With the 63rd annual Daytona 500 scheduled to take place two months from today, let’s take an early look at the entry list for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season opener.
We are more than one-third of the way into the offseason between the 2020 and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series seasons, with the former having concluded just over five weeks ago with Chase Elliott winning the championship at Phoenix Raceway and the latter scheduled to begin two months from today.
The 63rd annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 36-race 2021 season underway from Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 14.
A total of 31 drivers, all full-time drivers, have been confirmed for the “Great American Racing”, while there are an additional six chartered entries without driver confirmations.
While there are multiple non-chartered cars set to run partial schedules, only one of them has the Daytona 500 confirmed on its schedule for 2021.
Here’s a way-too-early look at the entry list for this race.
NOTE: “Chartered” refers to each car’s status as a confirmed full-time entry. “Full-time” / “Part-time” status refers to the status of the driver (or likely driver) for the Daytona 500.
23XI Racing
- #23 Toyota – Bubba Wallace (chartered, full-time)
Chip Ganassi Racing
- #1 Chevrolet – Kurt Busch (chartered, full-time)
- #42 Chevrolet – Ross Chastain (chartered, full-time)
Front Row Motorsports
- #34 Ford – Michael McDowell (chartered, full-time)
- #38 Ford – Driver TBD (chartered, full-time)
Hendrick Motorsports
- #5 Chevrolet – Kyle Larson (chartered, full-time)
- #9 Chevrolet – Chase Elliott (chartered, full-time)
- #24 Chevrolet – William Byron (chartered, full-time)
- #48 Chevrolet – Alex Bowman (chartered, full-time)
JTG Daugherty Racing
- #37 Chevrolet – Ryan Preece (chartered, full-time)
- #47 Chevrolet – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (chartered, full-time)
Joe Gibbs Racing
- #11 Toyota – Denny Hamlin (chartered, full-time)
- #18 Toyota – Kyle Busch (chartered, full-time)
- #19 Toyota – Martin Truex Jr. (chartered, full-time)
- #20 Toyota – Christopher Bell (chartered, full-time)
Kaulig Racing
- #16 Chevrolet – Driver TBD (unchartered, part-time)
Live Fast Motorsports
- #78 Ford – B.J. McLeod (chartered, full-time)
Petty Ware Racing
- #51 TBD – Driver TBD (chartered)
Richard Childress Racing
- #3 Chevrolet – Austin Dillon (chartered, full-time)
- #8 Chevrolet – Tyler Reddick (chartered, full-time)
Richard Petty Motorsports
- #43 Chevrolet – Erik Jones (chartered, full-time)
Rick Ware Racing
- #15 TBD – Driver TBD (chartered)
- #27 TBD – Driver TBD (chartered)
- #53 TBD – Driver TBD (chartered)
Roush Fenway Racing
- #6 Ford – Ryan Nemwan (chartered, full-time)
- #17 Ford – Chris Buescher (chartered, full-time)
Spire Motorsports
- #7 Chevrolet – Corey LaJoie (chartered, full-time)
- #77 Chevrolet – Driver TBD (chartered)
StarCom Racing
- #00 Chevrolet – Quin Houff (chartered, full-time)
Stewart-Haas Racing
- #4 Ford – Kevin Harvick (chartered, full-time)
- #10 Ford – Aric Almirola (chartered, full-time)
- #14 Ford – Chase Briscoe (chartered, full-time)
- #41 Ford – Cole Custer (chartered, full-time)
Team Penske
- #2 Ford – Brad Keselowski (chartered, full-time)
- #12 Ford – Ryan Blaney (chartered, full-time)
- #22 Ford – Joey Logano (chartered, full-time)
Trackhouse Racing Team
- #99 Chevrolet – Daniel Suarez (chartered, full-time)
Wood Brothers Racing
- #21 Ford – Matt DiBenedetto (chartered, full-time)
Notably, there are currently 37 cars classified as chartered entries, but there are only 36 charters. All entries with confirmed drivers (31) do, in fact, have charters.
The key here is Spire Motorsports. They entered the 2020 season with one charter and purchased a charter from the now defunct Leavine Family Racing team following the 2020 season, and they have loaned a charter to Trackhouse Racing Team.
However, they have confirmed that they have three charters. Where their third one, which would be used to run the #77 Chevrolet, has not been confirmed. It had been speculated that it had come from JTG Daugherty Racing, but again, that was never confirmed. If that were the case, Ryan Preece would be driving a non-chartered #37 Chevrolet.
Notably, they do have a partnership with Rick Ware Racing, which own four charters, but the use of one of those four charters would make one of Rick Ware’s four cars a part-time car.
This situation will be clarified when more information is available.
Aside from the #16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing (included above), other cars set to run part-time schedules in the 2021 season include the #32 Ford for Go Fas Racing with Ryan Ellis behind the wheel, a fourth Ford for Team Penske with Austin Cindric behind the wheel, the #96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing and the #44 car for NY Racing Team.
The Daytona 500 has not been confirmed for any one of these entries or drivers. As a result, there are currently 31 confirmed drivers and seven additional confirmed entries for this race.
It is expected, but not confirmed, that MBM Motorsports will compete again in 2021 as they did in 2020. They ran the #66 car full-time and an additional #49 car in select races, including the Daytona 500.
The addition of those two cars would bring the provisional entry list to 40, and that does not include the #32 Ford, the fourth Team Penske car, the #96 Toyota or the #44 car.
When all is said and done, expect to have a full field again in 2021, likely with the Bluegreen Vacations Duels serving as elimination races for some.
Fox is set to broadcast the 63rd annual Daytona 500 live from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 14.
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NASCAR: Way-too-early look at the 2021 Daytona 500 entry list - Beyond the Flag
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