41 NASCAR Cup cars on Daytona entry list with five open teams

For simply the third time this yr, a NASCAR Cup Collection race will characteristic a full discipline of vehicles. The Daytona 500 and the spring Talladega race are the one different races this yr with go-or-go-homer(s).

Daytona Worldwide Speedway hosts the common season finale because the Chase grid is about when the checkered flag flies this weekend.

Together with the anticipated 36 chartered entries, there are 5 open groups. The slowest amongst them will probably be despatched house after Friday qualifying.

Here is a have a look at the 5 drivers and groups:

No. 44 NY Racing Crew Chevrolet

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Driver: The 33-year-old Gase has 94 earlier Cup since 2014, and is trying to make his second begin of the 2026 season. His two greatest showings on the Cup stage each got here at Talladega, incomes a career-best end of seventeenth in 2020. His career-best Cup end at Daytona is twentieth.

Crew: NY Racing Crew didn’t qualify for the 2026 Daytona 500 with JJ Yeley, however made the present at Talladega within the spring with Gase after qualifying was rained out. Ought to they make the present, it will likely be their fifth look of the yr.

Casey Mears, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

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Driver: Mears is by far essentially the most skilled driver among the many open entries. The 48-year-old has 497 profession begins with one Cup win (2007 Coke 600). That is a part of his mission to succeed in 500 profession begins. Mears completed second within the 2006 Daytona 500, and positioned as excessive as fourth in the summertime Daytona race in 2014.

Crew: The workforce has an alliance with RCR and has entered dozens of Cup races up to now decade, primarily specializing in superspeedways. They’ve positioned as excessive as fifth at Daytona and sixth at Talladega, however didn’t qualify for each races that featured go-or-go-homers this yr. They’ve managed to start out two different races this yr, each with Mears.

Grey Gaulding — No. 66 Storage 66 Ford

Storage 66 Ford

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Driver: Gaulding, 28, is trying to make his first Cup begin in three years. He has 60 profession begins on the high stage of the game, putting as excessive as ninth at Talladega in 2019. At Daytona, his greatest Cup exhibiting is twentieth within the 2018 Daytona 500. This yr, he has only one begin in any of the three nationwide divisions, ending twenty eighth in a NASCAR O’Reilly race at Bristol.

Crew: The Carl Lengthy-owned workforce is the one open entry representing Ford, they’re trying to make their twelfth begin of the yr. Gaulding would be the workforce’s fifth totally different driver this yr. They raced their manner into the 2026 Daytona 500 with Mears, ending thirty second.

Corey Heim — No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota

Corey Heim, 23XI Racing

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Driver: Heim, 24, has had fairly the yr as a part-time driver, breaking data and beautiful the storage as he claimed his first-career win on the San Diego Avenue Course. However he wasn’t accomplished, additionally profitable the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If he makes the race this will probably be Heim’s ninth begin of the 2026 season.

Crew: 23XI is the strongest of all of the open groups on this record, and in contrast to the opposite 4 single-car operations, the No. 67 is a part of a mega group that options three full-time and chartered entries. The entry hasn’t didn’t qualify because the 2025 Chicago Avenue Course race.

Daniel Dye, Reside Quick Motorsports Chevrolet

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Driver: Dye, 22, signed a four-race take care of the Reside Quick Motorsports workforce earlier within the yr. He started the yr as a full-time NASCAR Truck Collection driver for Kaulig and Ram, however they parted methods after his suspension for distasteful feedback he made on a livestream. He has since accomplished sensitivity coaching and returned to competitors elsewhere. Dye remains to be pretty new to the Cup Collection, making his debut at Talladega within the spring. If he makes the present, Daytona will probably be simply his fourth profession begin — all this yr.

Crew: The BJ McLeod-owned workforce has made eight begins this yr, with McLeod himself driving the automobile together with Dye and Katherine Legge. As soon as a full-time entry earlier than promoting its constitution for round $40 million, the workforce now seems in a handful of races yearly, and its solely two high ten finishes each got here at Daytona (ninth in 2021 summer time race and seventh in 2022 summer time race).