(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
Congratulations, NASCAR fans. You’ve made it.
Daytona 500 race week is here.
Traditionally known as “Speedweeks,” the annual voyage to Florida to kick off the NASCAR season has been shortened again for 2023. But the week will still feature key races at Daytona International Speedway, headlined by the sport’s biggest race on Sunday afternoon.
Looking to follow along with it all? Here’s everything you need to know heading into Speedweeks.
Weekend TV Schedule (All Times ET)
Wednesday, Feb. 15:
8:15 p.m. – Cup Series qualifying (FS1/MRN)
Thursday, Feb. 16:
5:05 p.m – Craftsman Truck Series practice (FS1/MRN)
7:00 p.m. – Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (60 laps, 150 miles; FS1/MRN)
8:45 p.m. (Approx.) – Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (60 laps, 150 miles; FS1/MRN)
Friday, Feb. 17:
3:00 p.m. – Craftsman Truck Series qualifying (FS1/MRN)
4:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series practice (FS1/MRN)
5:30 p.m. – Cup Series practice (FS1/MRN)
7:30 p.m. – Craftsman Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 (100 laps, 250 miles; FS1/MRN)
Saturday, Feb. 18:
10:30 a.m. – Cup Series final practice (FS1/FS2/MRN)
11:30 a.m. – Xfinity Series qualifying (FS1/MRN)
1:30 p.m. – ARCA Menards Series Race (80 laps, 200 miles; FS1/MRN)
5:00 p.m. – Xfinity Series Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 (120 laps, 300 miles; FS1/MRN)
Sunday, Feb. 19
2:30 p.m. – Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps, 500 miles; FOX/MRN)
Entry Lists
NASCAR Cup Series
| Entry | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | 13 | Chandler Smith | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | 15 | Riley Herbst | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 18 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 21 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 22 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 26 | 36 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 27 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 28 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 29 | 42 | Noah Gragson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 32 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 50 | Conor Daly | TMT Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 36 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 37 | 62 | Austin Hill | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 38 | 67 | Travis Pastrana | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 39 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 40 | 78 | BJ McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 41 | 84 | Jimmie Johnson | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 42 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
There are 42 cars on the entry list for the Daytona 500, which means two teams will fail to make Sunday’s race. The open contenders running in cars without charters are Chandler Smith, Zane Smith, Conor Daly, Austin Hill, Travis Pastrana and Jimmie Johnson.
Of six open cars, four will qualify for the event. The top two cars on qualifying speed will be locked into the field, with the other two qualifiers coming from their finish in Thursday’s two duel races. If either of the top entries on qualifying pace race their way in through the Duels, the next car(s) in line on pace will be locked into the race.
Chandler Smith and Pastrana will be attempting to make their Cup Series debuts. Zane Smith, Daly and Hill each made one Cup start in 2022, but they’ll all be fighting for their first run in the Daytona 500. Johnson, meanwhile, is a veteran of the sport, having won seven Cup championships and two Daytona 500s during a legendary Cup career.
Xfinity Series
| Entry | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 02 | David Starr | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 07 | Blaine Perkins | SS Green Light Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 08 | Gray Gaulding | SS Green Light Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 4 | Bayley Currey | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 5 | Jade Buford | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 10 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 13 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 16 | 16 | Chandler Smith | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 18 | Sammy Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 18 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 24 | Parker Chase | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota |
| 22 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford |
| 23 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford |
| 26 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 34 | Jesse Iwuji | Jesse Iwuji Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | 35 | CJ McLaughlin | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford |
| 29 | 36 | Alex Labbe | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 38 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford |
| 31 | 39 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford |
| 32 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 44 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 45 | Caesar Bacarella | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 53 | Joey Gase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | 66 | Dexter Stacey | MBM Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 39 | 74 | Ryan Vargas | CHK Racing | Chevrolet |
| 40 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | BJ McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 41 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 42 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 44 | 99 | Garrett Smithley | BJ McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet |
A 44-car field will vie for 38 starting spots in the Xfinity Series, meaning six teams will fail to make their way out of qualifying.
Of them, only Justin Haley is a full-time Cup driver. Cole Custer has three years of Cup experience, but is venturing back to the Xfinity level after being demoted in favor of Ryan Preece at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Craftsman Truck Series
| Entry | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 02 | Kris Wright | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 04 | Kaden Honeycutt | Roper Racing Team | Ford |
| 3 | 1 | Jason White | TRICON Garage | Toyota |
| 4 | 2 | Nick Sanchez | Rev Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 4 | Chase Purdy | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 5 | Dean Thompson | TRICON Garage | Toyota |
| 7 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 9 | Colby Howard | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 11 | Corey Heim | TRICON Garage | Toyota |
| 10 | 12 | Spencer Boyd | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 13 | Hailie Deegan | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 12 | 15 | Tanner Gray | TRICON Garage | Toyota |
| 13 | 16 | Tyler Ankrum | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota |
| 14 | 17 | Sammy Smith | TRICON Garage | Toyota |
| 15 | 19 | Christian Eckes | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 20 | Derek Kraus | Young’s Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 22 | Josh Reaume | AM Racing | Ford |
| 18 | 23 | Grant Enfinger | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 25 | Rajah Caruth | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 26 | Matt DiBenedetto | Rackley WAR | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 28 | Bryan Dauzat | FDNY Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 30 | Chris Hacker | On Point Motorsports | Toyota |
| 23 | 32 | Bret Holmes | Bret Holmes Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 33 | Mason Massey | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 34 | Jason White | Reaume Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 26 | 35 | Chase Elliott | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 28 | 41 | Travis Pastrana | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 43 | Daniel Dye | GMS Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 45 | Lawless Alan | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | 46 | Johnny Sauter | G2G Racing | Toyota |
| 33 | 51 | Jack Wood | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota |
| 35 | 56 | Timmy Hill | Hill Motorsports | Toyota |
| 36 | 75 | Parker Kligerman | Henderson Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 84 | Clay Greenfield | Cook Racing Technologies | Toyota |
| 38 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 39 | 96 | Todd Peck | Peck Motorsports | Toyota |
| 40 | 97 | Codie Rohrbaugh | CR7 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 41 | 98 | Ty Majeski | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
| 42 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford |
The Truck Series entry list will see 42 trucks compete for 36 starting positions, leaving six teams on the outside looking in when qualifying is complete.
Among the 42 are two full-time Cup drivers – Chase Elliott and Corey LaJoie. Hopeful Daytona 500 starter Travis Pastrana will also compete in the series, getting some track time ahead of a hopeful run in the Great American Race.
Helpful Links and Resources
NASCAR Race Center (Details, Timing and Scoring)
Twitter Lists
General List of All NASCAR Accounts
Things to Keep In Mind:
Driver Safety: Hard hits have been a concern of late, including in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, where intense bumps led some drivers to bemoan the contact during the race. Fumes were also an issue for some in Los Angeles and there have been intermittent issues with fires over the past several races. NASCAR is working on these problems and has made progress, but don’t be surprised if this is a talking point as drivers crash over the weekend. Speaking of that…
The Big One: Daytona is a superspeedway, which means pack racing will be on display for fans this weekend. A typical byproduct of pack racing? Large, unavoidable crashes that can cut out swathes of the field. Avoiding wrecks involves equal parts luck and skill, and the ones that do so the best will have a chance to take home a trophy at race’s end.
Alliances: It’s not atypical to see teams or manufacturers form alliances to help each other stay up front and out of harm’s way in these races. Attrition and late-race greed could see these undone when it counts most, but don’t be shocked if certain drivers work together throughout the week.
The Choose Rule: Formerly omitted from superspeedway, the choose rule will be in play this weekend in Daytona after an offseason rule change. That means drivers will be allowed to pick their restart lanes before coming to the green flag – something that could help them link up with their drafting partners even quicker moving forward.
The Yellow Line Rule: This rule, on the other hand, involves a line drivers can’t cross. If anyone dives below the yellow line and advances their position, they’ll find themselves at risk of penalties from NASCAR. The enforcement of this rule has varied quite a bit over time, so don’t be surprised if it causes a little controversy at some stage.
