The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, February 16, at Daytona International Speedway, with a unique qualifying format determining the starting lineup for the prestigious event. This year, 45 drivers vied for 41 spots, leading to some notable drivers failing to qualify for the “Great American Race.”
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is a highly competitive process, especially for “open” cars, which face stiff competition to secure a spot in the 500-mile race. Following the completion of Thursday’s Duels qualifying, drivers like J.J. Yeley, Chandler Smith, Anthony Alfredo, and B.J. McLeod were unable to make it into this year’s Daytona 500 field.
In the Duel races, Justin Allgaier and Corey LaJoie emerged as the two highest finishers among unchartered teams, earning their spots in the NASCAR season opener and displacing Yeley, Smith, Alfredo, and McLeod from the starting grid.
With 36 chartered drivers already confirmed in the 41-driver field, nine open teams competed for the remaining five spots. Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson secured their places through Wednesday’s single-car qualifying, while Helio Castroneves had a guaranteed spot through NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) rule. The final two spots went to LaJoie and Allgaier.
The starting order for the Daytona 500 will see Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing leading the field after clinching the pole position with a lap speed of 182.745 mph. The complete 41-car lineup for “The Great American Race” is as follows:
1. Chase Briscoe
2. Austin Cindric
3. Bubba Wallace
4. Erik Jones
5. William Byron
6. Chris Buescher
7. Ty Dillon
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Ross Chastain
10. Joey Logano
11. Tyler Reddick
12. Corey LaJoie
13. A. J. Allmendinger
14. Todd Gilliland
15. Austin Dillon
16. Ryan Blaney
17. Chase Elliott
18. John Hunter Nemechek
19. Justin Allgaier (i)
20. Christopher Bell
21. Kyle Busch
22. Kyle Larson
23. Ty Gibbs
24. Riley Herbst (R)
25. Michael McDowell
26. Shane van Gisbergen (R)
27. Ryan Preece
28. Cody Ware
29. Josh Berry
30. Cole Custer
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
32. Noah Gragson
33. Carson Hocevar
34. Brad Keselowski
35. Justin Haley
36. Daniel Suárez
37. Zane Smith
38. Alex Bowman
39. Martin Truex Jr.
40. Jimmie Johnson
41. Helio Castroneves
This lineup sets the stage for an exciting and competitive Daytona 500, showcasing some of the best drivers in NASCAR vying for victory in the season opener.
