NASCAR Cup Series: Blaney and Bowman on Front Row for Daytona Showdown
Daytona Beach, FL – Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman will start at the front of the NASCAR Cup Series field for the Coke Zero 400 this Saturday night, after qualifying was scrapped due to inclement weather. The 40-car lineup was determined using NASCAR’s performance metric.
Blaney, seeking his second victory of the season, previously won at Daytona in the summer of 2021 but has faced challenges in recent events, with three crashes in his last four races here. Bowman, still searching for his first win this season, is focused on securing a playoff position.
Kyle Larson and Joey Logano will start from the second row in third and fourth, respectively, with Austin Cindric rounding out the top five. Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, and William Byron will fill the next three spots, with Byron looking to complete a season sweep after his Daytona 500 victory. Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski complete the top ten.
Notable drivers starting further back include Kyle Busch in 14th and Christopher Bell in 15th. Tyler Reddick, another driver vying for a playoff spot, will start 27th.
This race serves as the regular-season finale, and the 16-driver playoff grid will be finalized based on the results. Reddick and Bowman are currently positioned to secure spots if there are no new winners, emphasizing the high stakes of the event.
Coverage for the Coke Zero 400 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
