Ahead of Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, United States troops rappelled from a helicopter to deliver the green flag. It was a special moment befitting of the regular season finale, and you know the crowd at the “World Center of Racing” had to have enjoyed it.
With the pre-race festivities complete, it’s time for 400 miles of racing at Daytona. There’s a lot at stake for the 22 drivers in the field who have yet to clinch their spot in the postseason. As things stand heading into the race, Tyler Reddick has the 15th playoff spot, +89 above the cutline and 29 points ahead of Alex Bowman. If there’s a new winner at Daytona, only one of Reddick or Bowman will get into the playoffs. Both will be playoff bound if there is no new winner — it’s that simple.
NASCAR regular season finale at Daytona: Multiple playoff spots up for grabs
Beyond Reddick and Bowman, several veteran drivers are looking to win their way into the playoffs. Those include former champions Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, along with notables Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece and Ty Gibbs. Keselowski spoke earlier this week about his must-win situation.
“Win the race,” Keselowski said of RFK Racing’s strategy. “You try to plan for races that have so much chaos and it’s kind of absurd to try to do that. You just try to survive and win at the end.”
Busch, meanwhile, is looking for his first win since June 2023. He did come close in this race last season, finishing runner-up to Harrison Burton. If he finds his way to Victory Lane Saturday night, expect an epic celebration.
“[There would be] plenty of Rebel Bourbon, that’s for sure,” Busch said. “I might be worse than Brad Keselowski after a championship.”
