DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Two former Cup Series champions were able to lock into the Daytona 500, and they didn't need the new Open Exemption Provisional to do so.
Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson qualified for the crown jewel race while driving open entries in Wednesday night's qualifying session. They were the fastest two drivers among the nine in open entries.
Truex, the first of the open drivers to attempt qualifying, posted a lap of 49.641 seconds at 181.302 mph. Johnson posted a lap of 49.783 seconds at 180.785 mph.
Truex spoke to media members ahead of qualifying and addressed the possibility of being able to lock in on speed. He was not overly confident considering the struggles Toyota teams have had at superspeedways in these sessions in the Gen 7 era.
Truex indicated that it would be more likely that he would have to beat other open entries during the Duel races on Thursday night.
"Definitely a big relief," Truex said after qualifying for the Daytona 500. "You never know what can happen in the Duels -- they can get crazy, something on pit road can get you in trouble.
"Great job to all of the guys -- they worked their butts off on this car. They were sweating all afternoon, and luckily, we were able to put a good lap in."
WE’RE RACING IN THE DAYTONA 500‼️🔒 pic.twitter.com/rkRBbJx7OQ
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) February 13, 2025
Johnson is familiar with having to lock into the Daytona 500 through the Duel races. He had to do so last year after Anthony Alfredo and David Ragan took the two available open spots on speed.
"After what I went through last year, I'm so thrilled," Johnson said. "Oh my gosh. Very, very proud of everybody at Legacy Motor Club and the effort they put into this car and the evolution that we've been on through the end of 2024 to now. I'm very excited."
Justin Allgaier was the third-fastest open driver. He completed JR Motorsports' first-ever Cup qualifying session with a lap of 49.863 seconds. Rick Ware Racing's Corey LaJoie followed with a lap of 49.879 seconds.
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was the fifth-fastest open driver on Wednesday night with a lap of 50.069 seconds. Unlike every other driver on this list, Castroneves has a guaranteed spot in the Daytona 500 through the Open Exemption Provisional.
Even if two other open drivers beat him in the Duel races on Thursday, NASCAR will increase the Daytona 500 field to 41 entries.
Anthony Alfredo (50.090 seconds), Chandler Smith (50.351 seconds), BJ McLeod (50.626 seconds), and JJ Yeley (51.055 seconds) were the four other open drivers in Wednesday's qualifying session.