The finish may not have been as controversial as the previous season, but the outcome was the same with Austin Dillon standing tall under the lights at Richmond Raceway. Dillon led 107 laps, which were the most in the No. 3 car since Dale Earnhardt led 105 in the 1998 Daytona 500.
While Dillon punched his playoff ticket, other drivers are still in search of a postseason berth as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the regular-season finale in Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock).
Regular-season champion William Byron has claimed the last two Daytona 500s, but the summer race has delivered a multitude of winners. Justin Haley (2019) and Harrison Burton (2024) won their first Cup Series races there, proving it is anyone's race on Saturday night, especially with several hungry drivers searching for that elusive 2025 win.
These three drivers, in particular, enter Daytona's high banks after a frustrating weekend at Richmond. A rebound performance, though, is never a guarantee at a track as unpredictable as Daytona.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
After 23 straight top-20 finishes to begin the season, the last two weeks have humbled Elliott, who has finished 26th at Watkins Glen and 38th at Richmond after getting caught up in the multi-car wreck in Stage 2. Elliott's only win of the season came at another drafting-style track, EchoPark Speedway, back in June, so he at least has that on his side.
As for Daytona, Elliott has yet to reach Victory Lane, but does have three top-10s in his last five starts in the summer race there. Although Byron has already locked up the regular-season title, Elliott still sits second in the standings, which pays 10 bonus points going into the playoffs. With only six playoff points, Elliott can use all the help he can get to gain some breathing room.
Ryan Preece, No. 60 (RFK Racing Ford)
What could have been for Preece, who qualified on the pole at Richmond, but faded to 35th after leading 60 laps and was unable to gain any valuable points on his teammate, Chris Buescher. To make matters worse, Dillon's win moved Preece down another spot and ensured him that he must win at Daytona to make the playoffs in his first season driving for RFK Racing.
If Preece can keep all four tires on the racing surface, he may have a shot this weekend. A pair of flips in the 2023 summer race and this season's Daytona 500 have been his biggest highlights at Daytona, but he does have two teammates who have won there before. Only one can make the playoffs, but Preece has as good a shot as any of them if he is in the running late.
Chris Buescher, No. 17 (RFK Racing Ford)
The 2023 summer race winner at Daytona will have to repeat that performance if he is going to compete for a championship after a disappointing 30th-place finish at Richmond, a track he also won at in 2023. Aside from a third at Watkins Glen, Buescher has three finishes of 14th or worse in his last four races, leaving plenty of room for improvement this late in the season.
Buescher was 10th in the Daytona 500 and has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last two summer races. If the speed is there and Buescher is in contention late in the race, it could be a repeat of his 2023 win as he looks to put a rough summer stretch behind him with everything on the line.