NASCAR exec okay with barely full field for Daytona 500

Even with several part-time or one-off teams at Daytona, there are just enough cars to fill the field.

It used to be that the byzantine qualifying system NASCAR implements for the Daytona 500 serves a real purpose. More cars would enter than there were spots in the field, including some hopefuls for whom just making the Great American Race would be an accomplishment. The twin 125s a few days before the Daytona 500 would often be full of intrigue as fans waited to see who would race their way into the big show and who would end up going home.

In 2018, not so much. Even with a few non-charter stragglers and Danica Patrick, who is running just this race this season, there are only 40 cars on the Daytona 500 entry list. On the plus side, that means no one is going home, so even the likes of Justin Marks and Mark Thompson are good to go next Sunday. The flip side is that except to see how cards handle in a full draft and who everyone might be able to work with, those Thursday races are going to be almost completely meaningless.

It’s not like NASCAR isn’t aware of this, but there’s not a whole lot it can do. As such, it’s not all that surprising to hear Executive VP Steve O’Donnell tell ESPN’s Bob Pockrass that he and NASCAR as a whole are taking the “glass half-full” view of a barely full field.

"“You can look at a car count and you can look at 30 out of 40 drivers who never have a chance to win or you can look at the quality of the field and say, ‘Who’s going to win the Daytona 500’ and I think it’s one of the best fields we’ve had. It’s deep. In the future would we like to see more? We probably would. But I think when you look across all of sports now, the idea of sending someone home with a major sponsor just doesn’t happen in sports today, and it’s not just a reality for NASCAR, it’s really all motorsports.”"

O’Donnell isn’t wrong, as just about every driver for every major team has a chance to win the Daytona 500. Take a team like Roush Fenway Racing, for instance, which hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse the last few seasons. Ricky Stenhouse won two plate races in 2017, and Trevor Bayne has already won this race once before. Both drivers have to be factored in even if they rarely challenge for victories the rest of the season. And that’s just one example.

Yet if NASCAR barely fills the field for what is for all intents and purposes its Super Bowl, it makes one wonder how many cars will be in some of the races come mid-summer. It wouldn’t be shocking if we didn’t see another 40-car field all year, or at least until Talladega or the second trip to Daytona.

Next: See the full 2018 Speedweeks schedule for Daytona

Down the road, it’s even fair to wonder if NASCAR would consider doing away with some of the intricacies of Daytona 500 qualifying. Speedweeks is still a thing, of course, and it makes sense for Daytona International Speedway to want to get people to the track as many times as possible. But the teams might be alright with the 125-mile races going away if it means saving wear and tear on equipment.

It’s also possible that this is simply a one-year bump in the road, but it doesn’t feel that way right now. In the meantime, the 40 cars already at Daytona can at least take comfort in knowing that no matter what happens this weekend or next Thursday, they’ll be firing up the engines on Feb. 18.