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This year’s Daytona 500 entry list includes eight drivers looking to claim one of four spots in the 40-car area reserved for non-chartered entries.
This group has two ways to participate in “The Great American Race”: being one of the two fastest un-chartered riders in qualifying on a single lap Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) or being the un-chartered rider. top performer in their respective duel race Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, FS1).
PLUS: Radio Daytona 500 Speedweek, TV program
Among them are the defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, past Daytona winners in all three of NASCAR’s National Series and current and recent full-time Cup drivers.
# 13 – Garrett Smithley, MBM Motorsports
Garrett Smithley hopes to make his first Daytona 500 with MBM Motorsports. The Pennsylvania native has 43 Cup starts to his name.
Smithley never raced on the oval at Daytona in the Cup, but made seven career starts from Xfinity there. He also won his career best Xfinity there, a fifth-place finish in the 2018 season opener for JD Motorsports.
N ° 16 – Kaz Grala, Kaulig Racing
On January 13, Kaz Grala was confirmed for a Daytona 500 attempt with Kaulig Racing, which plans to run a limited Cup schedule alongside its full-time Xfinity schedules this season.
The 22-year-old from Boston finished seventh in his Cup debut last season on the Daytona road course. He drove in place of Austin Dillon, who missed the race following a positive COVID-19 test.
Grala is a former Daytona winner of the Camping World Truck series. His victory in the opening of the 2017 truck season made him the youngest NASCAR winner at Daytona (18 years, one month, 26 days).
# 33 – Austin Cindric, Penske Team
Austin Cindric is hoping to make his Cup debut in this year’s Daytona 500. He is already scheduled to play some Cup races this year in addition to his Xfinity title defense, before moving full time to the Cup in 2022 with the Wood Brothers lined up with Penske.
Cindric made six Xfinity starts at Daytona. Three of them ended in DNFs, but the other three finished in the top 10. His best result was fourth in the July 2019 race.
N ° 36 – David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports
As part of Front Row Motorsports’ driver lineup rollout on January 6, David Ragan was named to the team’s third appearance in the Daytona 500, joining full-season drivers Michael McDowell and rookie Anthony Alfredo.
Ragan retired from racing full time at the end of the 2019 season, but returned for last year’s Daytona 500. He finished fourth.
In addition to his two career Cup victories, eight of Ragan’s 16 best career results at the top of NASCAR have arrived on superspeedways. He won the July 2011 race at Daytona while driving for Roush Fenway Racing.
# 37 – Ryan Preece, JTG Daugherty Racing
A critical third Cup season for Ryan Preece begins without a charter for his No.37 entry to secure his place in the Daytona 500. With full season funding yet to be secured, Preece can hardly afford to miss the bigger one. race of the year.
Former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Preece enjoyed modest success in his first two Cup campaigns. But he’s shown flashes on the superspeedways with three of his five career top 10s at Daytona or Talladega.
# 62 – Noah Gragson, Beard Motorsports
Xfinity regular Noah Gragson replaces retiree Brendan Gaughan in No.62, who has been seen mostly on the superspeedways for the past four Cup seasons.
Gragson, who is looking to fight for the Xfinity title this season, earned his first career series victory in last year’s season opener at Daytona.
N ° 66 – Timmy Hill, MBM Motorsports
Timmy Hill ran the full Cup schedule for MBM in 2020, posting a 15th place finish in Talladega in October. He made his first two starts in the Daytona Cup, finishing 27th and 24th.
Hill has four career Xfinity top 10 rankings at Daytona, including a third place finish in last year’s season opener.
# 96 – Ty Dillon, Gaunt Brothers Racing
Ty Dillon has competed full time in the Cup for the past four years with Germain Racing. He will be looking to place Gaunt Brothers Racing in the Daytona 500 after the team missed last year with Daniel Suarez.
On Monday, Dillon was also confirmed to drive for GBR in the second race of the season on the Daytona road course.
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