Daytona 500 schedule and methods to watch 2025 NASCAR Cup opener

The 67th working of the Daytona 500 will kickstart the 77th season of NASCAR Cup Sequence racing the place Crew Penske and Joey Logano will start their title protection. The brand new season comes with loads of modifications throughout the grid and a few new rules for them to observe.

NASCAR determined towards overhauling its playoff system, regardless of pushback following Joey Logano’s shock title run with a 17.1 common end. Nonetheless, they did add a brand new wrinkle with the ‘Xfinity Quickest Lap,’ which is able to award a bonus level to the motive force with the quickest lap throughout every race. This rule is in place for all three nationwide divisions.

NASCAR additionally modified the best way playoff waivers and the broken automobile coverage will probably be dealt with going into the 2025 season. Playoff waivers can nonetheless be granted for non-medical causes, however in these conditions, the motive force must forfeit all of their playoff bonus factors throughout the common season. This ‘punishment’ could be for conditions the place a driver misses a race attributable to a suspension or like final Might when Kyle Larson missed the Coke 600 whereas competing within the rain-delayed Indy 500. As for the DVP, vehicles can now be towed again to the storage to restore harm and nonetheless return to the race. Beforehand, NASCAR was extremely strict and if a automotive couldn’t drive away by itself, it was out of the race — even when it was merely caught attributable to flat tires. 

With the shuttering of Stewart-Haas Racing, considered one of its charters has gone to Trackhouse for the workforce’s third entry with Shane van Gisbergen, one other to Entrance Row Motorsports for its third entry with Zane Smith, and one other to 23XI Racing for its newly fashioned third entry with Riley Herbst. Gene Haas held on to the ultimate constitution, reorganizing because the Haas Manufacturing unit Crew and selling Cole Custer again to the Cup stage. All 4 SHR drivers discovered new houses within the Cup Sequence with Chase Briscoe becoming a member of Joe Gibbs Racing, Josh Berry taking on the long-lasting Wooden Brothers entry, Noah Gragson transferring over FRM, and Ryan Preece sliding right into a newly fashioned third entry for RFK Racing (the workforce is leasing a 3rd constitution from Rick Ware Racing).

And these are simply among the modifications to the grid for 2025! Trying ahead, the most important entry checklist in a decade will head to the two.5-mile superspeedway in Florida the place William Byron is the defending Daytona 500 winner. Final yr’s race ended with a dramatic three-wide transfer for the win by Ross Chastain, who stormed up the center however as an alternative of greedy victory, he discovered himself spinning by the infield grass.

Among the many 9 open entries are former Cup champions Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, reigning Xfinity champion Justin Allgaier driving a JR Motorsports entry, and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in Trackhouse’s Mission 91 machine.

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta Chevrolet Camaro, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Busch Mild Chevrolet Camaro, Austin Cindric, Crew Penske, Low cost Tire Ford Mustang, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Chevrolet Camaro

Photograph by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Pictures

When is the Daytona 500?  

Date: Sunday February 16
Time: 2:30pm ET
Community: FOX Sports activities 
Streaming: Max (onboard cameras)

Full Speedweeks schedule

Date 

Session

Session begin time

Wednesday, February 12 

Daytona 500 observe #1

10:05am ET

Wednesday, February 12

Daytona 500 qualifying

8:15pm ET

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Thursday, February 13

ARCA observe

4:05pm ET

Thursday, February 13

NASCAR Truck observe

5:05pm ET

Thursday, February 13

Duel Qualifying Race #1 (60 laps)

7pm ET

Thursday, February 13

Duel Qualifying Race #2 (60 laps)

8:45pm ET

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Friday, February 14

ARCA qualifying

1:30pm ET

Friday, February 14

NASCAR Truck qualifying

3pm ET

Friday, February 14

NASCAR Xfinity observe

4:35pm ET

Friday, February 14

 

Daytona 500 observe #2

5:35pm ET

Friday, February 14

NASCAR TRUCK RACE (100 laps)

7:30pm ET

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Saturday, February 15

NASCAR Xfinity qualifying

10am ET

Saturday, February 15

ARCA RACE (80 laps)

2pm ET

Saturday, February 15

Daytona 500 observe #3

3:05pm

Saturday, February 15

NASCAR XFINITY RACE (120 laps)

5pm ET

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Sunday, February 16

2025 DAYTONA 500 (200 laps)

2:30pm ET

How does qualifying work for the Daytona 500?

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 is in contrast to something in motorsport, and it has no scarcity of drama. It begins with a single-car, one-lap format. So, every driver will get one flying lap across the tri-oval and the 2 quickest vehicles will probably be locked in because the front-row starters for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The opposite qualifying occasions decide the beginning grid for each Duel races, which decides the remainder of the Daytona 500 lineup. The Duels are a pair of 60-lap qualifying races, protecting 150 miles, and the outcomes of the primary race decide the within row for the five hundred, whereas the second decides Sunday’s exterior row.  

However extra importantly, the Duel races determine which of the 9 open entries fill out the ultimate few spots on the 40-car grid. The 2 quickest open entries in qualifying will probably be secured a spot whereas the top-finishing open entry in every of the 2 Duel races. Ought to the identical driver(s) that topped the open area in qualifying prime the open vehicles of their respective Duel races, then the third and if wanted, the fourth quickest drivers from qualifying will fill out the sphere.

A brand new wrinkle this yr is the Open Exemption Provisional, offered to a world-class driver making an attempt to make the race. The primary driver to learn from the OEP will probably be four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. Ought to he fail to race his approach into the five hundred, he can fall again on the provisional and an extra forty first spot will probably be added to the grid.

Joey Logano, Crew Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Pole winner

Photograph by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Pictures

The place can I watch highlights of the Daytona 500?

Final yr the NASCAR on FOX YouTube channel uploaded highlights quickly after the Daytona 500 had ended, whereas doing the identical for the periods that preceded it that week.

The official NASCAR YouTube channel at the moment has a full replay of the 2024 Daytona 500, so observe the assorted NASCAR platforms to look at a highlights bundle – or the complete race once more – as quickly because it drops. 

Watch: Race Rewind: Daytona 500 ends with a wild end

Climate forecast

Contemplating Daytona’s location alongside the Florida shoreline, generally plagues the season-opener. Final yr’s race was pushed to Monday attributable to heavy rain. Whereas long-range forecasts are sometimes unreliable attributable to its tropical local weather, here is the outlook as of Monday, February 10:

Issues are trying favorable for a lot of the weekend at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, however the likelihood of rain at the moment sits at 50% for race day, per the Nationwide Climate Service.  Temperatures are starting from the low 80s to the excessive 70s over the course of the week.

NASCAR has experimented with working wet-weather tires in Cup races on ovals in recent times, resembling New Hampshire and Richmond throughout the 2024 season. Nonetheless, they won’t try this at larger tracks, particularly not on the quick excessive banks of Daytona Worldwide Speedway.

Daytona 500 Entry Listing

No.
Driver
Producer
Crew

01 [OPEN ENTRY]
Corey LaJoie
Ford
Rick Ware Racing

1
Ross Chastain
Chevrolet
Trackhouse Racing Crew

2
Austin Cindric
Ford
Crew Penske

3
Austin Dillon
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing

4
Noah Gragson
Ford
Entrance Row Motorsports

5
Kyle Larson
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports

6
Brad Keselowski
Ford
RFK Racing

7
Justin Haley
Chevrolet
Spire Motorsports

8
Kyle Busch
Chevrolet
Richard Childress Racing

9
Chase Elliott
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports

10
Ty Dillon
Chevrolet
Kaulig Racing

11
Denny Hamlin
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

12
Ryan Blaney
Ford
Crew Penske

16
A.J. Allmendinger
Chevrolet
Kaulig Racing

17
Chris Buescher
Ford
RFK Racing

19
Chase Briscoe
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

20
Christopher Bell
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

21
Josh Berry
Ford
Wooden Brothers Racing

22
Joey Logano
Ford
Crew Penske

23
Bubba Wallace
Toyota
23XI Racing

24
William Byron
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports

34
Todd Gilliland
Ford
Entrance Row Motorsports

35
Riley Herbst
Toyota
23XI Racing

38
Zane Smith
Ford
Entrance Row Motorsports

40 [OPEN ENTRY]
Justin Allgaier
Chevrolet
JR Motorsports

41
Cole Custer
Ford
Haas Manufacturing unit Crew

42
John Hunter Nemechek
Toyota
Legacy Motor Membership

43
Erik Jones
Toyota
Legacy Motor Membership

44 [OPEN ENTRY]
J.J. Yeley
Chevrolet
NY Racing Crew

45
Tyler Reddick
Toyota
23XI Racing

47
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Chevrolet
HYAK Motorsports

48
Alex Bowman
Chevrolet
Hendrick Motorsports

51
Cody Ware
Ford
Rick Ware Racing

54
Ty Gibbs
Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

56 [OPEN ENTRY]
Martin Truex, Jr.
Toyota
TRICON Storage

60
Ryan Preece
Ford
RFK Racing

62 [OPEN ENTRY]
Anthony Alfredo
Chevrolet
Beard Motorsports

66 [OPEN ENTRY]
Chandler Smith
Ford
Storage 66

71
Michael McDowell
Chevrolet
Spire Motorsports

77
Carson Hocevar
Chevrolet
Spire Motorsports

78 [OPEN ENTRY]
B.J. McLeod
Chevrolet
Reside Quick Motorsports

84 [OPEN ENTRY]
Jimmie Johnson
Toyota
Legacy Motor Membership

88
Shane van Gisbergen
Chevrolet
Trackhouse Racing Crew

91 [OPEN ENTRY]
Helio Castroneves
Chevrolet
Trackhouse Racing Crew

99
Daniel Suarez
Chevrolet
Trackhouse Racing Crew

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