NASCAR: The 15 drivers in ‘win and in’ situations at Daytona
By Asher Fair
There is one spot left up for grabs in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and 15 drivers have a chance to claim it simply by winning the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
While this past Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International ensured that there cannot be more than 16 race winners in the 26-race regular season, there still could be a 16th before it comes to an end.
The regular season finale is scheduled to take place this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, and there is still one playoff spot up for grabs.
All 15 drivers who have found victory lane through the season’s first 25 races are locked into the postseason.
If a 16th new winner emerges in Saturday night’s 160-lap Coke Zero Sugar 400 around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, he will be in the playoffs, provided he finishes in the top 30 in the regular season point standings.
The 16th and final playoff spot is currently held by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney thanks to his point total, as he is the highest ranking non-winner in the standings. Just below him is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., the only other non-winner who has a chance to pass him in points. Truex trails Blaney by just 25.
Both drivers can, of course, still clinch a playoff spot by winning the regular season finale.
And so can 13 others. If any one of the 13 others manages to do so, the points battle between Blaney and Truex becomes useless and both drivers miss the postseason.
In total, 15 drivers can become the 16th driver to lock themselves into the playoffs by winning Saturday night’s race.
Here’s a list of those 15 drivers, accompanied by their position in the point standings.
- 3rd – Ryan Blaney
- 6th – Martin Truex Jr.
- 17th – Erik Jones
- 18th – Aric Almirola
- 19th – Austin Dillon
- 20th – Bubba Wallace
- 21st – Chris Buescher
- 23rd – Justin Haley
- 24th – Michael McDowell
- 25th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- 26th – Cole Custer
- 27th – Brad Keselowski
- 28th – Harrison Burton
- 29th – Ty Dillon
- 30th – Todd Gilliland
Two full-time drivers, Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie and Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware, are not included on this list.
They currently sit in 31st and 32nd place in the point standings, respectively, and cannot possibly jump into the top 30 by the end of this weekend’s race.
LaJoie sits 71 points behind Front Row Motorsports rookie Todd Gilliland for 30th place, while Ware is a further 102 points behind LaJoie. Only 60 points are up for grabs in the regular season finale.
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The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, August 27. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!