Josh Bilicki to drive Garage 66’s No. 66 in 2027 Daytona 500
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 1, 2026
Garage 66 plans
Garage 66 will send Josh Bilicki in the No. 66 Protection Technologies Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the 69th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The team made the announcement Monday night at Ole Red in Orlando and unveiled the Protection Technologies paint scheme for Speedweeks. Protection Technologies will sponsor the No. 66 Daytona 500 entry, and the company is expanding into motorsports for the first time. That gives Garage 66 a new partner for the race and puts Bilicki back in one of NASCAR’s biggest events with the No. 66 car and sponsor package in place.
Bilicki will make his second Daytona 500 start. He comes from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and brings a deep stock car background to the program. He has more than 270 starts across NASCAR’s national series and over 100 starts in the Cup Series. Garage 66 said the announcement makes it the first open team to lay out its Daytona 500 plans, and the team moved quickly to lock in the driver, sponsor and paint scheme before the race week grind begins.
Bilicki profile
Bilicki’s return gives Garage 66 a familiar face for its latest Daytona effort. His experience across NASCAR’s national series gives the team a driver who has handled a wide range of race weekends and race-day pressures. That background is part of what makes the pairing a practical one for an open team trying to get ready for Daytona.
The sponsorship side adds another layer to the move. The public unveiling gave the project a face before the race takes over the schedule. Garage 66 has now tied together the driver, car and sponsor in one announcement, and Bilicki sits at the center of it as the organization builds toward the event.
Daytona 500 path
The next stage for Garage 66 comes with the Duel at Daytona qualifying races. Those races will help set the field before the Daytona 500 and give Bilicki and the team more time on track in the No. 66 entry. With the driver, sponsor and paint scheme already revealed, the team can turn its attention to the final stretch of preparation.
Long said the early announcement gives the team more time to prepare and “reflects the organization’s progress without a charter.” Garage 66 already has one recent Daytona result to point to after qualifying for the 2026 Daytona 500 with Casey Mears and finishing 32nd. That performance gives the organization a recent reference point as it heads into another attempt at the race. Bilicki now joins a program that has shown it can get to Daytona and has chosen to make its plans public early, with the Duels and the 500 still ahead.
