The Daytona 500, the Great American Race. One of my favorite NASCAR races of the year. The first race of the season since 1982, Daytona has always been a spectacle in NASCAR. A race every driver dreams of winning. Listed below is the entry list for the Great American Race.

Chartered Cars:

The charter system is NASCAR’s way of “buying a franchise.” There are 36 total charters and a charter grants entry to every race in the season without relying on qualifying speed.

Key: R – Rookie; W – Prior Daytona 500 winner; i – Ineligible for series points.

Chevrolet – 16 cars

Hendrick Motorsports (4) – Kyle Larson (No. 5), Chase Elliott (No. 9), William Byron (No. 24), and Alex Bowman (No. 48)

Trackhouse Racing (2) – Ross Chastain (No. 1) and Daniel Suarez (No. 99)

Richard Childress Racing (2) – Austin Dillon (W) (No. 3) and Kyle Busch (No. 8)

LEGACY Motor Club (2) – Noah Gragson (R) (No. 42) and Erik Jones (No. 43)

Kaulig Racing (2) – AJ Allmendinger (No. 16) and Justin Haley (No. 31)

Spire Motorsports (2) – Corey LaJoie (No. 7) and Ty Dillon (No. 77)

JTG Daugherty Racing (1) – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47)

Live Fast Motorsports (1) – BJ McLeod (No. 78)

Ford – 14 cars

Stewart-Haas Racing (4) – Kevin Harvick (W) (No. 4), Aric Almirola (No. 10), Chase Briscoe (No. 14), and Ryan Preece (No. 41).

Team Penske (3) – Austin Cindric (W) (No. 2), Ryan Blaney (No. 12), and Joey Logano (W) (No. 22).

RFK Racing (2) – Brad Keselowski (No. 6) and Chris Buescher (No. 17)

Rick Ware Racing (2) – Riley Herbst (No. 15) and Cody Ware (No. 51)

Front Row Motorsports (2) – Michael McDowell (W) (No. 34) and Todd Gilliland (No. 38)

Wood Brothers (1) – Harrison Burton (No. 21)

Toyota – 6 cars

Joe Gibbs Racing (4) – Denny Hamlin (W) (No. 11), Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19), Christopher Bell (No. 20), and Ty Gibbs (R) (No. 54)

23XI Racing (2) – Bubba Wallace (No. 23) and Tyler Reddick (No. 45)

Open Cars – 6 cars

An open car is a car that has been entered into the Daytona 500 and must race its way into the Daytona 500. 2 cars are set on qualifying speed and the other 2 are set on the best finish in duel 1 and duel 2, normally the Thursday before the Daytona 500. 4 open cars can get in.

Front Row Motorsports (1) – Zane Smith (i) (No. 36)

Beard Motorsports (1) – Austin Hill (i) (No. 62)

LEGACY Motor Club (1) – Jimmie Johnson (W) (No. 84)

23XI Racing (1) – Travis Pastrana (No. 67)

Kaulig Racing (1) – Chandler Smith (No. 13)

The Money Team (1) – Conor Daly (No. 50)

MBM Motorsports’ No. 66 had a driver and sponsorship lined up for the 500, but things fell through and it is unlikely that they will race. Team Hezeberg, who ran the 500 last year, has been rumored to have shut down during the off-season but Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass could not find any information. NY Racing Team, who ran races with Greg Biffle in 2022, is also rumored to have shut down. 3F Racing had plans to enter the 500, but they announced they will enter later in 2023. Finishline Motorsports Marketing was scheduled to start the 500 but announced on February 11th that they would not start the 500.

Listed below are the days and times for the events leading up to the race:

(All times EST.; Schedule is tentative and subject to change)

Tuesday, February 14

2 p.m. – Random draw for Xfinity Series qualifying lineup

4 p.m. – Random draw for Cup Series qualifying lineup

Wednesday, February 15

8 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Daytona 500 Media Day

8:15 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series single-car qualifying (one lap, two rounds)

Thursday, February 16

4:05 – 4:55 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series practice

5:05 – 5:55 p.m. – NASCAR Truck Series practice

7 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Duel Race #1 (60 laps)

8:45 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Duel Race #2 (60 laps)

Friday, February 17

1:30 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series qualifying

3 p.m. – NASCAR Truck Series qualifying

4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. – NASCAR Xfinity Series practice

5:35 – 6:35 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series practice

7:30 p.m. – NASCAR Truck Series race (100 laps)

Saturday, February 18

10:30 – 11:20 a.m. – NASCAR Cup Series final practice

11:30 a.m. – NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying

1:30 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series race (80 laps)

5 p.m. – NASCAR Xfinity Series race (120 laps)

Sunday, February 19

2:30 p.m. – NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps)

The Daytona 500 will be broadcasted on FOX and Motor Racing Network (MRN)

In the FOX Booth, we have Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Tony Stewart.

On the MRN Radio, we have Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace in the booth; Dave Moody in turns 1/2, Mike Bagley on the backstretch, and Kyle Rickey in turns 3/4.

The NASCAR Season is right around the corner. Who is your pick to win the Daytona 500? Who is your early pick for the Championship?