DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR Cup Series is back at Daytona International Speedway this weekend to finalize its 16-car lineup for the 10-race postseason, with two playoff spots up for grabs and a win-and-you’re-in opportunity for any driver yet to visit victory lane this year.
Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman hold the final two tenuous positions in the points standings heading into Saturday night’s race, but neither is locked into the championship chase. Reddick was last year’s regular-season champion and was one of the final four drivers in title contention at Phoenix Raceway to close out the 2024 schedule, while Bowman drives for mighty Hendrick Motorsports, which is expected to have all four drivers in the playoffs every year.
Reddick, who drives for 23XI Racing, has a 29-point advantage over Bowman and was second to Hendrick’s William Byron — this year’s regular-season champion — in the season-opening Daytona 500. There’s no guarantee that Reddick will join teammate Bubba Wallace in the playoff field, though, because a first-time winner Saturday would clinch one of the open spots, and if Bowman outscores Reddick at Daytona, the Hendrick driver would get the final slot.
Also not in favor of Reddick’s odds are his average finish of 23rd at Daytona, which ranks as his worst among active tracks, and his season-low finish of 34th in last week’s race at Virginia’s Richmond Raceway.
Bowman is the only Hendrick driver without a win this season (Kyle Larson has four, Byron has two and Chase Elliott has three), and he holds a 60-point lead over Ryan Preece of RFK Racing for the final spot in the playoff field.