NASCAR Cup Series races are limited to 40 cars, with 36 spots secured through the charter system each weekend. This system is expected to remain unchanged for 2025, especially after recent rulings that favored three-car teams like 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, which had faced the possibility of being forced to run as open (non-chartered) teams next year.
This leaves four spots open in each race. While this typically isn’t a major concern for teams aiming to compete, as there are seldom more than four open spots on the entry list, the Daytona 500 always attracts more interest, with part-time teams and full-time teams looking to add additional entries.
So far, three teams have confirmed plans to attempt to qualify for the 67th Daytona 500 in February with non-chartered cars: MBM Motorsports, which will field the No. 66 Ford; NY Racing Team, with the No. 44 Chevrolet; and Live Fast Motorsports, which will run the No. 78 Chevrolet for co-owner B.J. McLeod.
More Daytona 500 entries are expected, and open teams are at risk. With a little over a month remaining to secure the remaining two open spots, it’s highly likely that more than one team will be left out. According to Jayski, there could be as many as 10 cars vying for the four open spots, meaning the entry list could reach 46 cars ahead of the 40-car race.
In addition to the three previously mentioned entries, Legacy Motor Club plans to enter the No. 84 Toyota for co-owner Jimmie Johnson, and Beard Motorsports will enter the No. 62 Chevrolet once again. Even with just these two additional cars, one team would fail to qualify.
The other five potential entries include the No. 33 Chevrolet from Richard Childress Racing, the No. 15 Ford from Rick Ware Racing (which had a chartered entry in previous seasons), the No. 50 Chevrolet from Team AmeriVet, a Toyota entry (team TBD) for Martin Truex Jr., and an entry for four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who has long considered competing in the Daytona 500.
Daytona 500 qualifying follows a unique format: two drivers secure spots based on speed in the single-car qualifying session, and two others lock in based on their results in the Duel qualifying races. If a driver secures a spot twice, the next fastest driver from the single-car session will earn a spot, even if they didn’t initially lock in through speed.
