Tonight, the NASCAR Cup Series will have a full field of 40 cars vying for glory at the Daytona International Speedway, while 22 of these drivers are hoping to lock themselves into the post-season playoffs, that’ll allow them to compete for a championship, starting at Darlington Raceway next Sunday.
Going into tonight’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30PM EST/4:30PM PST on NBC), Tyler Reddick sits +89 above the cutline, while Alex Bowman sits +60, meaning they’ll want grab as many championship points as they can, in case we get a new winner, which would cause one of them gets eliminated from title contention.
Playoff Clinch Scenarios
What Each Driver Needs Tonight
Tyler Reddick:
- Reddick does not need a surprise winner. If we get a repeat winner, he’s in by points.
- If the threat arises, he must obtain more points than Bowman, or at least not allow Bowman to overtake him.
- At Daytona, Reddick’s stats aren’t staggering, being that he carries a 23rd-place average finish, which is his worst among all active tracks.
Alex Bowman:
- Bowman’s job seems simple on the surface, which is to grab as many points as possible early, in an effort to make up the 29-point gap.
- If stage points aren’t enough, go for the win, a victory guarantees his spot.
- Bowman would benefit from a potential win by his teammate, William Byron, who clinched the regular-season championship last weekend at Richmond, which would also secure Bowman a place.
- Starting on the front row gives Bowman a massive advantage, which includes a better pit stall, cleaner air, and track position taking the green flag.
Who to watch out for tonight
After Austin Dillon won this past weekend at Richmond Raceway, that shifted Chris Buescher out of the playoff bubble, -60 below the cutline going into tonight. Buescher sealed the deal in the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 when he received a push from Brad Keselowski, which shows that RFK Racing knows how to get the job done at Superspeedways. When you take into consideration that RFK now has a third entry, piloted by Ryan Preece, if he can keep all four wheels on the ground this time around.
Amongst the past Daytona winners who have yet to win this season are Erik Jones, who won this race in 2018, Justin Haley, who won this event in 2019 and even Kyle Busch who last won this race in 2008, but came close last year, losing to Harrison Burton, while Burton was able to snag his first-career NASCAR Cup Series win and the 100th win for Wood Brothers Racing. With Busch’s teammate being locked into the playoffs after winning last week, the Las Vegas, Nevada driver is hoping his 59-race winless streak comes to an end tonight. Richard Childress Racing has entered Austin Hill in the race, piloting the #33 United Rentals Chevrolet, and will roll off 36th tonight. If Hill and teammate Austin Dillon find themselves behind Busch, expect them to pull a 2023 RFK Racing to propel him into the playoffs.
Another playoff hopeful is the pride and joy of Olive Branch, Mississippi, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who’s won at Daytona twice, most recently in 2023, capturing the Harley J. Earl Trophy in the Daytona 500. Stenhouse Jr.’s #47 Jack’s Links Chevrolet will roll off 25th tonight and the Hyak Motorsports driver is confident in his chances of shaking up the playoff picture.
“Daytona is always a race that means a lot to me, and I’m excited to head there with Jack Link’s Duos on our car. It’s the kind of place where anything can happen and I feel like our car always has better handling here than others. We’ve done pretty well at superspeedways this year, so I feel good about our chances. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the right position at the end and give Jack Link’s and all of our fans something to cheer about.”
Daytona is any driver’s race, and with playoff hopes on the line, expect desperation throughout the pack when we get to the final stage. Fuel saving has been a major topic of discussion at drafting tracks, but with stage and playoff points being paid out at the end of Lap 35 and Lap 95, which closes out Stage 1 and 2 respectively, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is going to be a thriller, and you won’t want to miss this one!
Every Man on Every Crew, LLC. 
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