Which Open Teams Will Make the Daytona 500?

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NASCAR

Open Teams Most Likely to Make Daytona 500

For eight races teams, their immediate futures remain in flux on whether or not they make NASCAR’s biggest race of 2026. The 68th Running of the Daytona 500 will see 41 cars take the green flag on Sunday, leaving four teams on the sidelines. Who will make the trek to the World Center of Racing and transfer into the big show? These last four coveted berths will be decided between Wednesday pole qualifying and the Duels on Thursday. Here’s a look at each open team’s chances at breaking into the Daytona 500.

Corey Lajoie

For the first time in almost a decade, four Roush Mustangs will show up to a Cup race. Corey Lajoie will be behind the wheel of the No. 99 Ford, part of a two-race opportunity with RFK Racing. Already making one start in their flagship No. 6 Ford at Bowman Gray Stadium, Lajoie was one spot shy of transferring into the Cook Out Clash. Known for his superspeedway prowess and elevating teams, Lajoie almost seems to be a Daytona 500 shoe-in. The 99 should have plenty of speed to make the race from qualifying. If this is not the case, few are as bold and daring in the draft as Lajoie, who made last year’s Daytona 500 in a similar one-off bid.

Possibly fielding four of the 41 cars that take Sunday’s green flag, the Daytona 500 win may come through RFK Racing teamwork. Two of their Fords took a top-two sweep here not long ago. Maybe with twice as many cars, the Ford fabulous four may be an unstoppable force.

Justin Allgaier

The sentimental favorite for a second-straight year among open teams is Justin Allgaier’s JR Motorsports entry. Last season, the then-reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion put JRM into the show for their maiden Cup outing. Allgaier went on to survive the Daytona 500’s late carnage and finish ninth with Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey on board. A year removed from this emotional Speedweek, Allgaier, Earnhardt, and Stapleton are all running it back and hope for similar outcomes.

As a Hendrick-powered Chevrolet, the No. 40 should have plenty of pace to be among the fastest open cars. Qualifying last year saw Allgaier be third-quickest of the go-or-go-homers. Both cars that beat him, though, are either not racing or have a provisional. As a result, a year’s worth of data and going through the motions could see the 40 team lock into the field on time.

Any Earnhardt involvement in The Great American Race will only raise the Daytona 500’s prestige and attention. It would be a treat to see how Allgaier fares in JRM’s second Cup outing, and if he could possibly be an upset winner.

Corey Heim

Fresh off the best season ever in Craftsman Truck Series history, reigning champion Corey Heim eyes another first. Daytona will be one of 12 scheduled starts for the Toyota prospect in 23XI Racing’s No. 67. Already with seven Cup races under his belt, Heim hopes to make his superspeedway debut at the World Center of Racing. Daytona a season ago was the first of a record 12-win year for Heim in Trucks, showing his drafting talent. Toyota’s only open car for 2026, the 67 should have ample help behind it in both qualifying and the Duel if needed. Heim impresses with every lap he turns. It is almost a foregone conclusion that he will make the show barring catastrophe.

Chandler Smith

Full-time in the Truck Series for 2026, Chandler Smith leads an extra Front Row Motorsports team for Daytona. Entering with the No. 36 Ford Mustang, Team FRM is no stranger to aptly putting cars on the front row at superspeedways. Smith has been left on the sidelines for two past Daytona 500 attempts. 2026, however, is arguably his best shot yet with Roush Yates power under the hood. 2023 also saw Smith make two other superspeedway starts, Daytona summer and Talladega fall, finishing top-15 in both races. Should Smith have teammate help in his Duel, it’s not beyond FRM to find some drafting magic again.

Anthony Alfredo

‘The Little Team That Could’ Beard Motorsports returns for another Daytona 500 bid with Anthony Alfredo. This duo has a 50% success rate at making The Great American Race together over the last two years. The No. 62 was left on the outside looking in for last year’s race. This trend is mirrored across the entire Next Gen era, with the 62 being present on the Daytona 500 grid in every even-numbered season since 2020. As unlikely and random as this stat sounds, it may hold as much validity as Even Year Joey Logano. With this in mind, do not be surprised to see the 62 somehow find its way into the race.

BJ McLeod

Florida’s own BJ McLeod is back on the high banks with his own Live Fast Motorsports No. 78 Chevrolet. The lovable underdog has failed to make The Great American Race for two-straight seasons, and will try to reverse this trend in 2026. McLeod’s two career top-10s have both come at his home track, but in Daytona’s summer race. Can February fortune change its tune for team 78?

Casey Mears

Can the Daytona 500 be the next step on Casey Mears’ quest to 500 Cup starts? The NASCAR veteran currently sits at 494 appearances in stock car racing’s highest level, eagerly trying to hit this milestone. Garage 66 and Mears have teamed up for a second-straight year, and hope to make their first Daytona 500 together. Mears was runner-up to then teammate Jimmie Johnson in this race twenty years ago. The No. 66 has not been in the Daytona 500, however, since 2020, with three-straight DNQs. Mears is certainly an underdog in this Ford, but crazy outcomes have happened in the Duels before. Nobody can quite be counted out until the checkers fly on Thursday night.

JJ Yeley

Speaking of last-lap Duel highlights, JJ Yeley was within eyesight of the unthinkable just two years ago. 2024 saw the NY Racing Team No. 44 ahead of open team rival Jimmie Johnson in turn four on the last lap of their duel. If not for a badly-timed push, Yeley would have sent the seven-time champion home from Daytona. Despite missing the Daytona 500 for two-straight years, Yeley and Team NY are back to try and break in again. This team was a few hundred yards away from a massive Duel night upset. Team NY and Yeley each hope luck can change in attempt number three.

45 cars making the journey south to Daytona Beach matches last year’s entry list as a Next Gen era record. Four hopeful teams will be left out of 2026’s Daytona 500, with feasible paths ahead for each of them. Pole qualifying goes green at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on FS1. Duel race one starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, also on FS1. Wednesday and Thursday will likewise be can’t-miss entertainment to see who’s safe and who gets booted.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credits to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images