The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the regular-season finale on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock).
This is the final chance for playoff-hopeful drivers to take the final spot. Austin Dillon is the defending winner.
One race remains until the Cup playoffs begin. Here are the drivers to keep an eye on during the night race at Daytona.
FRONTRUNNERS
Austin Dillon
Points position: 29th
Best finish this season: 3rd (Bristol Dirt)
Past at Daytona: He leads this list because he won last season’s regular-season finale to punch his ticket to the playoffs. This was his second win at the superspeedway, following the 2018 Daytona 500. He has 20 starts at the superspeedway with nine top-10 finishes, four top fives and an average finish of 15.6.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Points position: 15th
Best finish this season: 1st (Daytona 500)
Past at Daytona: He has three career Cup wins. One was at Talladega in 2017. The other two were at Daytona. He won the 2017 summer race and this year’s Daytona 500. He has an opportunity to sweep the Daytona races and add more playoff points to his total.
Bubba Wallace
Points position: 14th
Best finish this season: 4th (Las Vegas I, Kansas I, Charlotte)
Past at Daytona: He has 12 starts with four top-10 finishes and four top fives (three runner-ups). His average finish at the superspeedway is 13.0. He does not need to win to reach the playoffs. He just needs to take advantage of his 32-point lead over Ty Gibbs, deliver a solid performance and hope that there is not a new winner.
Denny Hamlin
Points position: 2nd
Best finish this season: 1st (Kansas I, Pocono)
Past at Daytona: He does not have a win in the summer race, but he has won the Daytona 500 three times (2016, 2019, 2020). He has 12 top-10 finishes and 11 top fives in 35 career starts. He needs a strong performance to chase down Martin Truex Jr. for the regular-season championship.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Martin Truex Jr.
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Dover, Sonoma, New Hampshire)
Past at Daytona: He has 34 Cup wins. None have taken place at a superspeedway. He has six top-10 finishes and three top fives in 36 career starts at Daytona, headlined by runner-ups in 2016 and 2018. Finished 15th in this season’s Daytona 500 after sustaining heavy damage in a multi-car incident during the final stage. He needs to score 22 points Saturday to hold off Hamlin for the regular-season championship.
Ty Gibbs
Points position: 16th
Best finish this season: 5th (Pocono, Watkins Glen)
Past at Daytona: He has two Cup starts at Daytona. He finished 13th last season while driving for 23XI Racing. He finished 25th in the Daytona 500 this season after sustaining damage in a multi-car incident in the final stage. Daytona is his last chance to pass Wallace and take the final playoff spot.
Chase Elliott
Points position: 21st
Best finish this season: 2nd (Fontana, Indianapolis)
Past at Daytona: He has 15 starts at Daytona with four top-10 finishes, two top fives and three starts from the pole. His best finishes were second in 2020 and 2021. He crashed in the last two Daytona races. He needs a win to reach the playoffs.
Daniel Suarez
Points position: 18th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Atlanta II)
Past at Daytona: He has 12 starts with one top-10 finish. He crossed the finish line seventh in this year’s Daytona 500. He has nine DNFs due to crashes. He needs to make up 43 points to catch Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot.
