After 25 races, the NASCAR Cup Series reaches its regular-season finale before the 10-race playoffs begin next weekend.
Six months after the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR returns to its most famous track for a Saturday night race that will test drivers' ability to navigate the pack at high speeds on the high-banked superspeedway. Adding to the pressure, this will be the last chance to secure a playoff berth in the 16-driver field with only one spot remaining after two more drivers clinched berths at Watkins Glen last weekend.
So, it's come down to this: if a winless driver takes the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway, he will get the final playoff spot, and points become irrelevant. However, if one of the 15 playoff drivers reaches victory lane, then the last playoff berth would go to the winless driver with the most regular-season points – a spot currently occupied by 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace.
Who will crash the playoff party and dance at Daytona? Here is all the information you need to get ready for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400:
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Who's in, who's on the bubble and who faces a must-win scenario
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 starts at 7 p.m. ET at Daytona International Speedway.
NBC is broadcasting the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Peacock will have a post-race show.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app, as well as on Peacock.
SCHEDULE: How to watch NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023
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The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile oval for a total of 400 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 35 laps; Stage 2: 60 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won in double overtime under caution, leading the final 10 laps and beating Joey Logano in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2023, for his third career Cup Series victory and his first since winning the 2017 Daytona summer race.
And one year ago, on Aug. 28, 2022, Austin Dillon avoided a massive wreck in the rain before edging Tyler Reddick by 0.128 seconds to snag one of the final playoff berths. Dillon passed Austin Cindric for the lead with three laps to go after a 3-hour, 20-minute red flag for inclement weather to earn his fourth career Cup Series win and second at the track following his win in the 2018 Daytona 500.
(Car number in parentheses)
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