The NASCAR Cup Series field for the Daytona 500 will be set to 41 drivers, according to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass on Tuesday.
This will include eight drivers who enter in open cars that won’t have a locked-in spot, per the NASCAR charter agreement. Instead, they’ll have to race their way into the field.
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Open Cars in the 2026 Daytona 500
We now have eight open entrants into the big race on Feb. 15:
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No. 36 — Chandler Smith, Front Row Motorsports (Ford)
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No. 40 — Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
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No. 44 — JJ Yeley, NY Racing Team (Chevrolet)
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No. 62 — Anthony Alfredo, Beard Motorsports (Chevrolet)
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No. 66 — Casey Mears, Garage 66 (Ford)
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No. 67 — Corey Heim, 23XI Racing (Toyota)
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No. 78 — BJ McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports (Chevrolet)
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No. 99 — Corey LaJoie, RFK Racing (Ford)
The way the field looks, we can probably predict a few of these drivers to make the cut, barring unlikely circumstances.
Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Anthony Alfredo, Corey Heim, and Corey LaJoie would appear likely secure their spot. Nothing is a guarantee, but they have the best resources at hand. More than likely, Yeley, Mears, and McLeod will battle for the final spot.
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Qualifying for the Daytona 500
For many years, a NASCAR race operated as an open-qualifying event on a weekly basis. No car was spec’d out, and every team ran to be as good as possible. If you had a bad qualifying session, you could be out of the race. Today, that is no longer the case.
Teams now have their drivers locked in the field. Teams have up to four roster spots and, per the NASCAR charter system, they will be guaranteed a spot into reach race. This caps the charters at 36 spots, meaning we will have no less than 36 cars in any race.
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The current agreement now has a maximum of 40 drivers in a race. That means that open cars can take a stab at the race, and they often do. Most weeks, we do not exceed 40 entrants. However, the Daytona 500 is a big deal. As of now, we have 41 entries. That means that one car will fail to make the big race.
Can an Open Car Win the Big Race?
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Trevor Bayne celebrates after winning the Daytona 500.©Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
(©Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
NASCAR began the charter system back in 2016. Since then, no open car has ever won a race. They lack the resources that the charters have. These cars race to grab a cut of the purse and get their sponsor some exposure.
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In a superspeedway race, the “Big One” is always bound to happen, and if an open car ever won a race, it would be at Daytona.
Trevor Bayne is one of the more famous recent winners at Daytona. In 2011, he won the race in an open car for Wood Brothers Racing. However, this was pre-charter, thus more likely to be achievable. The Wood Brothers are now a one-car chartered team, with Josh Berry in the No. 21 car.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
