All three of NASCAR’s top divisions, along with the ARCA Menards Series, will be in action this weekend with the regular-season finale for the Cup Series in the spotlight on Saturday night.
After an aggressive schedule over the summer months to make-up the missed races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Daytona International Speedway is set to help determine the 16-driver Playoff field.
Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (MRN, 6 p.m. ET) will mark the first time in the era of the Playoffs where Daytona will host the 26th race of the season. Indianapolis Motor Speedway previously helped determine the post-season field the last two seasons with Richmond Raceway hosting the determining race in the year’s prior.
Thirteen drivers are locked in with 10 based on wins. That leaves three spots with Clint Bowyer (+57) needing just three to clinch on points. Matt DiBenedetto (+9) and William Byron (+4) currently are the final two.
“I am going to sit and hope and pray all week that we can just come out of there clean and make the Playoffs,” DiBenedetto said. “We shouldn’t be this close to the bubble. It is frustrating.
“We will have to go to Daytona and do the best job we can. We have really good teammates, and the Fords are fast.”
Jimmie Johnson is currently on the outside looking in as he looks to make the Playoffs in his final season as a full-time driver. He trails his teammate Byron by only four points for 16th.
“You know, at the end of the day for the 24 car, I wish them the best,” Johnson said. “They’re my teammates. That car and that number, Chad Knaus, William Byron, they’re friends, they’re teammates, and now that I know there’s a path in for both of us, maybe I’ll stop thinking so many bad thoughts about those guys and maybe we can both get in.”
NASCAR.com: Standings | Paint Scheme Preview
Along with keeping an eye on the points another thing that could shake up the Playoff standings is if someone could win that is on the outside. While Johnson is close on points, there are a number of drivers on the outside deep in points that have previously won at Daytona – Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth. Jones won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2018 and goes to Daytona 50 points behind Byron.
“We technically could point our way in but that would be a way long shot,” Jones said. “The mentality is that we’ve got to win the race.”
Pole sitter and regular-season champion Kevin Harvick is one of seven active winners of the Daytona summer race.
Harvick is one of four drivers that finished in the top 10 in the two races at Daytona and Talladega this season. Blaney, the winner at Talladega, Hamlin the Daytona 500 winner, and Chris Buescher are the others.
Lineups: Cup | Xfinity | Gander Trucks
The race weekend at Daytona will kick off with Friday night’s Xfinity Series Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola (MRN, 7 p.m. ET).
JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson won the season opener at Daytona and Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley, who won last year’s Coke Zero 400, took the victory at Talladega.
Michael Annett and Ross Chastain join Gragson as the previous Daytona winners in the field.
“The last time we ran the oval at Daytona was one of the best days of my racing career,” said Gragson, who is currently third in the projected Playoff standings with five races left in the regular season. “JR Motorsports has always been great on superspeedways and I know that’s not going to change this weekend.”
Along with Daytona on Saturday night, the Motor Racing Network will also be at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for the ARCA Menards Series Dutch Boy 150 with the broadcast starting at 6 p.m. ET. It will be the first of two races at the 1.25-mile track with the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series competing on Sunday in the CarShield 200 presented by CK Power (11:30 a.m. ET).
Three races remain in the Gander Trucks regular season before the Round of 10 for the Playoffs is set.
There are no previous winners in the field and the race will mark the third and final race in the Triple Truck Challenge. Sheldon Creed and Zane Smith took home the $50,000 bonus for winning at Daytona (Road Course) and Dover, respectively. If one of them can win on Sunday the $50,000 would be doubled for winning two of the three races in the program.
With Smith scoring his second victory of the season last weekend, five drivers remain locked into the Playoffs on wins.
“I’m pumped to go to Gateway,” Smith said. “It’s where I made my first truck start with Bono. We had a top five then and the goal is to replicate that this year and compete for a win. We’ve got two wins, but still want to try to capitalize on stage points and go after another win to help our position once playoffs start. Capturing that extra $100,000 in the last round of ‘the Trip’ to go with our win from Dover would be pretty sweet.”
