8/29/2024
Postman 68
Daytona added a bunch drama leading into NASCAR Cup regular season finale
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service
DAYTONA BEACH - After one of the most compelling, action-packed races of the season at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night – an event that crowned a first-time winner and gave a nod to a NASCAR-generational achievement - the NASCAR Cup Series now has only a single regular season race remaining to establish the 16-driver Playoff field.
Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 on the Daytona high banks provided a lot of twists and turn – literally and figuratively – and has set up a can’t-miss regular season finale this weekend at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Second-generation racer, 23-year-old Harrison Burton earned his first career win on a last lap pass-and-dash landing him in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in his young career. It was not only significant for him personally, but marked the 100th victory for one of the sport’s most iconic teams, Wood Brothers Racing.
Passing, crashing and drama characterized the night, and in the end, delivered a new edition of the Playoff standings with significant scenarios both at the top and at the bottom.
23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who finished 28th at Daytona, holds onto the NASCAR Cup Series championship lead, but he and both of his closest regular season championship contenders had eventful nights. Reddick now leads a pair of former series champs, Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott by 17 and 18 points, respectively. Larson finished 21st Daytona and Elliott, involved in an early multi-car accident, finished 36th.
Larson led the championship for a series’ best 14 weeks and is the defending winner of Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (6 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – a race that this weekend - for the first time in Playoff history – will crown a regular season champion and formalize the Playoff field.
Answering the drama atop the standings is a tight battle for the final Playoff positions with Burton’s win leaving one less position based solely on points accumulated.
Former series champion Martin Truex Jr. is ranked 14th – tops among those currently qualifying for the Playoffs on points – with a 58-point advantage on the cutoff line. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs, is ranked 15th, 39 points up. And Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher holds the 16th and final Playoff position, 21 points to the good.
Gibbs sees his situation as pretty straight-forward, “Just have a good run. We finished second there [Darlington] in the Spring. I think we have the speed to go win it, so I think it would be cool to get my first win at the Southern 500. That would be awesome."
Just below the cutoff line - needing a win, strong showing and/or complete failure from Gibbs or Buescher – sits 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, 21 points behind Buescher. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is 27 points off the Playoff line and two-time series champion and Daytona runner-up, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch is 106 points back, needing the ultimate clutch win to qualify for the championship mix.
A new winner at the traditionally tricky Darlington 1.366-mile oval means only two drivers would become Playoff eligible based on points.
“I look at it like we have another chance to go win the Southern 500, that’s what I’m focused on this week," Chastain said. “The points, they give them out at the stages and end of the race. If you run good, they give you a lot of them. I just get excited for a chance to go win the Southern 500.”
Wallace, who counts Daytona as one of his better tracks, was disappointed even with his sixth-place finish Saturday night and knows he has a big task ahead.
“Not good enough, simple as that," he said, adding, “You have one car [teammate Reddick] fighting for a Regular Season Championship and another car right around the bubble. It is unacceptable. I’ll take all of that weight on my shoulder – should have won multiple times this year and we haven’t. We don’t deserve to be here and we are – I’ve got to go win next week. That’s it."
Practice for the Cook Out Southern 500 is Saturday at 12:35 p.m. ET, followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 1:20 p.m. ET. Both sessions will be on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.
Photo: Logan Reily -- Getty Images for NASCAR
Submitted By: Steve Post
