This season marks only the third occasion a NASCAR Cup Series event has entered with a complete field. The Daytona 500 and the spring Talladega race remain the only other events this year that saw any drivers fail to qualify.
Daytona International Speedway is set to host the regular‑season finale, and the starting grid for the 2026 Chase will be determined after qualifying on Saturday night.
In addition to the anticipated 36 chartered entries, five open teams are also entered. The slowest of these will be eliminated following Friday’s qualifying session.
Below is a closer look at each of the five drivers and their respective teams.
No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
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Driver: The 33‑year‑old driver Gase has amassed 94 NASCAR Cup Series starts since 2014 and is aiming for his second start of the 2026 season. His best Cup result to date came at Talladega in 2020, where he finished 17th, while his top finish at Daytona stands at 20th.
Team: NY Racing Team did not qualify for the 2026 Daytona 500 with JJ Yeley behind the wheel, but they secured a spot at the spring Talladega race with Gase after qualifying was washed out. If they succeed this weekend, it will mark the team’s fifth start of the season.
Casey Mears, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
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Driver: Casey Mears stands out as the most experienced driver among the open entries, boasting 497 career starts and a single Cup victory—the 2007 Coke 600. He is pursuing his 500th start, having finished runner‑up in the 2006 Daytona 500 and recorded a best‑ever fourth‑place finish in the July Daytona race in 2014.
Team: The team operates in partnership with Richard Childress Racing and has contested dozens of Cup events over the last ten years, concentrating mainly on superspeedways. Their best results include a fifth‑place finish at Daytona and a sixth at Talladega, although they failed to qualify for both events that featured a go‑or‑go‑home scenario this season. They have, however, started two other races this year, with Mears behind the wheel each time.
Garage 66 Ford
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Driver: Twenty‑eight‑year‑old Gaulding is seeking his first NASCAR Cup Series start in more than three years. He has logged 60 starts at the sport’s highest level, with a career‑best ninth‑place finish at Talladega in 2019. His top Daytona result is a 20th‑place finish in the 2018 Daytona 500, and this year he has made only one appearance across the three national series—a 28th‑place finish in a NASCAR O’Reilly event at Bristol.
Team: Owned by Carl Long, this is the sole Ford‑powered open entry, aiming for its twelfth start of the season. Gaulding will become the team’s fifth different driver this year. The squad previously earned a place in the 2026 Daytona 500 with Casey Mears at the wheel, finishing 32nd.
Corey Heim — No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
Corey Heim, 23XI Racing
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Driver: At 24 years old, Heim has enjoyed a standout part‑time season, capturing his first career victory at the San Diego Street Course and following it up with a win in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few weeks later. Should he qualify, this race would represent his ninth start of the 2026 campaign.
Team: 23XI Racing represents the strongest open entry on the list. Unlike the other four single‑car teams, this No. 67 Toyota is fielded by a large organization that runs three full‑time, chartered entries. The team has qualified for every race it has entered since the 2025 Chicago Street Course event.
Daniel Dye, Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Driver: Twenty‑two‑year‑old Dye signed a four‑race agreement with Live Fast Motorsports earlier this year. He began the season as a full‑time NASCAR Truck Series driver for Kaulig and Ram, but the partnership ended after he was suspended for offensive remarks made during a livestream. After completing sensitivity training, he returned to competition elsewhere. Dye remains a relative newcomer to the NASCAR Cup Series, having debuted at the spring Talladega race; a successful qualification would give him just his fourth career start, all occurring this season.
Team: The BJ McLeod‑owned Live Fast Motorsports team has made eight starts this season, with McLeod sharing driving duties alongside Dye and Katherine Legge. Once a full‑time entry before selling its charter for roughly $40 million, the team now contests only a select number of races each year and has recorded just two top‑ten finishes—both at Daytona, ninth in the 2021 summer race and seventh in the 2022 summer race.
2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 — NASCAR Cup Daytona entry list
Open entries italicized
