Six months after it began with the Daytona 500, the NASCAR Cup Series regular season ends in Daytona with the Coke Zero Sugar 400, the event horizon of the first 26 races of the year and an epic segway into the 10-race playoffs that will determine the Cup Series championship.Įntering this weekend, 15 drivers have already secured a playoff spot, meaning that they have little more at stake than improving their playoff seeding and trying to win a race at Daytona. When the haulers make their way through the tunnel and reenter Daytona in August, many more have joined the Daytona 500 champion on the playoff grid - and even more are at risk of their title ambitions not being realized.
Once the confetti falls in Victory Lane and all the haulers leave Daytona International Speedway following the Daytona 500, at least one driver will have put themself in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and can run the rest of their season with an eye toward eventually racing for the championship.
