Daytona 500 entry list: Will 40 or 41 drivers appear in this year’s iconic NASCAR race?

Who is in the Daytona 500?

Well, we don’t know the exact answer yet. We won’t until next week, when qualifying and the Bluegreen Vacations Duels weed out four — or five — drivers.

That’s right. This year’s starting lineup could include the normal 40 or a special 41 drivers.

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Thirty-six chartered cars will gain automatic entry into the Daytona 500. The other nine hopefuls will have to speed their way in.

Unless you’re Helio Castroneves.

Though not a chartered driver, Castroneves received a spot through NASCAR’s new Open Exemption Provisional, which guarantees a position on the grid for world-class drivers. The IndyCar legend certainly holds that title.

Castroneves can qualify for the race, which would mean only three other open entries get spots, capping the roster at 40. If Castroneves does not qualify for the race, he will be added as the 41st driver, thus representing the fifth open entry to sneak in.

Got all that?

Here is the tentative Daytona 500 entry list ahead of Speedweek at Daytona International Speedway. It’s separated into chartered and non-chartered categories.

Chartered cars (36)

• No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Ross Chastain

• No. 2 Team Penske Ford: Austin Cindric

• No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet: Austin Dillon

• No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Noah Gragson

• No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Kyle Larson

• No. 6 RFK Racing Ford: Brad Keselowski

• No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Justin Haley

• No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet: Kyle Busch

• No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Chase Elliott

• No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet: Ty Dillon

• No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Denny Hamlin

• No. 12 Team Penske Ford: Ryan Blaney

• No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet: A.J. Allmendinger

• No. 17 RFK Racing Ford: Chris Buescher

• No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Chase Briscoe

• No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Christopher Bell

• No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford: Harrison Burton

• No. 22 Team Penske Ford: Joey Logano

• No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota: Bubba Wallace

• No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: William Byron

• No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Todd Gilliland

• No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota: Riley Herbst

• No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford: Zane Smith

• No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford: Cole Custer

• No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota: John Hunter Nemechek

• No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota: Erik Jones

• No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota: Tyler Reddick

• No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

• No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: Alex Bowman

• No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford: Cody Ware

• No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: Ty Gibbs

• No. 60 RFK Racing Ford: Ryan Preece

• No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Michael McDowell

• No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet: Carson Hocevar

• No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Shane van Gisbergen

• No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Daniel Suarez

Non-chartered entries (9)

• No. 01 Rick Ware Racing Ford: Corey LaJoie

• No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet: Justin Allgaier

• No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet: J.J. Yeley

• No. 56 Tricon Garage Toyota: Martin Truex Jr.

• No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet: Anthony Alfredo

• No. 66 Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports) Ford: Chandler Smith

• No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet: B.J. McLeod

• No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota: Jimmie Johnson

• No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet: Helio Castroneves (locked into field)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona 500 entry list: Full driver lineup before Speedweeks