NASCAR Cup Series Entry List for Phoenix Finalized, Live Fast Motorsports Returns
The official entry list for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway was confirmed on Monday, with the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Katherine Legge, as the only non-chartered entry.
Live Fast Motorsports was among four teams that attempted but failed to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Team co-owner B.J. McLeod was unable to secure a spot in the field. However, similar to NY Racing Team—who also failed to qualify at Daytona with J.J. Yeley in the No. 44 Chevrolet—they returned the following weekend to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The other two teams that missed out on the Daytona 500 have yet to make an appearance in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Beard Motorsports, known for focusing on superspeedway events, attempted to qualify for Daytona with Anthony Alfredo in the No. 62 Chevrolet but came up short. Despite Atlanta now being classified as a superspeedway, the team did not enter the race there this year, just as they hadn’t in 2024. Their only Atlanta start came in July 2023 with Austin Hill behind the wheel.
Superspeedway Racing and Part-Time NASCAR Teams: What’s Next?
The next superspeedway event on the NASCAR schedule is the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, set for Sunday, April 27. While Beard Motorsports is expected to return for the race, an official confirmation has yet to be made.
Another team in question is Garage 66, formerly known as MBM Motorsports. NASCAR did not approve Mike Wallace to drive the No. 66 Ford at Daytona, so the Carl Long-owned team opted for Chandler Smith. However, he failed to qualify, and the team has not returned to competition since.
Garage 66 also attempted to compete in the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium, entering Garrett Smithley in the No. 66 Ford, but he did not qualify for the main event. After sitting out the entire 2023 season, the team made a comeback in 2024 with 13 race appearances. Their goal for 2025 is to compete in 20 events, though when they will return remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, Team AmeriVet did not attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500. They did enter the No. 50 Chevrolet in the Clash, with Burt Myers behind the wheel, but he failed to make the race. After competing in only two races last season, the team currently has no concrete plans to return in 2025. They reportedly skipped the Daytona 500 due to the large number of entries, which increased the risk of failing to qualify. Moving forward, they are expected to target races with fewer than 40 cars on the entry list.
