Robust roster of 35 Sprint Cup teams set for three-day test

A total of 35 cars make up the preliminary entry list for this week's Preseason Thunder, the first on-track activity for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year.

The entry list, which includes defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, was released Tuesday by NASCAR in advance of Thursday's opening day of the three-day test at Daytona International Speedway.

The test session features seven hours of testing each day, providing teams the chance to shake down the sixth-generation Sprint Cup car that will make its competition debut on the 2.5-mile oval next month. A select number of teams will participate in the newly renamed Sprint Unlimited (formerly the Budweiser Shootout) on Feb. 16 as a prelude to the Feb. 24 Daytona 500 -- NASCAR's crown jewel race.

The test, which includes a fan festival and autograph session for spectators, will mark the first laps for the Gen-6 car on a restrictor-plate track since October's one-day session at 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. SPEED will broadcast live coverage of testing on all three days from 1 to 5 p.m. ET, and have live streaming coverage here from 9 a.m. to noon ET each day.

Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing will have the most representation at the three-day event with four teams each in attendance.

While the Hendrick contingent will comprise its four full-time drivers from last season, the Childress bunch will include an extra entry for Austin Dillon, last year's top rookie in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Dillon is scheduled to make his Daytona 500 debut and compete in a handful of Sprint Cup races this season in preparation for a full-time ride in NASCAR's premier series in 2014.

While Keselowski returns with the same crew chief, car owner and car number all intact, the Roger Penske-owned championship team will continue to bond with new teammate Joey Logano and adjust to a switch in manufacturers. Penske changed from Dodge to Ford in the offseason, returning to the blue oval fold after a 10-year absence.

See below for the complete preliminary entry list: