Daytona Beach, FL – Forty-nine teams are on the preliminary entry list for this year's Daytona 500. NASCAR released the list on Thursday.
Former NASCAR Cup champions Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott have been added to the list within the past couple of days. Labonte will drive the No.32 Ford for FAS Lane Racing, while Elliott will be behind the wheel of the No.97 Toyota for NEMCO Motorsports.
The top-35 from last year's owner points are guaranteed a starting position for the February 26 Sprint Cup Series season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. The remaining 14 teams will race for the last eight spots.
Sunday's qualifying at DIS will determine the front starting row for the Daytona 500. The remainder of the 43-car field will be decided in the February 23 Gatorade Duels at Daytona -- the twin 150-mile qualifying races.
Last year's Daytona 500 included 48 teams. Twenty-year-old Trevor Bayne won the race in just his second Sprint Cup start.
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