68th Annual Daytona 500

🏁 The "Open" Field - Status Update

Car	Driver	Status
84	Jimmie Johnson	LOCKED (Exemption)
67	Corey Heim	LOCKED (Speed: 183.120)
40	Justin Allgaier	LOCKED (Speed: 182.923)
99	Corey LaJoie	Needs to Race In (Duel 1)
62	Anthony Alfredo	Needs to Race In (Duel 2)
36	Chandler Smith	Needs to Race In (Duel 1)

✨ Pre-Race Festivities

• Grand Marshal: Nate Bargatze (Comedian) [20].
• Pre-Race Concert: Miranda Lambert [21].
• Honorary Pace Car: Kurt Russell [22].

⚙️ Tech Profile

• Chassis: Next Gen Steel Tube [23].
• Engine: 5.86L V8 Naturally Aspirated [23].
• Tires: Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Setup (D-5142/D-5218) [17].
• Safety: First 500 with mandatory A-post flaps [3].

🏆 Record Purse

The 2026 purse is $31,045,575—a record high increase from last year's $30.3M [19].