NASCAR has left Daytona International Speedway as it now pivots to weekend number two. This race will go back-to-back superspeedway racing, and as many fans hail it, EchoPark Speedway may be the best track on the schedule. If not, it is surely in the top 5.
Last week, the Daytona 500 gained a ton of entries, 45 to be exact. This week, the field is reduced to two open cars among the usual suspects under charter. Who are they, you ask?
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Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway Entry List (Cup Series)
|
Number |
Driver |
Team |
|
1 |
Ross Chastain |
Trackhouse Racing |
|
2 |
Austin Cindric |
Team Penske |
|
3 |
Austin Dillon |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
4 |
Noah Gragson |
Front Row Motorsports |
|
5 |
Kyle Larson |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
6 |
Brad Keselowski |
RFK Racing |
|
7 |
Daniel Suarez |
Spire Motorsports |
|
8 |
Kyle Busch |
Richard Childress Racing |
|
9 |
Chase Elliott |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
10 |
Ty Dillon |
Kaulig Racing |
|
11 |
Denny Hamlin |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
12 |
Ryan Blaney |
Team Penske |
|
16 |
AJ Allmendinger |
Kaulig Racing |
|
17 |
Chris Buescher |
RFK Racing |
|
19 |
Chase Briscoe |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
20 |
Christopher Bell |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
21 |
Josh Berry |
Wood Brothers Racing |
|
22 |
Joey Logano |
Team Penske |
|
23 |
Bubba Wallace |
23XI Racing |
|
24 |
William Byron |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
34 |
Todd Gilliland |
Front Row Motorsports |
|
35 |
Riley Herbst |
23XI Racing |
|
38 |
Zane Smith |
Front Row Motorsports |
|
41 |
Cole Custer |
HAAS Factory Team |
|
42 |
John Hunter Nemechek |
Legacy Motor Club |
|
43 |
Erik Jones |
Legacy Motor Club |
|
44 |
JJ Yeley |
NY Racing Team (Open) |
|
45 |
Tyler Reddick |
23XI Racing |
|
47 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
HYAK Motorsports |
|
48 |
Alex Bowman |
Hendrick Motorsports |
|
51 |
Cody Ware |
Rick Ware Racing |
|
54 |
Ty Gibbs |
Joe Gibbs Racing |
|
60 |
Ryan Preece |
RFK Racing |
|
71 |
Michael McDowell |
Spire Motorsports |
|
77 |
Carson Hocevar |
Spire Motorsports |
|
78 |
BJ McLeod |
Live Fast Motorsports (Open) |
|
88 |
Connor Zilisch |
Trackhouse Racing |
|
97 |
Shane Van Gisbergen |
Trackhouse Racing |
Open Cars
JJ Yeley and BJ McLeod are the two open cars entered into this race. With 39 entries in the race, they will both race on Sunday within the allotment.
The 49-year-old Yeley has 9 top 10 finishes in 396 career races. He will be no threat to the field.
The 42-year-old McLeod has 2 top 10 finishes in 150 career starts. Like Yeley, he will be no threat to the field.
Best Performers at EchoPark Speedway
Feb 11, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
(© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
In the NextGen era, the winningest drivers have been Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and William Byron, each with two wins in the eight races. Each has at least 3 top-10 finishes in that same timeframe.
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The best average finishing position is a bit different. Only three average a finish better than 13th — Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and AJ Allmendinger. Blaney will be the pre-race weekend favorite.
Poor Performers at EchoPark Speedway
Noah Gragson is the worst-qualified race car driver at EchoPark Speedway. In the eight-race NextGen car era, Gragson has the worst average finish of 30.6. He has zero top 10 finishes.
The other chartered drivers with zero top-10 finishes and at least five races run include: Josh Berry, Cody Ware, Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Todd Gilliland, and Ryan Preece. The only driver to still average a finish above P20 is Preece (19.8).
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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