Following the non-championship kickoff to the season, the Feb. 5 Busch Light Clash held at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the second consecutive year, NASCAR returns to the high banks of the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway for its biggest race of the year on Sunday.
Over the course of five days, Daytona will host the season openers of the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, Truck and ARCA Menards series. For the first time, there will be no practice sessions prior to Cup Series qualifying or the Daytona 500 qualifying races.
Daytona 500 start
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
What is the NASCAR Daytona 500 Speedweeks schedule?
(Schedule is tentative and subject to change)
Tuesday, February 14
2 p.m. ET – Random draw for Xfinity Series qualifying lineup
4 p.m. ET – Random draw for Cup Series qualifying lineup
Wednesday, February 15
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET – Daytona 500 Media Day
8:15 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series single-car qualifying (one lap, two rounds) – FOX Sports 1
Thursday, February 16
4:05 – 4:55 p.m. ET – ARCA Menards Series practice – no TV
5:05 – 5:55 p.m. ET – NASCAR Truck Series practice – FS1
7 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Race #1 (60 laps) – FS1
8:45 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Race #2 (60 laps) – FS1
Friday, February 17
1:30 p.m. ET – ARCA Menards Series qualifying – no TV
3 p.m. ET – NASCAR Truck Series qualifying – FS1
4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series practice – FS1
5:35 – 6:35 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series practice – FS1
7:30 p.m. ET – NASCAR Truck Series race (100 laps) – FS1
Saturday, February 18
10:30 – 11:20 a.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series final practice – FS1
11:30 a.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying – FS1
1:30 p.m. ET – ARCA Menards Series race (80 laps) – FS1
5 p.m. ET – NASCAR Xfinity Series race (120 laps) – FS1
Sunday, February 19
2:30 p.m. ET – NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 (200 laps) – FOX Network
Daytona 500 Flyover
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
Who is racing in the 2023 Daytona 500?
Forty-two cars have entered NASCAR’s crown jewel event, guaranteeing that two will go home.
The 36 chartered teams are locked in, leaving the other six to fight for the final four spots in the field through single-car qualifying and the Duel races.
The field consists of eight former NASCAR Cup Series champions, and seven former winners of the 500. The youngest driver in the field is Ty Gibbs at 20 years (+4 months) and the oldest is Jimmie Johnson at 47 years (+5 months).
Johnson, driving the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet, is among those who will have to fight their way into the main event. The other five in that position have never even started a Daytona 500 before.
They are Chandler Smith in the No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet; Zane Smith in the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford; Travis Pastrana in the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota; Conor Daly in the No. 50 TMT Racing Chevrolet; and Austin Hill in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet.
Riley Herbst and Ty Gibbs, who are both locked in, will be making their first ever appearance in the 500 as well.
The entry list consists of 20 Chevrolet Camaros, 15 Ford Mustangs, and seven Toyota Camrys.
Entry list for the 2023 Daytona 500
*Open, non-chartered entry