Truex to the Cup title in 2017. We’ll see if he can also guide him into the Daytona 500 against a stacked field of rivals. 

Anthony Alfredo – No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

Anthony Alfredo, Beard Motorsports, Fortify Building Solutions Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

Beard Motorsports is a part-time team that exclusively runs superspeedways these days. Partly due to their close relationship with RCR, they have had some impressive showings over the years, including a top-five finish. This will mark the ninth consecutive year they’ve attempted the 500, only missing it twice. History does favor them as this duo of Anthony Alfredo and Beard Motorsports already made the 500 together one year ago.

Chandler Smith – No. 66 (formerly MBM Motorsports) Garage 66 Ford

Chandler Smith, Kaulig Racing, Quick Tie Inc. Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

The story of this entry is a tumultuous one with Garage 66 – which was known as MBM Motorsports until very recently – having to scramble to find a driver after NASCAR threw a wrench into their original plans. Veteran driver Mike Wallace was set to pilot the entry, but this was announced before the 65-year-old gained official approval from NASCAR. With no superspeedway starts in over a decade, NASCAR decided against allowing Wallace to attempt the 500, leaving him less than pleased. The team made a public plea for any drivers with funding who would be interested in driving the car as Wallace’s replacement, all while simultaneously going through its ‘Garage 66’ rebrand. Eventually, they secured young racer Chandler Smith, who has won at the Xfinity and Truck levels. Smith was unsure if he’d even be racing this year after losing his full-time Xfinity ride, but he’s since found a landing spot in the Truck Series. This will be his second Daytona 500 attempt, having failed to make the show two years ago.

B.J. McLeod – No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

B.J. McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports, Chevrolet

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Driver/owner B.J McLeod earned a big payday when he sold his charter for upwards of $40 million two years ago and has since become a part-time driver, showing up for events here and there as he pleases. He has five starts in the 500, but failed to make the race in his first year as an open entry in 2024. While the odds are against him, he has plenty of friends in the garage and that’s something you always need at a drafting track like Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson – No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 

Jimmie Johnson, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Carvana Toyota Camry

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is back again, driving the car he co-owns in hopes of making his 22nd start in the 500. Johnson has won this race twice but even with his extensive experience behind the wheel, he narrowly avoided missing the show one year ago. It was a nail-biting finish with Johnson making the necessary pass in the final seconds of his Duel race. This year, he will once again drive a third entry for his own organization as a teammate to John-Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. Johnson is also partnering with basketball legend Shaq for his 500 effort.

Helio Castroneves – No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet

Helio Castroneves, Team Penske

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Only two drivers in history have won both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500 and they are the legendary Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt. Helio is aiming to become the third, teaming up with Trackhouse’s Project 91 program. This car has featured both Kimi Raikkonen and Shane van Gisbergen in the past, taking a shock victory in the 2023 Chicago Street Course race that served as a launching pad for SVG’s NASCAR career. Helio is in a unique position as an open entry because he’s not feeling the pressure of the eight others on this list. He is eligible for the newly-created ‘Open Exemption Provisional,’ which NASCAR says will be made available to “world-class drivers” and guarantees them a spot in the field. If Helio fails to make the race on merit, a fifth open spot will be added to the grid, bringing the car count to 41 for Sunday’s race.

The race to make the race

Excluding Helio, who can fall back on the OEP if needed, the remaining eight teams will put a lot of effort into qualifying day, where they can control their destiny a bit more than the sprint races to follow. Single-car qualifying sets the grid for the two Duel qualifying races, but more importantly, the two fastest open entries will automatically lock themselves into the field. Allgaier with the Hendrick power under the hood likely has the best shot of taking that route, but it’s no guarantee. For the six drivers who don’t end their worries in qualifying, their fate will be decided over the course of twin 150-mile heat races.

In the Duel races, teammate and manufacturer alliances will be paramount at the 2.5-mile superspeedway where the draft is everything. Some drivers are more fortunate in this area than others, such as Truex and Johnson while the likes of Yeley and Smith will probably be fending for themselves. The open entries will be evenly split between the two Duel races, and the highest-finishing open entry from each Duel race will take the final two spots on the grid. Now, if one of those two drivers who locked in via qualifying speed also beats the other open entries in their respective Duel race, things get a bit more complicated. Should one of them pull off such a feat, the third fastest open entry from qualifying becomes locked into the show. If both of them manage to best the rest of the open field in qualifying and the races, then the third and fourth fastest open entries from qualifying will join them in the 67th running of the Daytona 500. Again, the importance of qualifying cannot be understated.

This is the biggest open entry field since the system was introduced in 2016, and an open entry has never gone on to win the Daytona 500. Ryan Preece did the best of any when he raced his way into the field for the 2021 Daytona 500 and went on to finish sixth. With the caliber of drivers and teams entered this year, that could certainly change and the Duel races are sure to be filled with both high emotions and gripping drama. When the smoke clears on Thursday the 13th, four to five drivers will have their 500 hopes dashed as the full field of starters is confirmed for the 67th running of NASCAR’s crown jewel event.