Noah Gragson was second to Jimmie Johnson in Brendan Gaughan's eyes when Gaughan was seeking a driver to fill in for him at this year's Daytona 500 qualifying.
Gragson -- a full-time Xfinity driver with JR Motorsports -- said he got the offer from Gaughan after Johnson -- a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion -- declined. So now another Las Vegas native will pilot the No. 62 Chevrolet at Daytona.
The 22-year-old driver and winner of last year's Xfinity race at the superspeedway paraphrased his response to getting the news from Gaughan.
"I thought he was messing with me," Gragson said. "I probably can't say exactly what I said, but I was like, 'Hey are you 'blanking' with me?' "
He wasn't, and Gragson is joining a list of 44 drivers announced for this year's Daytona 500. There will be the familiar faces of drivers whose teams field full-time entries -- the usual Gibbs, Penske and Stewart-Haas names, plus the addition of full-time Cup teams fielding cars driven by Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Corey LaJoie and B.J. McLeod.
Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Erik Jones also changed teams, but they're still racing full-time in the series and will be joined on the grid by rookies Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Anthony Alfredo, Cody Ware and Josh Bilicki. With the Daytona 500 lineup capped at 40, and 36 teams with full-time charters, that leaves four spots up for grabs to advance to NASCAR's biggest race on Feb. 14.
The Daytona 500 is promising fresh excitement, especially after so many silly season moves, but the preliminary races are building to be equally entertaining given the fight to get in. The open car lineup presents a range, if not a wacky mix, of drivers this year.
There are Cup first-timers in Gragson, Kaz Grala (barring his substitution for Austin Dillon last year) and 2020 Xfinity champion Austin Cindric. Cindric will race the No. 33 Ford for Team Penske to kick off a season of Cindric racing in select Cup events before graduating to the series full-time in 2022 with Wood Brothers Racing.
"Qualifying our way into the race as an 'open' car will be a big challenge," Cindric said.
Former Cup Series drivers are making an appearance in the lineup, adding to that challenge. Ty Dillon will race the No. 96 Chevrolet for Gaunt Brothers Racing as an open entry. Dillon was out of a ride at the end of the 2020 season when his Germain Racing team closed its shop due to the pandemic and lack of sponsorship support. Dillon is so far scheduled to enter only the singular Daytona event, but he said he's still seeking more opportunities and feels like he belongs in a full-time ride.
"All I've been looking for this offseason is just a little bit of light," Dillon said. "Just the door to just crack open a little bit so that I can blow it down."
In order to blow that door down at Daytona, Dillon will need to finish ahead of the other open cars in one of the two duel races to make his way into the final lineup. The two remaining open spots are awarded to the driver with the fastest speeds from qualifying.
It won't be easy once in, especially considering former Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who is joining the race in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports after retiring from full-time Cup racing in 2018. McMurray won the 2010 Daytona 500 and garnered seven wins after making his Cup start in 2002.
McMurray entered the 2019 Daytona 500 race for Spire, but crashed out for a 22nd-place finish. Still, the 44-year-old driver led six laps in the race and could be the one to beat among the latest entries.
There is also another past Daytona 500 winner entering this year's race. Derrike Cope will drive the No. 15 Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing. The team has a full-time charter, so Cope is guaranteed entry into the final event, but his presence in the lineup as a 62-year-old driver adds to the diversity of Cup experience levels. Cope has two wins in 427 Cup races since 1982. His last race was in 2018 for StarCom Racing, where he is the team manager.
"You love to see people get opportunities and then when you get opportunities, make the most of them," said Daniel Hemric, who is racing full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. "And if you make the most of them, your reward should be having a shot to run and then run full-time no matter what level that is."
Also expected in this year's open Cup lineup are drivers Ryan Preece, David Ragan, Chad Finchum and Timmy Hill. They'll be among a crowded field of drivers looking to capitalize on a chance to take the main stage.
"Right now it's just about trying to make the most of the opportunity, and I'm happy with one (race)," Gragson said. "Because one's better than zero."