The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brace for high drama at Daytona as 17 drivers vie for final NASCAR playoff spot
There’s sure to be high drama on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway tonight. Maybe even more than usual.
Seventeen drivers — including Bubba Wallace, 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric and fan favorite Chase Elliott — will battle for the final spot in NASCAR’S Cup Series playoffs during the 400-mile race.
There’s no prohibitive favorite. And given the unpredictable nature of three-wide pack racing at nearly 200 mph, there’s no telling who will end up in victory lane.
In three previous races with Daytona hosting the regular-season finale, William Byron (2020) and Austin Dillon (2022) won to eke out postseason spots.
“It’s definitely a nail-biter for the guys that are on that bubble, but it’s also a big opportunity for guys that are on the outside looking in,” said 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr., who missed the playoffs by three points last year at Daytona.
Wallace has a tenuous hold on the 16th and final playoff spot, carrying a 32-point advantage over Ty Gibbs into Daytona. Daniel Suárez is 43 points behind Wallace. The three Toyota drivers are the only ones who can get in on points.
“You don’t get to experience moments like this all the time,” Suárez said. “And when you do experience these moments, that’s really when you get to show what you’re built of.”
Fourteen others can knock out the Toyota trio by winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400. No one would be surprised to see it happen because the allor-nothing group includes Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, two guys who usually have speed at superspeedways, as well as former Daytona winners Cindric, Dillon, Aric Almirola, Erik Jones and Justin Haley.
“Superspeedway racing is a highspeed chess match, and you have to make the right moves early to be there in the end,” Almirola said. “I think we have a great opportunity this weekend to catapult our way into the playoffs.”
Plenty of his competitors feel the same. And they will have choices to make when the green flag drops. They can ride in the back in hopes of avoiding the chaos that typically comes with racing at Daytona or try to race to the front and potentially get ahead of the big one. Either way, it’s a calculated risk and sure to be costly for someone.
“I think I would be devastated if we didn’t make the playoffs,” Wallace said. “I hate that we haven’t had a win this year to lock ourselves in yet. … We’re still missing the fourth quarter, the final stage of the race, like getting that dialed in.
“Nothing’s guaranteed. You got to go out and fight for it.”