NASCAR: 5 scenarios to decide final playoff spot

There are five key possibilities to consider at Daytona when it comes to the 16th and final spot in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

With just one race remaining in the 26-race 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, there is just one playoff spot remaining ahead of the 16-driver postseason.

All 15 drivers who have found victory lane at some point during the season’s first 25 races are locked into the playoffs, as for the first time this year, we can officially say that there will not be more than 16 different regular season race winners.

There could, however, still be a 16th, especially since it is Daytona International Speedway which is set to host the regular season finale.

Currently occupying the 16th and final spot is Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, the highest ranking non-winner in the point standings.

Blaney sits 25 points ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., the only other non-winner who can possibly pass him in the standings by the end of this 160-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.

Given the points scenario, there are five possibilities to consider heading into this Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Ryan Blaney clinches

Ryan Blaney can clinch in one of two ways:

• Win the race
• Stay ahead of Truex in the standings and hope there isn’t a new winner

Martin Truex Jr. clinches

Martin Truex Jr. can also clinch in one of two ways:

• Win the race
• Pass Blaney in the standings and hope there isn’t a new winner

Any other non-winner clinches

• Win the race

There are a few things to note here. First of all, should there be a tie between Blaney and Truex in points and no new winner emerges, the tiebreaker would be best finish.

Truex would clinch that tiebreaker if he records a second place finish, as neither driver currently has anything higher than a top three result this year (if Blaney finishes second, Truex can’t possibly catch him in points anyway).

Blaney clinches otherwise, as he owns a third place finish while Truex doesn’t. Even if Truex secures a third place finish in this race and they tie, Blaney then has more fourth place finishes with four (Truex has two).

Secondly, the only way a current non-winner clinches a playoff spot with a victory is if he ranks in the top 30 in the point standings.

This means that Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie and Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware are already eliminated, as they sit in 31st and 32nd place in the standings and cannot jump into the top 30 in this race.

There are 13 drivers other than Blaney and Truex who would clinch the 16th and final playoff spot by winning Saturday night’s race (full list here).

Tune in to NBC at 7:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, August 27 for the live broadcast of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona International Speedway. If you haven’t already done so, begin a free trial of FuboTV now!