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The 2025 Daytona 500 is set to take place on Sunday, February 16, at Daytona International Speedway, which features a unique qualifying format that determines which drivers make it to the starting lineup for the mega event. This year, a total of 45 drivers entered for 41 spots; several notable drivers failed to qualify for the “Great American Race.”
The qualifying process is highly competitive, especially for “open” cars, making it challenging for them to secure a spot in the prestigious 500-mile race. Following the completion of the Thursday’s Duels qualifying, J.J. Yeley, Chandler Smith, Anthony Alfredo, and B.J. McLeod are four drivers who didn’t qualify for this year’s Daytona 500 field.
As only two spots were left to secure in the Duels qualifying, Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie were the two highest finishers among unchartered teams in their respective Duel races and locked their spot into the prestigious NASCAR season opener. That knocked Yeley, Smith, Alfredo, and McLeod out of the starting grid.
36 chartered drivers were already confirmed in the 41-driver field for Daytona 500. Nine open teams were competing for five spots. Out of them, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson locked in their spots via Wednesday’s single-car qualifying.
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves already had a guaranteed spot through NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) rule, ensuring his entry into the race regardless of qualifying performance. The remaining two were secured by LaJoie and Allgaier.
Daytona 500 starting order, complete lineup for season-opener
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe will lead the field to green on Sunday after winning the pole position for Daytona 500 after posting the fastest lap with a speed of 182.745 mph.
On that note, take a look at the complete 41-car starting lineup for “The Great American Race”:
- #19 – Chase Briscoe
- #2 – Austin Cindric
- #23 – Bubba Wallace
- #43 – Erik Jones
- #24 – William Byron
- #17 – Chris Buescher
- #10 – Ty Dillon
- #11 – Denny Hamlin
- #1 – Ross Chastain
- #22 – Joey Logano
- #45 – Tyler Reddick
- #01 – Corey LaJoie
- #16 – A. J. Allmendinger
- #34 – Todd Gilliland
- #3 – Austin Dillon
- #12 – Ryan Blaney
- #9 – Chase Elliott
- #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
- #40 – Justin Allgaier (i)
- #20 – Christopher Bell
- #8 – Kyle Busch
- #5 – Kyle Larson
- #54 – Ty Gibbs
- #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
- #71 – Michael McDowell
- #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
- #60 – Ryan Preece
- #51 – Cody Ware
- #21 – Josh Berry
- #41 – Cole Custer
- #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- #4 – Noah Gragson
- #77 – Carson Hocevar
- #6 – Brad Keselowski
- #7 – Justin Haley
- #99 – Daniel Suárez
- #38 – Zane Smith
- #48 – Alex Bowman
- #56 – Martin Truex Jr.
- #84 – Jimmie Johnson
- #91 – Helio Castroneves
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Edited by Yash Soni
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