DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — What’s retirement anyway?

That’s what two former NASCAR Cup Series champions were probably asking themselves after good showings at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday night.

Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson — who’ve each retired from full-time NASCAR competition in the past five years — have officially qualified for this year’s Daytona 500.

The two ran in unchartered open cars and had to qualify into the Great American Race, which will take place Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on Fox. And they did just that: They qualified by notching the two fastest times of the six open cars in single-car qualifying.

This means Truex and Johnson take up two of the four open slots in the Daytona 500. The final two slots are up for grabs among the other seven non-chartered open cars — Anthony Alfredo, Justin Allgaier, Corey LaJoie, BJ McLeod, Chandler Smith and JJ Yeley.

Helio Castroneves of Trackhouse Racing is also listed as an unchartered car, but he’s locked into the field through a new rule for 2025 which allows NASCAR to designate one driver as a guaranteed 41st entry — reserved for a driver with elite credentials who could also boost the marketing of the event.

The rest of the open cars — as well as the entire starting lineup — will be set after the Duels at Daytona heat races Thursday night.

Truex, Johnson were stressed about getting in

It’s true that Truex and Johnson have been to the sport’s peak a bunch. Johnson, specifically, has two Daytona 500 championships to his name.

But make no mistake: They were stressed about getting into Sunday’s show.

Truex retired from full-time Cup racing at the end of last season. The 2017 Cup Series champion said upon retirement, though, that he wanted to run in select races if the opportunity presented itself. And that opportunity became official in January, when he announced he’d drive the No. 56 Toyota fielded by TRICON Garage.

Johnson, meanwhile, retired from full-time NASCAR at the end of 2020. He’s done a lot in the intervening five years. The seven-time champion became the principal owner of Legacy Motor Club, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and continued to run in select races — including the 2023, 2024 and, now, 2025 Daytona 500s.

He’s qualified for every Great American Race since his retirement. He did so “on speed” in 2023 and 2025 — and needed to make a last-lap pass during the Duels to do so in 2024.

Johnson’s postrace interview was a personified sigh of relief.

“It’s a big weight lifted off to say the least,” Johnson told reporters in the Daytona International Speedway media center postrace. “The experience I had last year has been ringing through my brain at night, and I’ve jumped out of bed a few times with some nightmares as the day got closer. We’re doing so much to turn Legacy Motor Club around and have it pointed in the right direction. ...

“With the days ahead and what we have planned, it would’ve really been a bummer to miss the race. And obviously there’s still a chance to race in tomorrow. But I’m so happy to have this behind us and not have to worry about it.”

Truex agreed.

“A lot of people put a lot of effort and hard work into doing this,” said Truex, who is officially driving TRICON Garage’s first entry into the NASCAR Cup Series with Wednesday’s results. “And you always like to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor. So everybody at TRICON coming together, with Toyota, and (Joe Gibbs Racing) support. It’s just good collaboration. And a lot of fun guys on our team that have been around a while. So it’s going to be a fun week racing with them.”

Briscoe delivers Toyota first Daytona 500 pole

The pole position for Sunday’s Daytona 500 was also established Wednesday evening.

And that honor goes to Chase Briscoe, who is piloting the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing for the first year in 2025. He will start in P1 on Sunday, with P2 going to Austin Cindric. The rest of the starting lineup — as well as the open cars — will be established after Thursday evening’s Duel heat races.

Briscoe winning the pole made some considerable history, too. His feat marks only the second time Joe Gibbs Racing has won the Daytona 500 pole — Bobby Labonte did so in 1998 — and marks the first time Toyota has earned the pole.

“What an unbelievable way to start off the year,” Briscoe told FOX Sports postrace. “An unbelievable way to start off with Toyota, to be the guy deliver them the first anything when they’ve already accomplished so much. It’s pretty cool.”

©2025 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.