NASCAR’s Daytona 500 on FOX has a unique qualifying format. It isn’t the simplest to understand.
Adding to the complicated qualifying procedures is a new rule that could add (but doesn’t guarantee) a 41st car to what — in recent years — has normally been a 40-car field.
We’ll try to break everything down here on how the field is set for the Feb. 16 race at Daytona International Speedway.
How does Daytona 500 qualifying work?
— The 36 drivers of chartered cars are in the race. Here’s the list of drivers: AJ Allmendinger, Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Riley Herbst, Carson Hocevar, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick, Zane Smith, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez, Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace and Cody Ware.
— The remaining spots are then filled by the non-chartered open cars. There are nine open drivers entered: Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Helio Castroneves, Jimmie Johnson, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Chandler Smith, Martin Truex Jr. and JJ Yeley.
The open drivers earn their spots in two ways. They can either get in by being the highest-finishing open driver in their qualifying race on Thursday. Or if they don’t advance through their qualifying race, they can get in by being one of the top-two open cars (not including those who advanced through the qualifying race) in single-car qualifying on Wednesday.
— Castroneves is an open car but is locked into the field through a new rule for 2025 that allows for NASCAR to award a spot to a driver who has elite credentials and would also boost the marketing of the event. His Trackhouse Racing team was the only one to apply before the deadline for this special provisional, so he was the only one considered by NASCAR to receive it.
But there’s a catch. If he uses the provisional, his team gets no prize money for the event. So he hopes to qualify his way in naturally. If he qualifies naturally as an open car, then it will be a 40-car field and five open cars will miss the race. If he doesn’t qualify naturally and uses the provisional, then it will be a 41-car field and four open cars will miss the race.
— On Wednesday night, single-car qualifying was held. Chase Briscoe won the pole for the Daytona 500 and Austin Cindric clinched a spot on the front row. Truex and Johnson locked themselves into the Daytona 500 field as the two fastest open cars — because they can always fall back on their time if they don’t advance through the races on Thursday night.
— Two, 150-mile (60-lap) races on Thursday night will determine the starting lineup, as well as fill the remaining two spots in the field. The 36 charter teams will be split evenly among those two races based on their Wednesday night qualifying speed (the first race having those first, third, fifth, and so on, and the second race having those second, fourth, sixth and so on). The nine open cars are split — Truex, Allgaier, Castroneves, Chandler Smith and Yeley in the first race; Johnson, LaJoie, Alfredo and McLeod in the second race — based on their qualifying speed in the same fashion. All cars will line up based on their qualifying speed.
— The top-finishing open driver in each of the Thursday night races earns a spot in the Daytona 500 field. Of the seven open drivers who then remain, the two with the best qualifying speed from Wednesday night also make it. If Castroneves is not one of those open drivers who earns a spot, he will get the 41st and final spot in the field (and four open drivers will fail to qualify for the race). If he is one of those four drivers, then it will be a 40-car field (and five open drivers will fail to qualify for the race).
So here are the scenarios for each of the open drivers:
— Truex and Johnson: They are in the Daytona 500 because they can fall back on speed.
— Allgaier: He is in if he is the top open driver in his duel. If Truex is the top open driver in the first duel or if Johnson is the top open driver in his duel, Allgaier gets in.
— LaJoie: He is in if he is the top open driver in his duel. If Truex or Allgaier is the top open driver in the first duel AND Johnson is the top open driver in the second duel, LaJoie gets in.
— Castroneves: He is in the race, either as the top open driver in his duel or with the provisional.
— Chandler Smith, Yeley, Alfredo and McLeod must finish as the top open driver in their duel to make the Daytona 500.
— The results of the first race will determine the inside row for Rows 2 through 19 and the results of the second race will determine the outside for Rows 2 through 19. The two open drivers who make the race based on qualifying speed will start in Row 20 (spots 39 and 40). If Castroneves gets in with the provisional, he would start 41st.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal.
