Second Thoughts: Daytona 500 Qualifying Will Test Drivers, Owners' Nerves

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin will be among those drivers who are nervous when it comes to qualifying for the Daytona 500.

All three will own cars that potentially will not make the sport’s biggest race. Their cars are among the seven open cars vying for the four spots available in the 41-car field.

Just how important is it to make the race? 

Well, Jimmie Johnson opted to use an open exemption provisional available to an elite driver but one that does not pay out purse money (because it adds a car to the field). 

After last year when the rule allowed for a driver to try to race his way in before having to use the spot, NASCAR changed the rule to require a driver to commit to using the provisional prior to the event.

That required the seven-time Cup champion Johnson to make a decision. Guarantee himself a spot in the race, which is important to his Legacy Motor Club sponsors but give up the ability to earn purse money, which potentially could be more than $500,000 for the event.

Jimmie Johnson greets fans onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025.

So now there appears to be seven drivers competing for the four available spots (the 36 chartered teams are locked in the field, as is Johnson):

— Corey LaJoie: An adept speedway racer driving a fourth car for Keselowski’s RFK Racing, where LaJoie is the reserve driver.

— Corey Heim: The defending truck series champion who is expected to run more than 10 Cup races this year for Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, where he is the reserve driver.

— Justin Allgaier: For the second consecutive year, Allgaier will drive a JR Motorsports car at Daytona. The 2024 Xfinity champion made the race last year for JRM’s Cup debut.

— Anthony Alfredo: A former Cup driver and current O’Reilly Series driver (and Hendrick simulator driver) competing for Beard Motorsports.

— BJ McLeod: Driving for the Live Fast Motorsports team he co-owns with his wife.

— Casey Mears: The Cup veteran is driving for Garage 66, owned by long-time independent car owner Carl Long.

— JJ Yeley: Driving for NY Racing, the team where he’s run several races in recent years.

Will Corey LaJoie be successful in his attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in 2026?

Qualifying for Daytona is a two-step process. Drivers do one lap of single-car qualifying Wednesday. Those speeds then set the lineups for the duels Thursday, and there will be four open cars among the field for one of the duels and three in the second (assuming there are no additional entries). 

Those 60-lap races set the starting order for the Daytona 500.

The top-finishing open driver in each duel makes the Daytona 500 and then, of the remaining five drivers, the top two in qualifying speed also get into the field. 

So a driver can clinch a spot in qualifying with one of the two fastest speeds. LaJoie, Allgaier and Heim — driving for the better-funded teams — will likely be the favorites to battle for those two spots.

All seven drivers can race their way into the 500. Except for Heim (who has seven Cup starts), they all have significant Cup experience. Mears has 494 starts, Yeley 396, LaJoie 276, McLeod 149, Allgaier 83 and Alfredo 43. 

That should make things at least a little interesting when it comes to the duels. McLeod, Yeley, Mears and Alfredo are driving for organizations that don’t have the manufacturer support of the other three, which could impact their chances.

But as long as they have solid engines (and typically these teams do get fresh ones for Daytona), they very well could be in the mix in their duel. 

For the next three weeks, these drivers know they face an uncertain future at Daytona. For all these drivers except Heim, a 2026 Daytona 500 start would be something to cherish because they don't know if they will ever get another one.

So expect some emotion — and potentially daring, last-lap moves — in a few weeks at Daytona. 

In Second Thoughts, Bob Pockrass dives into the state of motorsports the way only he can.