Just a few short months ago, Ryan Blaney silenced critics by winning the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix. Now, NASCAR’s best gather at the World Center of Racing to take on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 serves as both the season opener and the most prestigious single race of the season. We’ve got plenty to catch up on before cars hit the track for qualifying so let’s dive in.
Driver Changes in 2024
Feelin' sunny with Berry.@sunnydelight joins @joshberry as primary partner for multiple races, including the Clash at the Coliseum and the Daytona 500. pic.twitter.com/lZYqd9UD6a
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) January 12, 2024
The biggest change from the 2023 season is the retirement of Kevin Harvick. With Harvick stepping away, Josh Berry fills the #4 seat. Stewart Haas Racing also gets another new face with Aric Almirola leaving the #10 and Noah Gragson stepping in after returning from his 2023 suspension. Justin Haley left the Kaulig Racing #31 over the off-season, taking over the #51 for Rick Ware Racing – Daniel Hemric fills his open seat at Kaulig. Over at Spire Motorsports, a pair of rookies join Corey LaJoie on the full-time roster with Zane Smith in the #71 and Carson Hocevar in the #77. Finally, John Hunter Nemechek jumps into the #42 for Legacy Motor Club full-time.
Among the drivers who will be in part-time roles? Seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson, race winner from 2023 AJ Allmendinger who has elected to run full-time in the Xfinity Series, and Shane van Gisbergen who is making the transition from Australian SuperCars to NASCAR after winning the Chicago Street Race last season.
Check out the full entry list of drivers attempting to qualify for Sunday’s race below:
Daytona 500 Entry List
The qualifying format for NASCAR’s Super Bowl is a bit different than the typical race, most notably with the Duels – a pair of qualifying races that set the field outside of the top two. While the top two drivers will qualify based on time, everyone else will race to determine their starting position.
Additionally, with 42 drivers attempting to make the Daytona 500, only the 36 chartered teams are locked into the race. The six remaining teams will either need to have one of the fastest two qualifying laps among ‘open’ cars in Wednesday night’s session or be among the top two finishers in the group come Thursday’s Duels. With six drivers competing for four spots, drama should be high.
Who are the six drivers not locked into the field? Check out the list below.
- Jimmie Johnson – #84 Legacy Motor Club
- BJ McLeod – #78 Live Fast Motorsports
- Anthony Alfredo – #62 Beard Motorsports
- David Ragan – #60 RFK Racing
- Kaz Grala – #36 Front Row Motorsports
- JJ Yeley – #44
Race Odds and Predictions
The big game has come and gone.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 12, 2024
The big race is right around the corner. #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/ruXu2FOvhL
As ever with superspeedway racing, predicting a winner for the Daytona 500 involves a ton of guesswork and luck. This style of track lends itself to surprise winners more than any other and possesses the ability to eliminate contenders at any time courtesy of multi-car incidents. From book to book, you’ll see differences in favorites and odds because of the air of unpredictability. However, one name that should be near the top contenders on all formats is Denny Hamlin in the #11. Most sportsbooks have him with the best odds to win around +900 and for good reason. Hamlin has claimed the Harley J. Earl Trophy three times.
For another driver listed near the best odds to win on most books, check out Brad Keselowski in the #6 at around +1000. The owner/driver for RFK Racing may not own a victory for his team yet, but his superspeedway results speak for themselves. He pushed his teammate Chris Buescher to victory in the second Daytona race of 2023, don’t be surprised if he claims victory himself this 500.
Finally, if you want to play a longshot for the Daytona 500 winner – consider Corey LaJoie in the #7 at +5000. LaJoie possesses a knack for finding himself near the front of these superspeedway-style races and with additional teammates at Spire Motorsports in 2024, his chances improve.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action from Daytona for the first race of the year.
Wednesday 2/14
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 7:15 p.m. CT on FS1
Thursday 2/15
Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 6:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 7:45 p.m. CT on FS1 (start time pending conclusion of Duel 1)
Friday 2/16
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 2:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Fresh From Florida 250 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Saturday 2/17
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – 10:30 a.m. CT on FS1
Daytona ARCA 200 (ARCA Menard’s Series) – 12:30 p.m. CT on FS1
United Rentals 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 4:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Sunday 2/18
Daytona 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 1:30 p.m. CT on FS1
Stay locked into Apollo for more NASCAR and F1 Coverage throughout racing season! Follow @CoachJayArnold and @ApolloHOU on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest!
Especially since we are planning to boost our NASCAR content this season!
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— Jay Arnold (@CoachJayArnold) February 12, 2024
Planning to do a little more NASCAR with @ApolloHOU in 2024.
Let’s ride.
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