Six Drivers Seek Securing Daytona 500 Starting Spot in Thursday Duels
With Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson officially securing themselves into the field for Sunday's 67th-annual Daytona 500. Truex and Johnson turned the two fastest laps among the nine "Open" cars in Wednesday's qualifying session.
With Helio Castroneves also locked in regardless of his performance in Thursday's Duel Qualifier Races thanks to NASCAR's new Open Exemption Provisional (OEP), which could expand the starting field to 41 cars if he needs to fall back on it, that leaves six drivers and teams that embarked upon Daytona International Speedway with the aspirations of making it into NASCAR's biggest race, uncertain about whether they'll compete in The Great American Race.
Here are the six competitors, who are hoping Thursday doesn't mark the final chapter of their 2025 Daytona Speedweeks tale.
Justin Allgaier - No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Allgaier, who is the defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is looking to be the first driver to ever lock a JR Motorsports entry into a NASCAR Cup Series event. The 38-year-old Allgaier has competed in the Daytona 500 twice in his career, the last time was in 2015.
While Allgaier (33rd in qualifying) technically has to race his way into the field for the Daytona 500, his easiest path to a starting spot in The Great American Race would be for Truex or Johnson to be the highest-finishing "Open" driver in their respective Duel Qualifier.
By being the top-finishing Open car, Truex or Johnson would no longer need to fall back on their qualifying time for their entry into the race, and that would lock Allgaier into the Daytona 500. If neither Truex or Johnson top all of their fellow "Open" competitors in their respective Duel race, Allgaier would have to be the highest-finishing "Open" driver in Duel 1 on Thursday night to lock himself and JR Motorsports into the Daytona 500.
Currently, the six drivers are vying for the two starting spots remaining in the field, but if Castroneves races his way into the starting field, and in turn doesn't need to use the OEP to get into the Daytona 500, that means only one starting spot will be up for grabs among these six competitors.
Allgaier will start from the 17th position in Duel 1 on Thursday night.
Corey LaJoie - No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Like Allgaier, LaJoie has another path into Sunday's Daytona 500 starting field if he doesn't finish as the highest "Open" driver in Duel 2. LaJoie was the fourth-fastest of the drivers not locked into the field in Wednesday's qualifying session, which means if Truex and Johnson both finish as the best Open car in their respective Duels, LaJoie would make it into the Daytona 500 starting lineup alongside Allgaier.
However, if that doesn't happen, LaJoie's only shot to make it into the 2025 Daytona 500 is by finishing ahead of all of the other "Open" drivers in Thursday's Duel.
LaJoie, 33, has competed in the Daytona 500 eight times in his NASCAR Cup Series career, and those starts have come consecutively over the last eight seasons. LaJoie, who had driven full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Spire Motorsports since 2021 was traded to Rick Ware Racing with seven races remaining in the 2024 season. LaJoie is now set to contest a part-time campaign in 2025.
If the driver could work his way into the Daytona 500 field, he'll have a chance to stack some pennies on Sunday. If not, his next NASCAR Cup Series start is TBA. LaJoie will roll from the 17th position on the starting grid in Thursday night's Duel 2.
Anthony Alfredo - No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Alfredo and his Beard Motorsports team was the Cinderella story of the 2024 Daytona 500 as they locked their position in that race by turning the fastest qualifying lap of any of the "Open" cars in the field. However, Alfredo clocked in 40th overall in the Daytona 500 qualifying session this time around, so, he'll have to sweat it out through the Duels if he wants to advance to the Daytona 500 field.
The 25-year-old driver is set to compete for Young's Motorsports full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, but he would very much like to add another start in The Great American Race to his resume.
The native of Ridgfield, Connecticut has made the Daytona 500 twice prior to this season. In addition to the 2024 Daytona 500, a race that he finished 27th in, Alfredo competed in the 2021 Daytona 500 while driving full-time for Front Row Motorsports.
Alfredo will start from the 20th position in the 22-car Duel 2 on Thursday night.
Chandler Smith - No. 66 Garage 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Smith is an emerging young talent in the NASCAR National Series ranks, and will compete full-time as the driver of the Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025. The opportunity to compete for a Daytona 500 starting spot came together late for the 22-year-old as Mike Wallace was originally announced as the driver for the No. 66 team for the Daytona 500.
However Wallace, 65, was not approved by NASCAR to compete in the event, which opened the seat and led to Smith landing the opportunity to make it into the field of the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career. Smith did attempt the Daytona 500 driving the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in 2023, but failed to advance into the starting lineup from the Duels.
The native of Talking Rock, Georgia, who has three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins in his young career, will begin Duel 1 from the 22nd starting spot.
BJ McLeod - No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
McLeod is one of the hard-working underdogs in the NASCAR National Series, who loves to battle in NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway events.
The 41-year-old McLeod has competed in the Daytona 500 five times, and he has a best finish in the race of 19th, which he achieved in his debut in The Great American Race in 2019. McLeod has made each of his Daytona 500 starts with the luxury of a Charter, but he's attempting for the second consecutive year to make it into the Daytona 500 without one.
In 2024, McLeod narrowly missed making it into the Daytona 500 field in his Duel as he finished 14th, two spots behind Kaz Grala, who locked himself into the field over McLeod. Can the Florida native, who is set to start from the 21st position in Duel 2, advance into The Great American Race this year?
JJ Yeley - No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
The 48-year-old Yeley will look to avenge missing out on a Daytona 500 starting spot a season ago after he was passed by Jimmie Johnson on the final lap of his Duel race.
Yeley returns with the No. 44 NY Racing Team, which he competed for a starting spot in this event a season ago. The Phoenix, Arizona native has locked into the Daytona 500 starting field six times, but the last time he made the race was in 2015.
The driver, who has recorded two top-five finishes and nine top-10s over the course of a 386-race NASCAR Cup Series career, will attempt to secure his advancement to the Daytona 500 field on Thursday night from the 23rd starting spot in Duel 1.
The fate of the six drivers and their potential Daytona 500 start rests on the Duel Qualifier Races on Thursday, February 13. Those races will be televised on FS1 (streamable on the FOX Sports App) and coverage will kick off at 7:00 PM ET.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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