The long 15-week wait is almost over as the NASCAR Cup Series regular season returns with its biggest annual event,the Daytona 500. This year will mark the 68th running of what has come to be known as "The Great American Race" on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway.
In all, 41 drivers will take the green flag on Sunday, Feb. 15 — out of 45 entrants — including former seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, who is being granted an Open Exemption Provisional, meaning the two-time Daytona 500 winner is locked into the field, but cannot earn championship points or prize money.
William Byron is looking to become the only driver ever to win three straight Daytona 500s after joining select company with his second straight win in the 2025 edition. That list includes Richard Petty (1973-74), Cale Yarborough (1983-84), Sterling Marlin (1994-95) and Denny Hamlin (2019-20).
This year's Daytona 500 will feature eight previous winners, with Hamlin entering with the most Harley J. Earl trophies at three.
Daytona 500 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, Feb. 118 p.m.:Front-row qualifying (FS1)
Thursday, Feb. 127 p.m.:Qualifying duel 1 (FS1)8:45 p.m.:Qualifying duel 2 (FS2)
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Sunday, Feb. 152:30 p.m.:Daytona 500 (Fox)
Daytona 500 race details
Track:Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval) in Daytona Beach, FloridaBanking:Turns - 31 degrees | Tri-oval - 18 degrees | Backstretch - 3 degreesRace length:200 laps for 500 milesStage lengths:Stage 1 - 65 laps | Stage 2 - 65 laps | Stage 3 - 70 laps
Daytona 500 qualifying format
The biggest race on the NASCAR calendar also features a unique qualifying format not used on any other race weekend. On Wednesday night all entered cars will turn one lap at top speed, the order of which is determined by a Tuesday night draw of numbers. The top 10 drivers then go into a shootout with the top two times from that session setting the front row for Sunday's race.
The remaining cars are dropped — as evenly as possible, along with the top two qualifiers — into two 60-lap qualifying "duels" to be run Thursday night that set the field from spots three through 41. The finishing order for the first duel determines the inside row slots and the finishing order from the second duel sets the outside row.
The four open (non-chartered or provisional) entries will not make the field.
Top drivers and best bets for the Daytona 500
Owing to the unpredictable nature of the Daytona 500, two-time defending champion William Byron enters with the third-best odds at +1200. Ryan Blaney enters the week with the best odds at 10-to-1 while his Penske teammates aren't far behind as Joey Logano is +1100 and Austin Cindric is at +1400.All odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Best odds to win the Daytona 500
Ryan Blaney +1000
Joey Logano +1100
William Byron +1200
Austin Cindric +1400
Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg recommendsspreading smaller bets around a handful of drivers rather than big wagers on one or two top names. He suggests good mid-tier value can be found in 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace (+2200) as Wallace has the highest average Daytona finish of anyone in the field at 14.4, including two second-place runs. If you're looking for a longshot, Bromberg points out that Josh Berry's (+3500) Wood Brothers team has an alliance with the aforementioned favored Penskes while Erik Jones (+4000) has five straight top-20 finishes at Daytona and won this event back in 2018.
Daytona 500 entry list
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAustin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske FordAustin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletNoah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports FordKyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletBrad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing FordDaniel Suárez, No. 7 JR Motorsports ChevroletKyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletChase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletTy Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletDenny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaRyan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske FordA.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletChris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing FordChase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaChristopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaJosh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing FordJoey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske FordBubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing ToyotaWilliam Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletTodd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports FordRiley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing ToyotaChandler Smith, No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford*Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports FordJustin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet*Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team FordJohn Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club ToyotaErik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club ToyotaJ.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet*Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing ToyotaRicky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports ChevroletAlex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletCody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing FordTy Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaRyan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing FordAnthony Alfredo, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet*Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford*Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota*Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletCarson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletB.J. McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet*Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Legacy Motor Club ToyotaConnor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletShane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletCorey LaJoie, No. 99 RFK Racing Ford*
*-Open entry, not guaranteed to make the 41-car field.
Daytona 500 race week weather
According to Yahoo Weather, the forecast is ideal all week with daytime highs ranging from 67-76 degrees. There is only a single-digit percentage chance of rain all week … except for race day. That chance climbs to a 25% chance of rain right around the scheduled green flag (2:30 p.m. ET) on Sunday.
