The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is scheduled to end at the same place it started: Daytona International Speedway.
Two of the 16 playoff spots are still up for grabs heading into Saturday night's 160-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval, and unless somebody wins from below the cut line, those spots are set to go to 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman, as nobody else can possibly get in on points.
Qualifying for this race is set to utilize the standard superspeedway qualifying format. Each of the 40 drivers on the entry list is set to make a single-lap qualifying attempt in the first round; there are no groups. The fastest 10 drivers are set to advance to the second round shootout for the pole position.
The qualifying order was determined by a new formula that NASCAR developed to replace the formula that had been used from 2020 to 2024. The previous formula featured four variables, while the new one features only two, making it much more straightforward and easier to understand.
A full explanation of the current metric can be found here.
Follow along with our Coke Zero Sugar 400 qualifying updates from Daytona.
UPDATE: Qualifying canceled due to weather. Metric order sets starting lineup.
Full NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Daytona
1st - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2nd - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3rd - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
4th - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
5th - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
6th - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
7th - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
8th - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9th - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
10th - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
11th - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
12th - Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
13th - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
14th - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
15th - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
16th - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
17th - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
18th - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19th - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
20th - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
21st - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
22nd - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
23rd - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
24th - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
25th - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
26th - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
27th - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
28th - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
29th - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
30th - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31st - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
32nd - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
33rd - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
34th - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
35th - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
36th - Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
37th - Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
38th - B.J McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
39th - Casey Mears, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
40th - Joey Gase, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to host the Coke Zero Sugar 400 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, August 23, and live coverage from the "World Center of Racing" is set to be provided by NBC. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale!