The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 16, 2025 with the 67th running of the Daytona 500.
From the NFL's Super Bowl last Sunday to NASCAR's Super Bowl this Sunday.
Unlike every other sport, NASCAR's signature event comes with its first race of the season -- the Daytona 500.
Every driver dreams of hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy, which has been handed to the winner of "The Great American Race" every year since 1959. Legends like Richard Petty (7), Cale Yarborough (4) and Jeff Gordon (3) are among the most frequent winners, and all 41 drivers attempting to win it in 2025 would be honored to add their name to the prestigious list of champions.
Here's all the info to know for the Daytona 500:
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When is the Daytona 500 in 2025?
The 2025 Daytona 500 is set for Sunday, Feb. 16.
What time is the Daytona 500 in 2025?
The green flag will wave at 2 p.m. ET for the official start of the Daytona 500.
The start time was originally set for 3:11 p.m. ET, but was moved up on Friday due to potential rain on Sunday.
How do I watch the Daytona 500? Full TV schedule
Cars were on track beginning Wednesday and there's actions scheduled through the race on Sunday. Practice and single-lap qualifying were held on Wednesday, where the front row starters were set -- Chase Briscoe on the pole and Austin Cindric starting second. The rest of the starting lineup was set Thursday in the duels. There were 45 drivers trying to make the race this year, but only 41 spots were available.
Here's the full schedule for Sunday:
- NASCAR RaceDay: 11:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FoxSports.com
- Daytona 500: 2 p.m. ET, FOX, FoxSports.com
Who is racing in the Daytona 500? Entry list
There were 45 drivers on the entry list this year, which is the most since 2015. Four drivers went home on Thursday after the qualifying races.
The field has a handful of standout "open" teams that were not locked into the race but did qualify. Two-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson and 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. (who retired after last year), in one-off rides for Legacy Motor Club and TRICON Garage, respectively, both qualified for the race with their single-lap qualifying times on Wednesday.
Then there's Hélio Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 winner who will be making his NASCAR debut for Trackhouse Racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also on the entry list ... but as an owner for the very first time, with reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier behind the wheel. Castroneves qualified via the open exemption provisional, while Allgaier raced his way in along with Corey LaJoie.
Here's the full entry list for the 2025 Daytona 500 (* = did not make the race):
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 01 | Corey LaJoie | Rick Ware Racing | Take 5 Oil Change/DuraMax |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Busch Beer |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Discount Tire |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Rush Truck Centers |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Kroger/Cottonelle |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Chili's |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Zone |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Grizzly Nicotine Pouches |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | National Debt Relief |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards/Peak |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Celsius |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Fastenal |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | DeWalt/Interstate Batteries |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft/Quick Lane |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Shell/Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | McDonald's |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Axalta |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Love's Travel Stops |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Speedy Cash |
| 40 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Traveller Whiskey |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Haas Tooling |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Advent Health |
| 44 | JJ Yeley* | NY Racing Team | Green River Whiskey |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Monster Energy |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | SunnyD |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Parts Plus/Jacob |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Monster Energy |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | TRICON Garage | Bass Pro Shops |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | BuildSubmarines.com |
| 62 | Anthony Alfredo* | Beard Motorsports | Fortify Building Solutions |
| 66 | Chandler Smith* | Garage 66 | Quick Tie |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Go Bowling |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Premier Security |
| 78 | BJ McLeod* | Live Fast Motorsports | HitchGO |
| 84 | Jimmie Johnson | Legacy Motor Club | Carvana |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | WeatherTech |
| 91 | Hélio Castroneves | Trackhouse Racing | Wendy's |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Freeway Insurance |
Daytona 500 qualifying results and starting lineup
Briscoe and Cindric locked up their starting spots by posting the two fastest laps in qualifying on Wednesday. The remaining 39 spots were filled based on the duels Thursday, which were won by Wallace and Cindric.
Here is the starting lineup for the Daytona 500:
- Chase Briscoe
- Austin Cindric
- Bubba Wallace
- Erik Jones
- William Byron
- Chris Buescher
- Ty Dillon
- Denny Hamlin
- Ross Chastain
- Joey Logano
- Tyler Reddick
- Corey LaJoie
- AJ Allmendinger
- Todd Gilliland
- Austin Dillon
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Elliott
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Justin Allgaier
- Christopher Bell
- Kyle Busch
- Kyle Larson
- Ty Gibbs
- Riley Herbst
- Michael McDowell
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Ryan Preece
- Cody Ware
- Josh Berry
- Cole Custer
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Noah Gragson
- Carson Hocevar
- Brad Keselowski
- Justin Haley
- Daniel Suarez
- Zane Smith
- Alex Bowman
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Jimmie Johnson
- Hélio Castroneves
Picks and predictions for the Daytona 500
Good luck trying to pick a winner in Daytona.
Superspeedway races are nearly impossible to predict, but that won't stop us from trying. With the variance of the draft and big crashes, favorites can get knocked out of the race even when its not their fault. That's probably why there has been a different winner in each of the last five years.
To narrow it down, let's take a look at the superspeedway races (Daytona and Talladega) from last year. In those four events, a Ford driver started first each time. The blue ovals figured something out in qualifying, which can help lead to race success (track position, pit stall selection, etc.). The four races, however, were won by two Chevys, one Toyota and one Ford -- proving the unpredictability of these events.
Expect the Fords to be quick again this season, which could translate to success for Blaney, Cindric and Keselowski.
In 10 Daytona 500 starts, Blaney has four top-10s and 186 laps led. He's a three-time winner at Talladega, so drafting tracks have been kind to him in the past. Cindric won the Daytona 500 as a rookie in 2022 and has regularly been in the mix since then, including winning Thursday's duel. Keselowski is more due than anyone -- he's a six-time Talladega winner but is winless in his 15 Daytona 500 starts. He's led 180 laps in those 15 races, so perhaps the 41-year-old can finally break through in 2025.
As for other manufacturers, it's hard to avoid Hamlin for Toyota and Byron for Chevy. Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and often rises to the occasion in this event. Byron, meanwhile, is the defending winner and has at least 100 career laps led at both Daytona and Talladega.
Some longer shots worth watching are Wallace (three Daytona 500 top-fives, duel winner Thursday), Stenhouse (2023 Daytona winner and 2024 Talladega winner), Haley (only career win at Daytona) and Gilliland (16 laps led last year).
Daytona 500 past winners and race history
Eight drivers on the entry list have won the Daytona 500 before: Byron (2024), Stenhouse (2023), Cindric (2022), McDowell (2021), Dillon (2018), Hamlin (2016, 2019, 2020), Logano (2015) and Johnson (2006, 2013).
For Hamlin, a win would tie him with Yarborough for the second-most Daytona 500 victories of all time. He's currently tied with Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Gordon with three wins.
Six other drivers in the field have won, but in the 400-mile summer race -- Buescher (2023), Blaney (2021), Haley (2019), Jones (2018), Keselowski (2016) and Busch (2008).
Weather forecast for Daytona 500
Florida weather is always a wild card, especially around the Daytona 500.
According to NBC Miami, Daytona Beach could be rainy on Sunday for the race. There's a 100% chance of rain as of Sunday morning, with thunderstorms likely in the afternoon between 3 and 4 p.m. before clearing out in the evening. Cup cars can't race in the rain at Daytona, but the track could be dried for a race under the lights if necessary. The Daytona 500 has been postponed to Monday due to rain three times since 2012, including last year. Keep up to date with the latest forecast.
