Dell Sports – Nascar News

Briscoe, who won the pole for the season-opening race and placed fourth behind winner William Byron, lost 100 driver points and 10 playoff points. Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, fell from 10th to 39th in the driver standings with negative-67 points.

JGR was fined $100,000 and docked 100 owner points and 10 playoff points. Crew chief James Small was suspended for four races.

NASCAR said modifications to the spoiler were found during inspection at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. There was a violation because the spoiler base is a single-source part and cannot be modified.

JGR released a statement later Wednesday indicating it plans to appeal the penalty.

"The issue in question was caused in the assembly process when bolts used to attach the spoiler base to the deck lid caused the pre-drilled holes to wear due to supplied part interferences," JGR explained in the statement.

There were other penalties announced Wednesday pertaining to Sunday's race at Daytona Beach, Fla. The No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team of driver Todd Gilliland and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team of driver Cody Ware were penalized 10 driver points and 10 owner points for a safety violation of adding ballast to their cars.

Gilliland drops to 27th in the standings with 10 points and Ware is 35th with two.

After waiting out a nearly four-hour rain delay, the 41-car field resumed under the lights on Sunday, putting it up against the NBA All-Star Game. Despite the delay, the Daytona 500 did manage to draw an average of 6.761 million viewers on Fox.

That was up 13 percent from the 5.96 million who tuned in for last year's race, which was forced to Monday due to weather, but down from the 8.17 million viewers who watched the 2023 race held on a Sunday.

The 6.76 million viewers still made this year's race the most-watched over Presidents' Day weekend, topping the 4.4 million who tuned into the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off on ABC on Saturday night. The Daytona 500 peaked at 7.959 million viewers from 2:05-2:15 p.m. ET, shortly after the green flag dropped to begin the race around 1:30 p.m.

Following two delays, the race resumed for good around 6:20 and William Byron finally took the checkered flag a bit after 9:30 p.m.

It was the first race in NASCAR's seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal that includes Fox, NBC Sports, Amazon and TNT Sports. The Cup Series moves to Atlanta this weekend for Saturday's Ambetter Healthy 400.

Byron recorded his second consecutive Daytona 500 win for his 14th career victory while also producing the 10th win at the 500 for Hendrick Motorsports, breaking a tie with Petty Motorsports.

Gordon, now the vice chairman of operations for Hendrick Motorsports, was previously the youngest driver to win two Daytona 500s. That was until 27-year-old William Byron, piloting the Hendrick No. 24 that Gordon brought to power in the 1990s, escaped the last-lap big one to win his second consecutive Great American Race on Sunday.

Gordon was asked about Byron breaking his record.

"I hope he breaks them all," Gordon said. "I'm in full support of that."

Three decades ago, Gordon, crew chief Ray Evernham and Hendrick Motorsports crafted one of the greatest dynasties in NASCAR history. From 1995 to 1998, Gordon won 40 races, the 1997 Daytona 500 and three Winston Cup titles. Evernham left the No. 24 team with seven races remaining in the 1999 season, the same year Gordon won his second Daytona 500.

Twenty-six years later, Gordon has gray hair. He traded in his fire suit for a vest after a brief stint as a substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. While he still answers questions in post-race news conferences, he sits to the side, with the Hendrick driver who won the race taking the spot Gordon sat in 93 times.

Byron is poised to be the face of a new dynasty alongside another man who is getting used to the spotlight of the winner's circle: crew chief Rudy Fugle.

Let's not mince words: In regard to both statistics and the eye test, no driver/crew chief combination besides Hendrick Motorsports' own Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus have come close to matching or eclipsing the results that Gordon and Evernham produced in the '90s. But if any duo is going to match the Rainbow Warriors, it could be Byron and Fugle.

Byron was paired with Fugle during the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, in which Byron won seven races. Byron moved up to the Cup Series in the famed No. 24 in 2018, and he won his first Cup Series race in August 2020 at Daytona with Knaus atop the pit box.

Fugle was paired with Byron ahead of the 2021 Cup Series season, which saw Byron record his second victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway and finish a then-career-best 10th in points.

Since the advent of the Next-Gen car in 2022, Byron and Fugle have won 12 races, made two appearances in the Championship 4 and haven't finished worse than sixth in the Cup Series points standings.

After winning the Daytona 500 in 2024, Byron and Fugle were back in victory lane in Daytona Beach on Sunday, with Byron becoming just the fifth driver ever to win back-to-back Daytona 500s. Say what you will about the state of modern superspeedway racing, but two Harley J. Earl Trophies don't just fall into a driver's lap.

Quantifying what a dynasty is or could be in modern NASCAR is a difficult task. NASCAR's championship format is arguably the least straightforward it's ever been, making it harder for the fastest teams to make the Championship 4 on a consistent basis, let alone take home the title in Phoenix.

Rather than using the amount of Bill France Cups a driver has on his shelf to decide whether or not he forged a dynasty, looking at race wins and Championship 4 appearances -- two accomplishments aplenty in the No. 24 camp over the past three seasons -- seems much more reasonable.

Byron and Fugle's stretch from 2022 to the 2025 Daytona 500 doesn't compare to Gordon and Evernham's dominant run in the '90s, but then again, only Johnson and Knaus' 2006-10 stretch has since.

"We talk about it all the time, how quickly he's risen through the ranks and won races and championships," Gordon said. "He continues to do it at an elite level in Cup. This guy (Fugle) has a lot to do with it. Rudy's a great crew chief. When you get that combination of a great talent like William and a great talent like Rudy and you put the team together with it, the resources we have, magical things happen."

If Byron and the No. 24 team can continue to earn Championship 4 berths, it seems a foregone conclusion that a championship or two will come their way -- and with it, talk of crowning them as another great dynasty that just so happened to be emblazoned with the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24.

Running ninth as the overtime started at high-banked Daytona International Speedway, Byron went high in his No. 24 Chevrolet and avoided a wreck between leader Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric and others in the low lane.

Byron led five times for nine laps in recording his 13th career victory. It was the 10th win at the 500 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Tyler Reddick was second followed by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek.

In the 67th version of NASCAR's "Great American Race," top qualifier Briscoe, Byron and Ty Dillon took turns leading the pack, but rain brought out the 200-lap race's first caution on Lap 10.

After waiting out a nearly-four-hour rain delay, the 41-car field resumed under the lights with reigning series champ Joey Logano showing the point for 43 of the Stage 1 circuits.

His No. 22 Ford received some help when fellow blue-oval drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney lined up behind, with the trio finishing in that order after Zane Smith and Josh Berry collided.

The first major incident occurred on the Lap 71 restart when leader Logano failed to get up to speed, causing a chain reaction that affected 10 cars throughout the field and ended with Ross Chastain being turned into Castroneves, plus Briscoe, Kyle Busch and others sliding into the grass.

Cindric's No. 2 Ford moved to the front before the 250-mile mark, but Blaney got a strong push from Chase Elliott in the second segment to notch his fourth Daytona 500 stage win.

With 15 laps to go, the seventh caution was triggered at fourth place when Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. squeezed together and wrecked, starting a melee that ended chances at victory for Blaney, Busch, Keselowski and Elliott.

After second-place Christopher Bell hit the wall hard with five laps to go, his No. 20 Toyota smacked Ryan Preece, who got airborne for the second time in his career at Daytona, and his No. 60 Ford bounced down the backstretch.

"A great way to start our season," said Briscoe, the new wheelman in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing car formerly piloted by Martin Truex Jr., of his third career pole and the first ever for Toyota in the sport's biggest race.

"Unbelievable way to start off the year," he added. "Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota."

Believably, the numbers are not on the hot-lap duo's side.

Since the turn of the century, only once has a driver collected a 500 victory from Row 1: polesitter Dale Jarrett in 2000.

In the past 32 500s, it has only occurred two other times -- top qualifier Jeff Gordon the year before and Jarrett again in 1993 (started second).

Riding in the right place at the right time and avoiding the Big One -- basically playing out the 500 miles like a game of chess and being downright lucky in spots -- have been keys to success.

Defending champion William Byron testifies to the importance of positioning.

"There's a lot of circumstances," Byron told First Coast News. "I think that being in the right place and being able to have the right tactical sort of advantage and knowing where to be on the racetrack is huge."

Byron is aiming to be the first back-to-back Daytona 500 winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20.

Regardless of who does what in Laps 1 through 199, weather permitting (the start time was moved up to 1:30 p.m. ET because of possible showers), Lap 200 is sure to be intense.

In the season's first decisive lap, where each driver up front will be looking to etch his name into the Daytona International Speedway record book and become part of NASCAR lore, something will have to give and points will be become pointless because no one will care at that point.

No driver cares about a spot in the playoffs in the 500.

The leader will be fearful of a run by a line of cars down the lengthy Superstretch, and he may have to do his best to break the draft and protect two lanes, maybe even a third lane.

Meanwhile, those running behind will have to plot their strategy and decide to run with a teammate or manufacturer mate, or dare to cross the line and get help from someone with a different symbol on the hood.

Consider it a dog and cat teaming up against an ornery raccoon.

Drivers roughly 10th or worse will have to hope for mayhem resulting in a "Moses parting the Red Sea" moment to create a path to victory, like it did for Austin Dillon in the 2022 summer DIS event.

An almost immortalizing win will be there for the taking after navigating the final two turns.

The season-opening race will feature storylines aplenty, from Hamlin's pursuit of a fourth race victory to Briscoe's debut in the No. 19 car to whether 2024 Cup Series champ Joey Logano will start the year strong.

"You need to fight complacency, especially at this point in my career," Logano told local reporters this week. "You can't feel like it's good enough, ever. And so whether that's as far as the wins or your team, your car, yourself, nothing can ever be good enough, and you just got to keep looking for those little things to be better."

NASCAR announced the time change for the "Great American Race" on Friday.

Chase Briscoe will start from the pole and William Byron is the defending champion.

Parking lots open at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Speedway officials encouraged fans to arrive early due to increased security measures.

Jones put his No. 43 Toyota up high on the backstretch and got a strong push from the No. 17 Ford of Chris Buescher. Cindric, driving the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, edged Jones but had to wait out NASCAR's decision for the win.

As a handful of cars wrecked behind them, Buescher, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano completed the top five.

Corey LaJoie, driving the No. 01 Ford for Rick Ware Racing in a partial schedule, came home sixth and made the field for the 200-lap event on Sunday.

Just as top qualifier Chase Briscoe did in the first Duel, Cindric owned the point at the green flag and was able to flex his Ford's muscle alongside Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota, but Hamlin was up to the task.

Hamlin led until Lap 16 when Jones pulled past with seven-time Cup champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson, Jones' teammate at Legacy Motor Club, trailing in his No. 84 Toyota.

At the halfway point and still under green, Daniel Suarez's No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet moved by Jones, and Hamlin battled beside Johnson in a matchup of former 500 winners.

Suarez continued to hold the point on Lap 40, with Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Anthony Alfredo rounding out fast group out front.

On Lap 45, all the Chevys and Toyotas hit pit road, but Larson, Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek were tagged with speeding penalties.

The Fords all pitted on the following circuit, and the race's first caution occurred when a bottleneck of cars checked up and forced Alex Bowman into Suarez. Bowman's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet wound up striking the inside wall.

After fending off Ty Dillon's No. 10 Chevrolet in the final 10 laps, Wallace took the white flag as the leader and held his 23XI Racing car owned by NBA icon Michael Jordan out front for Toyota's third consecutive Duel win.

Wallace, who led six times for 20 laps, will start third in Sunday's Daytona 500.

Following Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet were Dillon, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick in the five-caution race.

In his first race in Martin Truex Jr.'s former No. 19, polesitter Chase Briscoe started the 60-lap race but did not have the chance to show the speed he had in winning the first-ever Daytona 500 pole for Toyota.

The first of the 150-mile qualifiers had its initial incident a mere three laps in as Zane Smith, running fifth, cut a tire on the west end of the 2.5-mile superspeedway and scrubbed the outside wall in a one-car incident.

With Clash winner Chase Elliott out front, Chandler Smith's No. 66 Ford smacked the Turn 1 wall after moving down on Justin Haley's No. 7, while four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves spun. The Toyotas of Wallace, Reddick and Ty Gibbs also were in it.

Content after running nearly half of the laps, Briscoe retired the No. 19, saving it from incident and putting it safely away for Sunday's 500-miler, which he will lead the field in.

Wallace and Byron swapped the lead before the No. 23 Toyota driver pulled slightly ahead with 18 laps to go.

NASCAR on Wednesday filed a brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Richmond, Va.) against the injunction that has granted 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports permission to operate as chartered members despite not signing a charter.

In December, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell ruled in favor of Front Row and Jordan's 23XI Racing, who sought to be recognized as chartered teams while pursuing antitrust litigation against NASCAR.

The two racing teams had refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement presented to them in September, which the other 13 organizations racing in the Cup Series signed; 23XI and Front Row called NASCAR "monopolistic bullies" for its business practices in the suit.

At the time, NASCAR said Bell erred in his judgment and asserted it was "never given the opportunity" to explain issues related to charter transfers.

NASCAR stuck with that tack in Thursday's appeal, which claims that Bell's directives "flout federal antitrust law" while ignoring significant evidence. NASCAR also took issue with Bell ordering the company to approve 23XI's purchase of a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing, which went beyond what 23XI requested in its suit.

"These injunctions misuse the judicial power to force NASCAR to treat its litigation adversaries as its business partners and confidants, undermining the mutual trust that has fueled NASCAR's growth and success," NASCAR's attorneys wrote in the brief.

"Worse, the district court conjured from thin air a categorical ban on sports leagues including releases broad enough to encompass antitrust claims in their agreements -- eliminating the need to prove anticompetitive conduct, a crucial element."

NASCAR's appeal will not prohibit 23XI or Front Row from competing in the Daytona 500. The teams are due to respond on March 14, with a hearing not expected to begin until May. In the meantime, the injunction won by 23XI and Front Row remains in place.

Chris Lawson, crew chief for Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland, and Billy Plourde, crew chief for Rick Ware Racing's Cody Ware, were both sanctioned for improper weights on the No. 34 and No. 51 cars, respectively.

Kevyn Rebolledo will replace Lawson and Tommy Baldwin will take over for Plourde as preparations continue for Sunday's "Great American Race" in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Both cars in question are chartered entries, meaning they have guaranteed spots in the starting grid regardless of how they finish in Thursday's qualifying Duels.

Fastest in both rounds of time trials, Briscoe turned a lap in 49.249 seconds (182.745 mph) to secure the top starting spot for Sunday's race (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The pole position is the first for a Toyota driver in the Great American Race. Briscoe edged 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric (182.463 mph) by 0.076 seconds for the top spot on the grid.

Given the race's unique qualifying format, Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and Cindric are the only two drivers locked into their starting positions for Sunday.

"A great way to start our season," said an ecstatic Briscoe, who earned his third career pole. "Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota. To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they've already accomplished so much is pretty cool.

"Can't thank (team owner) Coach Gibbs enough, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization. The whole offseason, everybody kept telling me the focus was trying to qualify better at superspeedways. That's something I really struggled at last year. For our 19 group to come here and sit on the pole at the biggest race of the year is pretty special."

The rest of the field will be set Thursday night in the in Duel at Daytona 15-mile qualifying races, though both Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson know they will be in the field for NASCAR's most prestigious race after posting the two fastest qualifying times among nine drivers of unchartered cars.

Truex qualified 22nd overall and Johnson 29th.

"Definitely a big relief," said Truex, who is driving the first Tricon Garage entry in the Cup Series. "You never know what can happen in the Duels, they can get crazy, something on pit road can get you in trouble. Great job to all of the guys. They worked their butts off on this car.

"They were sweating all afternoon, and luckily, we were able to put a good lap in. ... All of the guys at Tricon and also at JGR, Toyota and TRD. I'm sure, it's a big deal for them -- both cars that just locked in are Toyotas. Big night for them, and hopefully, we can have some fun the rest of the weekend."

Johnson drove the No. 84 Toyota fielded by Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns.

"What I went through last year (in the Duels) was so frightening, and I'm glad I don't have to go through it again," Johnson said. "I certainly respect this process and don't envy the guys that have to race their way in."

In the final round, Ford drivers were second through fifth fastest, with Cindric, Ryan Preece, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Josh Berry occupying those respective positions on the speed chart.

Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon (in the fastest Chevrolet), Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon and Kyle Larson were sixth through 10th fastest in the money round.

Briscoe will start from the pole in the first Duel on Thursday, with Cindric leading the field to green in the second qualifying race. Preece will start second in Duel 1, with Logano on the outside of the front row in Duel 2.

Qualifiers in odd-numbered positions fill the field behind the pole winner in Duel 1, with even-numbered qualifiers filling the field of Duel 2. The highest-finishing unchartered driver in each of the Duels will advance to the Daytona 500.

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying -- Daytona 500

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

1. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 182.745 mph.

2. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 182.463 mph.

3. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 182.426 mph.

4. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 182.341 mph.

5. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 182.275 mph.

6. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 182.138 mph.

7. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 182.024 mph.

8. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 181.947 mph.

9. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 181.943 mph.

10. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 181.737 mph.

11. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 181.800 mph.

12. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 181.796 mph.

13. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 181.792 mph.

14. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 181.690 mph.

15. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 181.679 mph.

16. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 181.653 mph.

17. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 181.558 mph.

18. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 181.550 mph.

19. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 181.393 mph.

20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 181.342 mph.

21. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 181.320 mph.

22. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 181.302 mph.

23. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 181.232 mph.

24. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 181.105 mph.

25. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 180.934 mph.

26. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 180.926 mph.

27. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 180.832 mph.

28. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 180.785 mph.

29. (84) Jimmie Johnson, Toyota, 180.785 mph.

30. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 180.763 mph.

31. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 180.632 mph.

32. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 180.614 mph.

33. (40) Justin Allgaier(i), Chevrolet, 180.495 mph.

34. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 180.487 mph.

35. (01) Corey LaJoie, Ford, 180.437 mph.

36. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 180.317 mph.

37. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 180.011 mph.

38. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 179.910 mph.

39. (91) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 179.752 mph.

40. (62) Anthony Alfredo(i), Chevrolet, 179.677 mph.

41. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 179.469 mph.

42. (66) Chandler Smith(i), Ford, 178.745 mph.

43. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 177.774 mph.

44. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 176.280 mph.

45. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 173.628 mph.

Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing

In his first qualifying session with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe made the biggest statement possible. Toyota has traditionally lagged behind Ford and Chevy in Daytona 500 qualifying, and Briscoe's pole position is the first ever pole run for Toyota at the Daytona 500. Briscoe will have all eyes on him as he tries to start his JGR tenure with a bang.

Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske

Cindric is the only driver besides Briscoe who knows where he will start on Sunday. The 2022 Daytona 500 champion will have the best view when the green flag drops on Sunday, and he should have enough speed to stay up front in the early going. In a race that occasionally sees "the Big One" happen near the beginning, a good starting spot could be the difference in being caught up in an crash or having a chance to win the race.

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing

Not only does a ninth-place qualifying effort give Dillon a good starting spot for his Duel race on Thursday, but it also puts the NASCAR world on notice. Dillon and Kaulig Racing aren't entering 2025 with high expectations, but the Wednesday results proved that Dillon has decent pace. It's only one qualifying session, but it's a positive sign for a team and driver looking for momentum as they begin the season.

Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Toyota, Legacy Motor Club

After having to fight J.J. Yeley tooth and nail in the Duels to make the Daytona 500 a year ago, Johnson qualifying on speed this year is a huge relief for the seven-time Cup Series champion. Toyota clearly has more speed than in recent years at Daytona, and Johnson was a major beneficiary. He can still improve his starting position in his Duel race on Thursday, but not having to make the race via the Duels is a key advantage.

Martin Truex Jr, No. 56 Toyota, Tricon Garage

Like Johnson, Truex qualifying in on speed is a huge relief for the 2017 Cup Series champion. For the first time since 2005, Truex Jr. entered Speedweeks as a part-time Cup Series competitor, but that didn't deter him from laying down a fast lap. In his quest to finally win the Great American Race, Truex won't have to worry about missing the race due to chaos and carnage in his Duel race.

1. Twenty years of trying, Part 2?

On Feb. 15, 1998, Mike Joy called Dale Earnhardt to victory in the Daytona 500 by uttering one of the most iconic lines in NASCAR history: "Twenty years of trying, 20 years of frustration! Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500!"

Almost 27 years to the day of Earnhardt's long-awaited Daytona triumph, Kyle Busch -- who like Earnhardt, will drive for Richard Childress Racing -- will look for his first Daytona 500 win in his 20th start. Busch has been close several times before. In 2023, Busch led at the 500-mile mark, but lost in overtime to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Busch hasn't won in 57 races and is coming off of the worst season of his career in 2024, so should be more than motivated. He has just about every trophy a NASCAR driver could want displayed in his trophy case, but a Harley J. Earl trophy would complete the collection and be one of the crowning achievements in his Hall of Fame career.

2. Qualifying, Duel races to be high stakes

Forty-five drivers will attempt to make the 40-car field (or 41, depending on Helio Castroneves' qualifying/Duel results). That's the most amount of cars that will have attempted to race their way into the Daytona 500 since 2015, the final year of the 43-car field.

The list of drivers trying to race their way in is star-studded, as 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will attempt to win his first Daytona 500 with TRICON Garage, while seven-time champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson will attempt his first of two Cup Series races in 2025. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves is guaranteed a spot in the race via the open-exemption provisional.

The most high-profile open car will be driven by defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey will adorn the hood of the No. 40 Chevrolet owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. If Allgaier makes the race, it will be the first ever Cup Series start for Jr. Motorsports.

Other drivers trying to race their way into the field include Corey LaJoie (No. 01, Rick Ware Racing), J.J. Yeley (No. 44, N.Y. Racing), Anthony Alfredo (No. 62, Beard Motorsports), Chandler Smith (No. 66, MBM Motorsports/Garage 66) and B.J. McLeod (No. 78, Live Fast Motorsports).

3. Underdogs look to make a splash

Since the restrictor plates bunched up the field at Daytona and Talladega, the great equalizer of the draft has given underdogs the opportunity to seize Daytona glory. Trevor Bayne (2011), Michael McDowell (2021) and Stenhouse (2023) all took advantage of pack racing to snag a Daytona 500 victory. This year, look for drivers such as Erik Jones and Todd Gilliland to lead the way for the little guys.

4. Can Blaney finally break through?

Ryan Blaney has only made 10 Daytona 500 starts, but he's been close to victory several times already. In 2017, Blaney watched as many contenders ran out of gas late in the race. The only driver ahead of him that had enough fuel? Race winner Kurt Busch, who held Blaney to a runner-up finish in his third 500 start. In 2020, Blaney narrowly lost to Denny Hamlin in a photo finish as Ryan Newman flew through the air. In 2022, Blaney was run up the track on the race's final lap by teammate and race winner Austin Cindric. The 2023 champion has become one of NASCAR's elite, and he could add to his resume by finally capturing a Harley J. Earl trophy.

5. Veterans look to set the tone

While many fans decry modern speedway racing as too random, the best of the best usually find their way to the front. Plenty of veterans are looking to start 2025 off on the right foot by winning the "Great American Race.'"

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is looking to win his first race with crew chief Chris Gayle, while defending Cup Series champion and 2015 Daytona 500 champion Joey Logano looks to roll his momentum over to a new season. Other vets looking to make their mark in Daytona include the aforementioned Busch, 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.

They -- along one of the sport's great safety innovators, Dr. Dean Sicking, and one of its most accomplished storytellers, Associated Press reporter Mike Harris -- were celebrated for their important contributions to stock car racing.

Hundreds of fans began crowding the lobby of the NASCAR Hall of Fame early in the afternoon, hours before their heroes arrived -- their cameras pointed toward the red carpet and applause finally greeting each of the honored guests, from one of the Hall's original inductees, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty to beloved driver Donnie Allison to a pair of the most successful crew chiefs in racing history, Ray Evernham and Chad Knaus.

But the cheers rang loudly and cell phone cameras flashed rapidly filling the room when Rudd and Edwards arrived on the red carpet.

In a 13-year NASCAR Cup Series career, Edwards won 28 races, including the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He was a two-time NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up, losing out on the 2011 title in the closest title race in history -- a tiebreaker with fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart.

In all, Edwards earned 72 victories in the three national series, including the 2007 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. In 2005, he competed full time in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series.

Nearly two hundred people -- Edwards' family, friends and most ardent career supporters -- accompanied the 45-year old Missourian to North Carolina for the career-defining moment on Friday. One of his former car owners, fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, rented an airplane for Edwards to transport his large group of support from Missouri.

Edwards explained that during his career fans watched him do his signature backflips to celebrate race wins, but that was only a momentary snapshot and that he probably did not allow himself the real time to cherish the victories as he should have.

"So, I said, we're going to make sure there is a real celebration," Edwards said. "For many reasons I'm happy to be able to come back and thank everyone. It's not reality, not for me yet. ... I don't even know what to say. It feels ... very good."

In speaking to the Hall on stage during his official induction, Edwards called his message one of "gratitude" -- thanking his parents, wife, children, longtime fans and Hall of Fame team owners Jack Roush and Gibbs, his competitors and all those that worked on his teams.

"Thanks for making me part of your family. Thank you NASCAR," he said.

It was a similarly moving induction experience for Rudd, known as one of the toughest competitors in the sport's history. His first NASCAR start of any kind came in the NASCAR Cup Series and he finished 11th in that 1975 debut at Rockingham, N.C. as an 18-year old -- earning his first of 374 career top-10s the following week at Bristol, Tenn. In 1983, at the age of 24, he became the youngest pole winner in Daytona 500 history.

Rudd, 68, of Chesapeake, Va., would go on to earn 23 career NASCAR Cup Series victories including the 1997 Brickyard 400 as an owner-driver and the 1992 International Race of Champions (IROC) title in his first year in the series.

He is best-known however for his singular toughness -- 16 consecutive years (1983-98) with a victory at the sport's highest level and his string of 788 straight starts was a record that lasted until 2015. His 905 total starts in a career that spanned four decades is second only to the seven-time NASCAR champion Petty's 1,185 starts.

"With the help of a lot of great people I was able to chase a lot of dreams, and with tonight's induction, that dream is now complete," said Rudd, who thanked his family, fans, wife Linda and son Landon, noting that Linda "has not only been my wife and best friend for 45 years, she mentally drove every lap with me."

"NASCAR allowed me to experience things most people will never do. I got to fly with the Blue Angels. I shook the hands of two presidents, refueled with the Air Force Thunderbirds high above the Nevada desert and play a small role in a movie. ... This is truly the honor of a lifetime."

Moody, who died in 2004, served under Gen. George Patton in World War II before becoming a full-time driver and winning five times in NASCAR's premier division in 1956-57. But his legacy was only beginning. In 1957, he partnered with John Holman to form the iconic Holman-Moody Racing company -- building cars and creating innovations that produced 96 Cup wins from 1957-72 and winning the 1968-69 Cup Series championships with driver David Pearson.

"If not for Ralph Moody, there probably wouldn't be a Bobby or Donnie Allison, he's just a fantastic man," Donnie Allison said, bringing Moody's son and daughter to the stage for the official Hall of Fame ring presentation.

"It is with great pride and gratitude I stand here tonight to honor my father," the younger Ralph Moody told the crowd of his father's unlikely rise from a Massachusetts farm into NASCAR's most esteemed hall of honor.

"For dad it was never just about winning, it was about creating safety not just being faster," Moody said, ending the acceptance speech with an emotion-filled thank you to his father.

Dr. Dean Sicking was given the Landmark Award for his Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR that included his work alongside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in creating of SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barriers that now line the walls at all race tracks hosting one of NASCAR's three top-level divisions.

Harris was awarded the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence for his four decades work as the lead motorsports writer for the AP before retiring in 2009.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver was passed by Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota late in the first 100 laps, but Elliott regained the lead in the second 100 and beat Ryan Blaney by 1.3 seconds on the 1/4-mile track for his first Clash victory .

Elliott's previous best finish was second at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in the 2021 non-points event. He became the race's 26th winner.

Following Blaney were Hamlin, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace.

Elliott won the pole for the 200-lap event on the quarter-mile bullring, but the seven-time Most Popular Driver Award winner had to wait out an intense last-chance qualifying race that had Kyle Larson and Josh Berry racing in, while Blaney claimed the provisional to form the 23-car field.

In the 47th running of the Clash and first at the tiny speedway dubbed "The Madhouse," Elliott stretched his lead out to over a second in the first 20 laps until Kyle Busch was dumped in a chain-reaction wreck for the first caution.

Elliott avoided trouble when William Byron bounced off the outside wall while being lapped by the No. 9 Chevrolet.

Hamlin made the first real run at Elliott on the Lap 80 restart, pulling up beside him on the flat track but being unable to take the lead until Lap 97 when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver slid the Toyota underneath Elliott.

At the 100-lap mark, NASCAR threw the second caution for the halftime break with Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Elliott, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski comprising the top five.

Meanwhile, 23rd-place starter Blaney moved all the way to 10th in his No. 12 Ford.

Larson, Keselowski, Carson Hocevar, William Byron and Alex Bowman were all caught up in spins over the next 20 laps, and Elliott reassumed the lead with a pass of Hamlin on Lap 127 and raced on to victory.

With its offseason officially over after Team Penske's Joey Logano captured his third Cup title, the series has rested itself and will get set for its season-opening Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.

Let's just say it has been a long time since NASCAR visited the tiny track that used to be a part of its Cup Series schedule.

For starters, there is the speedway and its unique dimensions.

Bowman Gray measures out at just a quarter of a mile and is as flat as a penny left on a railroad track.

The track has the length and steepness of one surrounding a high school football field where a group of erstwhile slackers may meet in the late afternoon to stick to their New Year's resolution of more exercise.

And, yes, there is a football field there: Winston-Salem State still plays its games on the grassy gridiron.

However, NASCAR's top series has not run there since Aug. 6, 1971, in a controversial 250-lapper that Bobby Allison eventually won over Richard Petty -- a race that did not become official until NASCAR settled the dispute last October due to Allison competing in his Grand American 1970 Ford Mustang.

That awarded Allison his 85th career win, breaking a fourth-place tie with Darrell Waltrip in all-time victories. Allison passed away in November, the day before Logano's championship-winning Phoenix race.

While Bowman Gray is the same distance as the speedway at the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the past three Clashes, Austin Cindric said there is a noticeable difference between the two legendary facilities.

"I think it'll feel smaller, honestly," Cindric told the Daytona News-Journal before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Raceway. "The Coliseum is quite a bit wider. The track shape is the same as far as the outside distance. But I think it's going to be quite narrower."

Toyota driver Denny Hamlin drove his No. 11 to victory in last season's exhibition kickoff race, while Martin Truex Jr. and Logano took the checkers at the southern California stadium the previous two years.

Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman said the experience of competing at the wild Winston-Salem configuration over 10 years ago in the East Series against the likes of Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez lived up to the venue's reputation of rugged short-track racing that can lead to short tempers.

"My biggest memory of going to Bowman Gray was going to a modified race there and seeing the pace-car driver get flipped off. So that was pretty cool," Bowman told Fox NASCAR.

Ten years ago, it would have been unimaginable to think that historic tracks like North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Bowman Gray would grace a NASCAR schedule again.

Throw in another often-raced but NASCAR-forgotten North Carolina track, too -- Rockingham Speedway. The 1.017-mile, D-shaped venue makes its return with Craftsmen Truck and Xfinity Series races in mid-April.

With all these legendary speedways of days of yore resurfacing on schedules as NASCAR revisits its roots, maybe a place like Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville has a shot in the future.

Here are 10 storylines and questions to follow throughout the 38-week season.

1. Can Kyle Busch get off the schneid?

Busch is one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR, but even he is not immune to a losing streak. 2024 was the first season in Busch's 20-year career in which the two-time champion failed to win a race, and there's no indication that Richard Childress Racing will magically show up with race-winning speed right off the bat. However, a hungry driver is a dangerous driver, and Busch will begin his 21st Cup Series campaign by attempting to win the Daytona 500 for the first time. If Busch struggles again in 2025, expect questions regarding his driving future to be asked on a much more frequent basis.

2. Can Denny Hamlin get back to the Championship 4?

Hamlin hasn't made the Championship 4 since 2021, and the 54-time Cup Series winner is still searching for his first championship. The changes made to the No. 11 team over the offseason didn't exactly quell the nerves Hamlin fans feel regarding a potential championship run, either. The loss of a longtime partner in FedEx and a newer sponsor in Mavis serve as a flashback to Busch's unceremonious, sponsor-fueled departure from Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022. Crew chief Chris Gabehart leaving Hamlin for an executive role with JGR could lead to a lack of chemistry between Hamlin and new crew chief Chris Gayle. Regardless of the extenuating circumstances at hand, there's still pressure on Hamlin to at least find his way back into the Championship 4. At 44 years old, Father Time is drawing closer in the rearview.

3. Can Ty Gibbs break through for his first Cup Series win?

Many in the NASCAR industry have arbitrarily set a benchmark for young Cup Series talent to start performing at a higher level at 100 starts. Enter third-year driver Ty Gibbs, a veteran of 87 Cup Series starts and the 2023 Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Gibbs made the Cup Series playoffs for the first time in 2024, though a late-season slump was disappointing after a white-hot start. It once seemed inevitable that Gibbs would earn his first win in 2024, but the page has turned to 2025 with Gibbs still searching for that elusive first victory. It would be surprising to see Gibbs go winless this year, though the aforementioned crew chief moves at Joe Gibbs Racing could play a factor in the fate of his season. Gayle was atop the pit box for Gibbs during his 2022 Xfinity Series championship run and his first two Cup Series seasons. With Gayle moving next door to the No. 11 team, Gibbs will have to adapt quickly to new crew chief Tyler Allen in order to earn his first trip to victory lane.

4. Can Chase Elliott return to championship form?

No disrespect to Elliott, who returned to victory lane in 2024 at Texas after a 42-race winless streak, but the 2020 champion simply hasn't been the same since a leg injury early in 2023. You could argue that Elliott was the best driver in the sport from 2020 to 2022, a three-year span in which he won 12 races and made the Championship 4 in three straight seasons. NASCAR's most popular driver was undeniably consistent a season ago, but there's work to be done in order to get back into championship contention.

5. Who will be the top dog at Hendrick Motorsports?

One of the most underrated stories in NASCAR over the past two seasons has been the back-and-forth between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron. Over the past two years, Larson has won 10 races to Byron's nine. Byron has made the Championship 4 in both seasons, while Larson missed out in 2024. It wouldn't be surprising to see either HMS driver lead the Cup Series in wins in 2025, nor would it be surprising to see Larson or Byron hoist the Bill France Cup at season's end. The battle between two of the best drivers in the sport, driving two of the best cars in the sport, is a fascinating story that will add a new chapter on a weekly basis.

6. Can Ryan Blaney continue his ascension?

The best way to describe the last two seasons of Ryan Blaney's career? Legacy defining. After winning the 2023 title, Blaney came less than four tenths of a second away from becoming the first back-to-back champion of the playoff era. A narrow championship loss to Team Penske teammate Joey Logano should provide a little extra fire in Blaney's belly as he aims to make the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season.

7. Spire, Front Row on the rise

Front Row Motorsports and Spire Motorsports were once field-filling organizations with little hope of being faster than any other car on the track. Now, both organizations have built driver lineups poised to take them to the postseason. Spire boasts a three-driver lineup comprised of Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell, 2024 ROTY Carson Hocevar and fourth-year driver Justin Haley. Front Row is home to fourth-year driver Todd Gilliland, third-year driver Noah Gragson and 2022 Truck Series champion Zane Smith. Don't be surprised if both teams put at least one driver in the Cup Series playoffs.

8. Different ends of the rookie spectrum

The 2025 Cup Series Rookie of the Year battle is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory. Only two full-time drivers -- Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen and 23XI Racing's Riley Herbst -- will compete for the honor, but the drivers come from completely different ends of NASCAR's rookie spectrum. van Gisbergen is a 35-year-old road-course specialist who won in his first Cup Series start, while Herbst is a 25-year-old who underperformed during his tenure in the Xfinity Series. Herbst has more stock-car experience and will likely be quicker on the ovals, but van Gisbergen's road-course prowess and ability to learn on the fly will make for a fascinating tussle between the Cup Series' two first-year drivers.

9. Can anyone defeat Penske when it matters most?

Roger Penske has figured out the secret formula to winning NASCAR championships in the modern era: simply blow the competition out of the water come playoff time. That philosophy has won "The Captain" three consecutive Cup Series championships (Logano in 2022 and 2024 and Blaney in 2023). There's no excuse for the rest of the field to ignore this trend, and teams will have to decide whether or not going for broke in an attempt to win more races is worth potentially damaging their championship chances.

10. Will the dreaded "championship hangover" bite Joey Logano?

Since the elimination-style format was introduced to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, Logano has made the Championship 4 six times and won the title thrice. Interestingly enough, none of those Championship 4 appearances have come in consecutive seasons, and Logano is yet to make the championship race in a year that ends in an odd number. That statistic may be coincidental, but Logano should heed prior tales of championship hangovers that have haunted drivers before him. As Tony Stewart (2006), Brad Keselowski (2013) and Logano himself (2023) will tell you, a Champagne shower doesn't always make the grass greener.

NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer John Probst said Monday that no changes are coming in 2025, but the playoff format will be reconsidered ahead of the 2026 season.

Probst spoke at a competition briefing on Monday with the season set to begin with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16.

"I don't think we want to get in the habit of making small little tweaks every season to the playoffs," Probst said. "Where we landed was for 2025 not making any changes to the playoffs. Throughout the course of this year, we will get a working group together with some media folks, OEMs, Goodyear, drivers. ... We probably talked to most of the folks one-on-one about, ‘where are we at? What are we thinking?'

"Basically, we look at that as a workstream for a group of our stakeholders this year, to look at it holistically."

The current playoff format sees 16 drivers qualify for a 10-race chase broken up over four rounds. The field of playoff drivers is cut between rounds from 16 to 12 to eight to the Championship Four. It's been the structure of the playoffs since 2014 and hasn't seen significant modification since 2017, when stage racing and playoff points were introduced.

Probst said NASCAR has heard from stakeholders who love the playoffs as is, people who hate the current format and people who fell in between.

There's no guarantee anything will be altered at all in the end.

"We just didn't get to a point where we felt like we have to do it," Probst said. "But we hear the fans loud and clear and are looking at it actively."

Joey Logano is the reigning Cup champion.

In addition to piloting the No. 01 Ford, he will serve as a race analyst for five faces on Amazon Prime Video.

"The Amazon piece is one of the reasons why this year is going to look a little bit different," LaJoie, 33, told NASCAR.com. "When those guys were pursuing me towards the end of last year, I felt like there were things that were materializing in my life and doors that were opening from the Lord to allow me to see that there are other things that I can do outside of being a full-time Cup driver.

"My entire racing life, since I was 7 years old, I've been blindly focused on being a competitive race-winning Cup Series driver. I've worked and leveraged and did everything with that clear vision in mind. The way this past year went and the way my cards were dealt of not being in the right system at the right time, you can always Monday morning quarterback it because hindsight is always 20/20 as far as what you would change. But I think everything happened for a reason with the way my career had gone up to this point."

LaJoie moved from Spire Motorsports to Rick Ware Racing last September. RWR announced earlier this month that Cody Ware will be its full-time driver this season.

RWR is leasing its second charger to RFK Racing in 2025, meaning that LaJoie, or whoever is behind the wheel of a second RWR entry, will have to go through race qualifying. His first attempt will come at the Feb. 16 Daytona 500, where he finished fourth last year.

LaJoie, who has 11 top-10 finishes but no wins in 272 career Cup Series starts, said the transition to broadcasting helped to reignite his passion for the sport.

"With the Amazon guys knocking on my door and I had fallen out of love with the sport a bit and became disenchanted with the sport, I was looking for ways to love it again," LaJoie said. "I've never not liked it; it's kind of like a marriage. There are days where you don't like each other, but you always love each other, and that's how my last 16 months of my career have been."

LaJoie also announced the launch of his Stacking Pennies Performance Brand, named after his popular podcast.

Red Bull entered a major partnership with Trackhouse Racing and will be the primary sponsor on Shane van Gisbergen's car for five Cup Series races this year.

In addition to donning the No. 88 car for Las Vegas (March 16), Sonoma (July 13), Iowa (Aug. 3), Daytona (Aug. 23) and Kansas (Sept. 28), Red Bull will be the primary sponsor for 18-year-old phenom Connor Zilisch when he makes his Cup Series debut in the No. 87 car at Circuit of the Americas on March 2.

Red Bull has not been involved in NASCAR since 2011.

"It's an incredible chapter in the history of Trackhouse Racing to welcome Red Bull back to NASCAR," Trackhouse founder and owner Justin Marks said via a statement from the team. "Red Bull is one of the most powerful brands in the world and it's an honor for us to embark on a partnership with such an iconic company.

"Red Bull and Trackhouse share a passion for racing, stories and memorable experiences. This is a huge win for our sport and a moment that will resonate with the millions of NASCAR fans around the world."

The deal was announced Thursday, and it is hardly Red Bull's first time working with New Zealander van Gisbergen in particular. A three-time champion of the Supercars series in Australia and New Zealand, van Gisbergen had been sponsored by Red Bull dating back to 2016.

The 2025 season will be van Gisbergen's first year driving full-time in the Cup Series. He won his NASCAR debut at the 2023 Chicago street race.

Zilisch will spend most of his year driving in the Xfinity Series.