NASCAR set for a massive entry list in the 2025 Daytona 500
The 2025 NASCAR season begins with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday night, but the regular season won't start for another two weeks. On February 16, NASCAR will take on the 2025 Daytona 500, and the excitement is already through the roof. In fact, the Great American Race is on pace for a shockingly huge entry list.
As of January 28, the 2025 Daytona 500 entry list will include 45 drivers. This is the most significant number of entries since the 2015 Daytona 500, which had 49 drivers almost 10 years ago. The previous high over those 10 years was 44 entries in 2021, and the NextGen car has had the same 42 entries over the last three seasons.
Depending on Helio Castroneves' effort during qualifying and the duels, four or five drivers will go home. If Castroneves can't make it on speed, he will use the new Open Exemption Provisional to lock into the 2025 Daytona 500, leaving four drivers out of the 41-driver field. Some of the notable open entries include Jimmie Johnson (Legacy Motor Club), Martin Truex Jr. (TRICON Garage), and Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports).
The 2025 Daytona 500 is expected to be one of the most entertaining races in years, and the lead-up to the event will be very special, with so many drivers looking to make the field. NASCAR has been stagnant at 42 entries over the last three years, but the sport is showing signs of significant growth heading into the 2025 season.
More: NASCAR won't change the Cup Series playoff format in 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
3 hours ago
The Engine: Alyssa Thomas driving new-look Phoenix Mercury near the top of WNBA standings
PHOENIX -- A marketing panel with Castrol landed Alyssa Thomas on a NASCAR hood. While attending the panel at the WNBA All-Star game last month, Thomas was approached by the motor oil company about putting her image on a NASCAR for an upcoming race. The Phoenix Mercury star loved the idea and helped in the design process, leading to her face making a 168-lap trip around Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the hood of RFK Racing's No. 60 Castrol Ford, driven by Ryan Preece. 'It was a fitting pairing being that my nickname is The Engine,' Thomas said. 'Not too many people can say their face is on a car, let alone in a race, so it was a really cool experience.' The Mercury had a lot of unknowns heading into the 2025 season after Diana Taurasi retired and Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream. Thomas has been the driving force behind the Mercury's rise. Fitting in perfectly in first-year coach Nate Tibbets' pace-and-space style, Thomas has been stuffing stat sheets while the Mercury have racked up wins. Entering Wednesday's games, Phoenix was fourth in the WNBA standings at 21-13 after finishing 19-21 a year ago. 'She's the ultimate winner, she's the ultimate competitor,' Tibbetts said. 'She wants to win at everything.' Thomas was the three-time ACC player of the year at Maryland and an All-American her senior season before arriving in Connecticut in a draft-day trade with the New York Liberty in 2014. The 6-foot-2 forward spent her first 11 WNBA seasons with the Sun, twice leading them to the WNBA Finals while earning five All-Star nods. She's also made the all-WNBA team three times and the all-defensive team five times. Thomas arrived in the desert via an offseason sign-and-trade deal as a key part of the Mercury's rebuilding, which includes fellow newcomer Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper, Phoenix's leading scorer a year ago. 'It was a decision that I made,' Thomas said. 'In speaking with Nate and Nick (U'ren), I just felt it was a perfect fit for me and my game, and off the court as well.' Thomas has thrived. Already the WNBA's leader in triple-doubles, she has added five more with the Mercury, including a WNBA-record three straight this month. Thomas has 20 of the 52 triple-doubles in WNBA history and her four this month match the most of any other WNBA player's career. Thomas was named an All-Star for the sixth time in her first season with the Mercury and has become an MVP contender with some of the best numbers of her career. She's third in the WNBA with 8.6 rebounds per game and second on the Mercury at 16.1 points while shooting a career-high 54.3% from the floor. Thomas' biggest impact in Tibbetts' offense may be her playmaking. Despite having the size of an interior player, she's used her vision and court awareness to become the WNBA's most prolific distributing forward. Thomas set the WNBA single-season record for assists with 316 in 2023 and is seventh on the league's all-time assists list — the only forward in the top 10. While in Phoenix, she's nearly doubled her career assist average with a league-leading 9.0 this season — over five per game more than the next closest player. 'There's just so much space and I feel like it's a perfect fit for me,' Thomas said. 'It's been a long time since I've played with this many shooters.' The Engine has been revving all season and is taking the Mercury with her.
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
NASCAR's Viewership Reveals Worrying Trend For American Stock Car Racing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR viewership numbers from last weekend's race at Richmond Raceway reveal a worrying trend, as it was the fourth-lowest since 2020. The sport averaged 1.39 million viewers for the Cup Series race on Saturday night, a departure from the traditional Sunday race format that may have contributed to the drop in viewers. A report states that compared to the race at Richmond last year, which attracted 2.22 million viewers, the viewership has dropped by 38%. Richmond marked the year's second-to-last race, which experienced a 60% drop from last year's penultimate round at Daytona International Speedway. This, despite NASCAR not clashing with any other form of motorsport on the same weekend. The 2025 NASCAR regular season averages 2.64 million viewers, the lowest regular season average ever recorded. NASCAR's popularity peaked in the early 2000s, but fell significantly after the 2008 economic crisis. NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch has acknowledged a decrease in the sport's popularity by pointing to the drop in audience numbers at race venues. Newsweek Sports reported his comments: "I think it's a culture problem, and I say that in regard to the world culture. In the '80s and '90s, you had a bunch of Hot Rod guys who were cool with souping up their 1970s, 1980s street rods. A lot of those guys are aged out. A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 16, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia. A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 16, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia."I just think the problem we're running into is there's not a lot of race fans anymore. People would always bring their kids to the track, but now there are just so many other things people can do otherwise. Going to the lake, taking your kids to a bounce house. "No offense, but we just stood outside, right? It's 90-something degrees outside. Who wants to sit in metal bleachers under the sun for three hours? If you're out there, God bless you. More power to you. I appreciate that. We need to do more for those people who are here and who give us their time and their money. But you're not going to find me out there." NASCAR partnered with Netflix for two seasons of the NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries in an attempt to increase fan following, with Season 2 having been released in May 2025. Rumors also suggest that a Days of Thunder sequel is in the pipeline, starring Tom Cruise, which could help boost NASCAR's popularity. However, the extent of its effects on the sport's viewership is difficult to predict. Related: Kyle Larson Blames Talladega Nights For Making NASCAR a 'Joke'
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Denny Hamlin Drops Surprising Verdict on Richmond NASCAR Cup Series Race
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin revealed that Richmond Raceway produced some great racing last weekend on a short track that is otherwise difficult to pass on. He also praised the Goodyear tires that showed signs of wear and contributed to the exciting racing spectacle. Hamlin stressed that the quality of racing at Richmond hadn't been witnessed for many years, and thus, it was expected to be a "boring" race. However, the race impressed him greatly, leading him to give due credit to the tires for making such a big difference. Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said: "It was good to see a great short-track race. Some great tire fall-off. Thank you Goodyear, for bringing a tire that had over two to two-and-a-half seconds of fall-off. Fantastic. Richmond was kind of one of the very first short-tracks that was getting the, 'Oh man, this is kind of boring' type-feel, right? It's good to see that the tires do matter. "I think the fans on TV and in the stands, they got to see drivers make moves and pass. ... I thought it was a good race. I can speak about this, because I participate in the race. I drive the cars. I know how difficult it is to pass during this race versus the previous, versus the previous, versus 10 years ago, versus 20 years ago. I know because I did it." Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Bob's Discount Furniture Toyota, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on August 02, 2025 in Newton,... Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Bob's Discount Furniture Toyota, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on August 02, 2025 in Newton, Iowa. MoreHamlin then compared the race to last year's round, highlighting the vast difference between the two events, all because of the tires. He added: "This was more like — I don't wanna overstep here, but a Generation Five Cup car. After about 15, 20 laps, you could make passes on people. The speed started to separate enough to create the passes. "When they had the harder tire last year, you had to sit behind somebody for 30 to 40 laps, and then hell, you're going to be pitting in 15 laps. So, the window of passes was really, really small last year. If you look at the lines, the ranks and positions, everyone just is stagnant." He added: "Then right before the pit, there's some changing of positions, and then people start pitting. This one was more stagnant at the beginning to be expected. Everyone had a lot of grip, because the tires had a lot of grip. Then, all of a sudden, people start passing. It's like, that's what we wanted to see." The 44-year-old driver revealed that this tire could be made NASCAR's official short-track tire, which would be a "good thing" for the sport. He said: "That puts it back into the driver's hands, and hopefully this is something that — this will be our Loudon tire, as well. Something to look forward to there. It seems like they're trying to make this our standard short-track tire. "I believe it's the same as Martinsville. Now Richmond, Loudon. I'm sure there's another in there. But we've softened up the tires. It's really a good thing."
