Daytona 500: From Casey Mears to Chase Elliott, Field Rankings Unveiled

The Daytona 500 is one of the most anticipated events in the NASCAR calendar, with this year’s race showcasing a diverse lineup of 41 drivers. From Casey Mears, who has yet to secure a career win, to Chase Elliott, a seasoned racer with multiple accolades, the competition promises excitement. The race is set to take place on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on FOX.

Field Rankings for the Daytona 500

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the drivers and their starting positions, along with insights into their potential for success this Sunday.

Driver Rankings

• 41. Casey Mears (Starting: 17th, No. 66 Ford, Garage 66)
  Mears is approaching his 500th Cup start. This is his first Daytona 500 since 2019.
• 40. B.J. McLeod (Starting: 38th, No. 78 Chevrolet, Live Fast Motorsports)
  McLeod’s entry comes after the disqualification of Anthony Alfredo.
• 39. Cody Ware (Starting: 33rd, No. 51 Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing)
  Ware aims to bounce back after a difficult 2025 season.
• 38. Riley Herbst (Starting: 28th, No. 35 Toyota, 23XI Racing)
  Having debuted competitively with a 10th place finish last year, he hopes for another solid performance.
• 37. Noah Gragson (Starting: 25th, No. 4 Ford, Front Row Motorsports)
  Gragson is adapting to a new crew chief and aims for a strong finish after struggling to find form.
• 36. Josh Berry (Starting: 14th, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing)
  Berry seeks to leverage his team affiliation with Penske for better performance.
• 35. Ty Dillon (Starting: 34th, No. 10 Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing)
  Dillon returns after competitive runs in past races.
• 34. Cole Custer (Starting: 23rd, No. 41 Chevrolet, Haas Factory Team)
  Custer looks for a breakthrough after a string of lower placements.
• 33. AJ Allmendinger (Starting: 35th, No. 16 Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing)
  Allmendinger holds a mix of past podiums in Daytona but seeks to improve.
• 32. Connor Zilisch (Starting: 32nd, No. 88 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing)
  As a newcomer, Zilisch aims to surprise in his Daytona 500 debut.
• 31. Shane van Gisbergen (Starting: 13th, No. 97 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing)
  Van Gisbergen looks to improve his performance after a challenging first outing.
• 30. Justin Allgaier (Starting: 40th, No. 40 Chevrolet, JR Motorsports)
  Allgaier hopes to capitalize on support from Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• 29. Corey Heim (Starting: 29th, No. 67 Toyota, 23XI Racing)
  Heim is making waves with previous success in the truck series.
• 28. Erik Jones (Starting: 24th, No. 43 Toyota, Legacy Motor Club)
  Jones enters with confidence, having previously won at Daytona.
• 27. Todd Gilliland (Starting: 18th, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports)
  Aiming for consistency, Gilliland targets a good finish.
• 26. John Hunter Nemechek (Starting: 11th, No. 42 Toyota, Legacy Motor Club)
  Nemechek’s strong average finish rate makes him a contender.
• 25. Daniel Suarez (Starting: 15th, No. 7 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports)
  New team dynamics as Suarez seeks his first Daytona victory.
• 24. Jimmie Johnson (Starting: 31st, No. 84 Toyota, Legacy Motor Club)
  The veteran champion looks to add another trophy to his collection.
• 23. Zane Smith (Starting: 30th, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports)
  Smith aims for a career-best during his fourth 500 appearance.
• 22. Carson Hocevar (Starting: 6th, No. 77 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports)
  After past setbacks, Hocevar hopes to capitalize on his qualifying speed.
• 21. Ty Gibbs (Starting: 20th, No. 54 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
  Gibbs seeks his first win, making Daytona a prime target.
• 20. Alex Bowman (Starting: 21st, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
  Bowman has consistently performed well but hopes for better outcomes.
• 19. Ryan Preece (Starting: 19th, No. 60 Ford, RFK Racing)
  Preece is eager to translate off-track wins into a Daytona success.
• 18. Austin Dillon (Starting: 7th, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing)
  Former champion Dillon aims to reclaim glory at this historic venue.
• 17. Ross Chastain (Starting: 37th, No. 1 Chevrolet, Trackhouse Racing)
  Chastain works to improve his drafting performance after a qualification mishap.
• 16. Tyler Reddick (Starting: 26th, No. 45 Toyota, 23XI Racing)
  Reddick recently finished in a strong position last year and is optimistic.
• 15. Brad Keselowski (Starting: 9th, No. 6 Ford, RFK Racing)
  Building on previous injuries, Keselowski aims for his first accolade in this race.
• 14. Kyle Larson (Starting: 8th, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
  Larson looks to break a long winless streak at Daytona.
• 13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Starting: 16th, No. 47 Chevrolet, Hyak Motorsports)
  As the defending Daytona 500 champion, Stenhouse presents a key threat.
• 12. Chris Buescher (Starting: 41st, No. 17 Ford, RFK Racing)
  Buescher looks to capitalize on late strategies despite starting in the back.
• 11. Austin Cindric (Starting: 36th, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske)
  Cindric’s past success makes him a potential standout.
• 10. Christopher Bell (Starting: 12th, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
  Seeking redemption, Bell enters with considerable experience.
• 9. Ryan Blaney (Starting: 5th, No. 12 Ford, Team Penske)
  Consistently a front-runner, Blaney seeks to break his winless run in this high-stakes race.
• 8. Michael McDowell (Starting: 10th, No. 71 Chevrolet, Spire Motorsports)
  McDowell holds past triumphs and aims for another strong showing.
• 7. Bubba Wallace (Starting: 27th, No. 23 Toyota, 23XI Racing)
  With multiple close calls, Wallace seeks to secure his first Daytona 500 victory.
• 6. Joey Logano (Starting: 3rd, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske)
  Logano has past successes but aims to eliminate a winless streak in recent appearances.
• 5. Denny Hamlin (Starting: 22nd, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
  With three wins at Daytona, Hamlin is viewed as a formidable contender despite recent challenges.
• 4. William Byron (Starting: 39th, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
  Byron seeks to make history aiming for a third consecutive victory.
• 3. Kyle Busch (Starting: 1st, No. 8 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing)
  Busch looks for a long-awaited win in his 21st Daytona 500.
• 2. Chase Briscoe (Starting: 2nd, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
  Briscoe, solid in his past appearances, is a strong candidate for victory.
• 1. Chase Elliott (Starting: 4th, No. 9 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
  Elliott aims to add to his accolades with a Daytona 500 win.

These rankings reflect a blend of experience, recent performance, and potential for success at one of racing’s greatest stages. As the Daytona 500 approaches, fans eagerly await which driver will make history this Sunday.