Who Will Fill Out the 2026 Daytona 500 Starting Grid?

Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images

NASCAR

Open Cars Expected for the 68th Running of the Daytona 500

‘The Great American Race’ lies just over a month away, opening up the 2026 NASCAR season with its biggest event–the Daytona 500. For the 68th time, drivers will go to battle on the Florida high banks for one of racing’s ultimate prizes, the Harley J. Earl Trophy. At the time of this writing, four spots in the elite Sunday show remain up for grabs. Seven cars are slated to be vying for these last berths in the big show through Daytona 500 qualifying and the Duel races. Here’s a look at each Open car that should show up to next month’s crown jewel race.

Jimmie Johnson*

Already a NASCAR Hall of Famer, seven-time Cup champion, and two-time Daytona 500 winner, Jimmie Johnson is back for more. The No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota was a surprising survivor of the last-lap carnage a season ago, taking the checkers in third. The year before, Johnson only made the race by the narrowest of margins, edging ahead in his Duel race on the last lap.

No pressure to make the Daytona 500 will follow team 84 in 2026, however. They are opting to use NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) policy to guarantee themselves a grid spot as a 41st entry. Johnson will not be eligible for any prize money or points, but is assured to make a 23rd Daytona 500 start.

Now at 50 years old, Johnson is looking to become the oldest Daytona 500 winner ever. The seas parted once for the living legend, can lightning strike twice for the 84?

RCR No. 33 – TBD

Richard Childress Racing is no stranger to bringing a third Cup team. They have not brought a part-time effort to the Daytona 500 since 2019, however, marking Tyler Reddick’s Cup debut. The No. 33 Chevrolet ran eight times in 2025, driven by both Austin Hill and Jesse Love. Hill is expected to run it at Speedweeks 2026, like he has for the past two Daytona summer races.

Hill is a 10-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drafting winner, putting up arguably the best superspeedway stats of all time. Love, meanwhile, is the reigning February Daytona O’Reilly winner and the current series champion. Either of these drivers would be more than deserving of a seat in the Daytona 500.

Justin Allgaier

One of the most popular driver and team combinations from recent Daytona 500 memory will run it back in 2026. Marking JR Motorsports’ Cup Series debut, Justin Allgaier put the No. 40 Chevrolet into Sunday’s race and finished ninth a season ago. With Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey returning as a sponsor, the Dale Earnhardt Jr-fielded effort returns.

No longer the reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, Allgaier hopes to turns heads again at Daytona. Diecasts of this Chevrolet were among Lionel Racing’s top-10 most sold cars last year. More merchandise is likely to fly off shelves again for the No. 40 in 2026 as well.

JJ Yeley

NY Racing Team and Chevrolet No. 44 have seen a tumultuous recent Daytona 500 history. JJ Yeley and this crew have been on the outside looking in for the last two Februarys, but return to possibly upset again. Two years ago, Yeley was passed by Jimmie Johnson coming to the Duel race finish, losing out on a Sunday ticket by the narrowest margin.

This team has likewise made 23 other starts across the last two seasons, with a best result of 20th in the 2024 Daytona summer race. Greg Biffle in 2022 marks NY Racing’s latest successful Daytona 500 attempt. Can the little team’s luck change this time around?

Beard Motorsports No. 62 – TBD (Anthony Alfredo?)

Making the Daytona 500 field in six of the last eight years, Beard Motorsports can never be counted out. Likely returning with Anthony Alfredo as their driver for a third-straight season, the 62 hopes to be a factor again. ‘Fast Pasta’ made 2024’s Great American Race with this team, only to miss out last year. Known primarily as a superspeedway-only team, the 62’s seen a pair of top-10s over the last two seasons. Brendan Gaughan, Noah Gragson, and Alfredo have all found underdog success driving the No. 62. It would not be a surprise to see this team in the mix again late on February 15.

Casey Mears

Still six races short of his 500 Cup starts goal, Casey Mears hopes to inch closer to this milestone in Daytona. Mears made five appearances last season in the Garage 66 Ford fielded by Carl Long’s MBM Motorsports. This included the Daytona summer race, and Talladega in October where he was 18th at the finish. As with any part-time team, the odds are stacked against Mears in qualifying. His fate for the Daytona 500 may come down to performance in the Duel race.

The Californian’s last showing in The Great American Race was in 2019. That year, he made the show with an underdog Premium Motorsports. Mears has 13 past Daytona 500 starts to his name, highlighted by a runner-up result in 2006.

Corey Heim

One of the brightest prospects in recent NASCAR memory, Corey Heim is likely to make a Daytona 500 debut. The 23XI Racing development driver is expected to show up in the No. 67 Toyota, a fourth entry he occasionally drove last year. The reigning Truck Series champion still does not have any full-time ride anywhere for 2026. He will likely have to make the most of this opportunity to garner more sponsorship and find the next chance.

In seven career Cup starts, Heim has a best result of sixth last fall at the Bristol Night Race. Daytona last year was the first of Heim’s 12-win campaign that launched him onto the best Truck season in history. A Heim entry in the Daytona 500 would also help Toyota’s strength in numbers, their nine full-time cars dwarf other manufacturers. This extra 23XI Racing entry has made the Daytona 500 as recently as 2023 with Travis Pastrana.

BJ McLeod

Florida’s own BJ McLeod will be gunning for a sixth Daytona 500 showing. The Live Fast Motorsports co-owner has yet to qualify for this race since taking his team part-time in 2024. Prior to that, McLeod did earn two Daytona summer race top-10s. The fan favorite underdog will try and will ‘The Little Team That Could’ into the biggest race of the season next month.

Other Late Entries?

Eight open teams is already a very large field for the 2026 Daytona 500. However, it still trails last year’s Great American Race by one entry, when 45 hopefuls came to Speedweeks. 2025’s Daytona 500 set a new Next Gen era record with 45 cars, sending four home. It is still very possible for a last-minute team to find a driver and sponsor needed to run this crown jewel race. Trackhouse’s Project91, TRICON Garage, and Rick Ware Racing’s second car are all teams from last year still TBD for 2026. It would admittedly be a long shot for any new open team to form this late before race day. Nonetheless, it would be in every team’s benefit to possibly have an additional car for drafting help. In short, 44 cars may be the magic number for Speedweeks 2026, but that’s not set in stone just yet.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images