Blaney Clinches Victory at Daytona, Finalizes NASCAR Playoff Field
Daytona Beach, FL – Ryan Blaney captured the victory in the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, denying several drivers a chance for a last-minute playoff qualification. This win solidified Blaney’s position in the championship grid, with Alex Bowman securing the final playoff spot based on points.
Blaney’s win complicated the postseason aspirations of four contenders—Tyler Reddick, Eric Jones, Daniel Suárez, and Austin Dillon—who all needed a victory to advance. Reddick, who also qualified on points for the playoffs, solidified his position after Bowman was involved in a crash on lap 27, thus effectively eliminating him from contention.
As the regular season concluded, NASCAR reseeded the playoff grid, awarding additional points to the top ten drivers in championship standings. Regular season champion William Byron led the pack with 15 playoff points, followed by Blaney with 10 and Kyle Larson with 8. The points distribution continues down to one point for the 10th-place driver.
Final Standings After Regular Season:
- William Byron
- Ryan Blaney
- Kyle Larson
- Chase Elliott
- Christopher Bell
- Denny Hamlin
- Tyler Reddick
- Chase Briscoe
- Alex Bowman
- Chris Buescher
Notably, Chris Buescher was left out of the postseason after finishing winless, standing as the first driver outside the 16-driver playoff field.
As the playoffs commence, the top contenders are positioned as follows: Larson as the No. 1 seed, closely followed by Byron.
Playoff Seedings:
- Kyle Larson: 32 playoff points
- William Byron: 32 playoff points
- Denny Hamlin: 29 playoff points
- Ryan Blaney: 26 playoff points
- Christopher Bell: 23 playoff points
- Shane van Gisbergen: 22 playoff points
- Chase Elliott: 13 playoff points
- Chase Briscoe: 10 playoff points
- Bubba Wallace: 8 playoff points
- Austin Cindric: 8 playoff points
The first round of the playoffs will feature races at Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Bristol Motor Speedway. With the playoff landscape established, teams will prepare for the high stakes that lie ahead.
