by For more than half of the pilots in the NASCAR CUP series, the playoffs start mainly early.
Without a victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, they will not crush the official playoff party when it is triggered in Darlington next week. A victory buys them from time.
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And no one needs only these five guys.
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Two remain just on the bubble of the playoffs. Two are sport legends with longtime championship traditions to defend. And we are looking for clarity on its future.
The regular season final will receive the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Close.
Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman
Madison, Illinois – June 04: Alex Bowman, Ally Chevrolet pilot # 48, and Tyler Reddick, Toyota pilot # 45 McDonald’s, race during the Nascar Cup series Take advantage of Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway on June 04, 2023 in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
Let us bring together these gentlemen.
If the regular season ended today, they would obtain the last two invitations in the playoffs. But don’t count on this. The regular season offers one more race, and if a new winner emerges in Daytona, Reddick or Bowman abandons. If a driver who already has a victory this season collects another, the two could sneak on points.
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Why not take matters into their own hands?
Reddick has an advantage of 29 points on Bowman for 15th place in the classification of the playoffs. In points, Reddick Slots Seventh and Bowman follow the ninth.
In his Toyota n ° 45 23XI, Reddick has five top-five this season. Its best performance of the year occurred in the first week with second place in Daytona 500.
Bowman captured sixth in this same event. In his n ° 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, he has six first and two finalists this season. He only dragged the winner Austin Dillon in Richmond last weekend.
Kyle Busch
Richmond, Virginie – August 16: Kyle Busch, driver of # 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet, attended the drivers’ meeting before the Nascar Cup Cook Out 400 series at Richmond Raceway on August 16, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Samuel Corum / Getty Images)
Twenty-six months have passed since Busch won a Cup series race.
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He found Victory Lane three times in his first three months with Richard Childrade Racing in 2023, but since then, nothing. His last triumph took place on June 4 of the same year.
But Busch got closer several times, including the finalist at 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400. He won a victory by Daytona Summer Race in 2008.
It is 19th in the classification of the playoffs, 148 points below the cup, so unless he takes the checkered flag in Daytona, he will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
His teammate, Dillon, stormed the ranking in the ranking to withdraw a victory from Richmond last weekend. RCR will focus on Busch this week.
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Brad Keselowski
Chicago, Illinois – July 06: Brad Keselowski, driver of # 6 Kroger / Blue Buffalo Ford, looks under the hood after a track incident during the Nascar Cup Series Grant Park 165 series at Chicago Street Race on July 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo of Logan Riely / Getty Images)
Keselowski suffered a terrible beginning of 2025. He only recorded his first top 10 at the end of May, 13 races.
However, the 41 -year -old man presented a good speed this summer. Since this first top-10, Kez has bought seven others. He ranked second in Atlanta at the end of June and carried out a third at Iowa three weeks ago.
This early collapse has simply removed it from racing points, so he needs a Daytona victory to reach the playoffs. Keselowski only missed the playoffs in their current format only once.
He has not scored Dub since May 2024. But like Busch, he is a former champion Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2016.
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Daniel Suarez
Richmond, Virginie – August 16: Daniel Suarez, driver of # 99 Quaker State Chevrolet, welcomes fans while walking on stage during the pilot intros before the Nascar Cup Cook Out 400 series at Richmond Raceway on August 16, 2025 in Richmond, in Virginia. (Photo by Samuel Corum / Getty Images)
We saw it last summer.
After Wood Brothers Racing announced that he was going from Harrison Burton to the end of last season, Burton responded with a first career victory in the Daytona summer race. He went to the playoffs accordingly.
Now, it’s Suarez in this situation, with Trackhouse and the 33 -year -old driver declaring a separation to come last month.
See this as an audition in 2026 for other clubs – and a chance to stick it to his old bosses soon.
Suarez has also ranked seventh in the last two weeks, locking his first top 10 since May.
This article originally appeared on the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Nascar Race in Daytona: these 5 pilots need Coke Zero Sugar 400 Win
