By David Morgan, Associate Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In any other year, a return to Daytona International Speedway in the late summer would mark the end of the regular season and cement the field for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Not so much in 2024, as a quirk that comes with the Olympic break that was undertaken a few weeks back making Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 the penultimate race of the regular season, setting things up for a final showdown at Darlington over Labor Day weekend.
But that doesn’t mean this race is any less important as it still provides the best opportunity for those not yet locked into the Playoffs to battle their way in, from those right on the edge of the cut-off line all the way back.
With Austin Dillon’s win at Richmond nullified for Playoff eligibility, four spots still remain up for grabs this weekend with several drivers still vying to capture one of those with a walk-off win on Saturday night.
Martin Truex, Jr. leads the pack among those not yet locked in, with his 77-point advantage over the cut-off line likely enough to carry him across the line and into the Playoffs for his final season behind the wheel.
His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs also carries a double digit points edge into Saturday night, sitting 39-points ahead. Although, a bad race at Daytona could spell trouble for him next weekend.
Then there’s Chris Buescher, who came agonizingly close to racing his way in at Kansas only to lose in the closest photo finish in NASCAR history. As such, he’s only up by 16 points, but did win this race one year ago and was in contention for the win at Darlington earlier this year.
Ross Chastain, a driver who has made the Playoffs the last two seasons and made a run into the Championship 4 in 2022, brings up the tail end of those currently occupying the top-16 spots, with just a one-point lead over being on the outside looking in.
Chastain, a Florida native, would no doubt love nothing more than to win on his home track and punch his ticket to the Playoffs at the same time.
Behind these four are drivers like Bubba Wallace, who is always a threat on the superspeedways, and Kyle Busch, who is looking to keep his streak of winning one race every season alive and turn around his horrendous season with another Daytona win.
The Stewart-Haas Racing four-some of Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece are also still looking for a win to give SHR a Playoff berth in its final season before they all go their separate ways at seasons end.
Likewise for Michael McDowell in his final season with Front Row Motorsports and Corey LaJoie in his final season with Spire.
Not to mention a driver like Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., with all three of his Cup Series wins coming on superspeedways, two of which were at Daytona. Or Austin Dillon, who will no doubt be looking to avenge his Richmond penalty with a win on Saturday night to take back his spot in the Playoffs.
The possibilities are endless, which will certainly make Saturday night must see TV for these drivers to either punch their ticket in or position themselves to do so at Darlington next week.
By the Numbers
What: Coke Zero Sugar 400, NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 26 of 36
Where: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Florida (Opened: 1959)
When: August 24, 2024
TV/Radio: NBC, 7:30 pm ET / MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 2.5-mile tri-oval
Banking: 31 degrees in turns, 18 degrees in tri-oval, 6 degrees on straightaways
Race Length: 160 laps, 400 miles
Stage Lengths: First stage: 35 laps; Second stage: 60 laps; Final Stage: 65 laps
Pit Road Speed: 55 mph
Pace Car Speed: 70 mph
2024 Daytona 500 Race Winner: William Byron – No. 24 Chevrolet (Started 18th, four laps led)
August 2023 Race Winner: Chris Buescher – No. 17 Ford (Started 11th, two laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Bill Elliott (42.783 seconds, 210.364 mph – 02/15/1987)
Top-10 Highest Driver Ratings at Daytona:
- Kyle Busch – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet – 91.0
- Joey Logano – No. 22 Team Penske Ford – 89.6
- Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 87.9
- Austin Cindric – No. 2 Team Penske Ford – 87.5
- Ryan Blaney – No. 12 Team Penske Ford – 83.5
- Chase Elliott – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – 81.4
- Bubba Wallace – No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota – 80.2
- Christopher Bell – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – 79.8
- Brad Keselowski – No. 6 RFK Racing Ford – 79.0
- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet – 78.2
From the Driver’s Seat
“Just trying to get through these next two and keeping ourselves in position to win. Daytona is a crapshoot,” said Kyle Busch. “You can be leading on the final lap and be in a heap before you get to the finish line. Darlington is the same way. You have to be in position there. It’s really narrow, really tough, really tight. Handling really comes into play a lot there. We just have to be on top of our game if we’re going to put ourselves in the playoffs.”
“Daytona has been good for us since I joined RCR. ECR has done a great job on our engines at Daytona. We were really quick there earlier this year and had a good shot to win the race. It comes down to restarts and what happens and what lane you take and how the lines accelerate out of the restart and get the momentum building.
“There are 36 guys that show up and walk through the gate and at least think that they have a shot to win so they’re going to go out and prove that they can. A lot of Hail Marys are thrown and sometimes a lot of wrecks happen. You’ve got to be in the right place at the right time and hope for the best.”
Last Time at Daytona
It had been a long wait for Hendrick Motorsports to return to Daytona 500 victory lane, but at the end of February’s rain-delayed running of the Great American Race, it was a 1-2 finish for one of the winningest organizations in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Not since Dale Earnhardt Jr’s 2014 victory had a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet captured a win in the season opening spectacle, but 26-year-old William Byron was the driver to get it done at the World Center of Racing – capturing his first Harley J. Earl trophy and kicking off the team’s 40th anniversary season in earnest.
“I’m telling you, you couldn’t write the script any better, 24 in 24,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “When we thought about coming down here the first time we didn’t think we should be here, felt so out of place.
“We win this on our 40th to the day, it’s just — and tied a record now, so that’s awesome.”
The finish of the race came down to a four-lap shootout between Byron, Ross Chastain, teammate Alex Bowman and a host of others all vying for their chance to write their name in the record book as Daytona 500 champion.
With a push from 2022 Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric, Byron was able to put his Chevrolet firmly out in front of the field as they stormed toward the white flag.
It was at that moment when Chastain was coming with a head of steam in the outside line with Bowman pushing when Byron moved up to block. Chastain juked down to the low side to try and get around Byron, but made contact with Cindric, sending both cars spinning and bringing out the caution.
Since Byron had already crossed the line to take the white and start the final lap as the leader when the caution was called, Byron would be declared the winner, followed by Bowman to give Hendrick a 1-2 finish and its ninth victory in the event.
“I’m just a kid from racing on computers and winning the Daytona 500, I can’t believe it,” Byron said. “I wish my dad was here. He’s sick, but this is for him, man. We’ve been through so much, and we sat up in the grandstands together and watched the race. This is so freaking cool.”
Christopher Bell finished the race in third, followed by Corey Lajoie and Bubba Wallace to round out the top-five. The remainder of the top-10 finishers were A.J. Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, Noah Gragson, and Chase Briscoe.
Weekend Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, August 23
- NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying (5:05 pm – USA Network)
Saturday, August 24
- Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30 pm – 160 laps, 400 miles – NBC)
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