The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship may already belong to Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, but there is plenty left to race for in Saturday night's regular season-ending Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
For some, such as polesitter Ross Chastain, it's about one thing, and that's winning. There is no more "win and in", and the Trackhouse Racing driver has already been eliminated from postseason contention, meaning the only thing left for him, among more than a dozen others, to try to do throughout the remainder of the season is win races.
For others, including every driver not named Hamlin who is still championship eligible, it's about seeding, as nobody else is locked into their current playoff seed heading into Saturday night's 160-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval. Five drivers are battling for three playoff spots, as only 12 others have officially punched their tickets to the "Chase."
RFK Racing's Chris Buescher, who is among those locked into the playoffs but still fighting for seeding, joined Chastain on the front row at the start of Saturday's race.
Follow along with our Coke Zero Sugar 400 race updates from Daytona.
NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona: Race updates
NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona: Coke Zero Sugar 400 Stage 1 results
1 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
4 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
5 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
8 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
9 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
10 - Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona: Coke Zero Sugar 400 Stage 2 results
1 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
3 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
4 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
5 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
6 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
8 - Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
9 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 - Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona: Full Coke Zero Sugar 400 results
Darlington Raceway is scheduled to open up the 10-race NASCAR Cup Series postseason with the Cook Out Southern 500, which is set to be shown live on USA Network from Darlington Raceway starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 6.
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