Race for final NASCAR Cup playoff spot comes down to Daytona

It comes down to one race for one playoff position in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Ryan Blaney holds the final playoff spot heading into Saturday’s regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock). But 14 drivers could knock him out of that position by winning that race.

Of those 14 drivers, half of them have won a Cup race at Daytona: Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski.

Of the seven remaining playoff-eligible drivers who have not won at Daytona, Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace have each finished second there and Chris Buescher‘s best finish is third. Others who could make the playoffs with a win Saturday night are Cole Custer, Harrison Burton, Ty Dillon and Todd Gilliland.

With no new winner this past weekend at Watkins Glen, Kurt Busch clinched a playoff spot. He will miss Saturday’s race as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms from a crash at Pocono in July.

Four races remain in the Xfinity regular season. The series races Friday at Daytona (7 p.m. ET on USA). Ryan Sieg leads Sheldon Creed by 39 points for the final playoff spot. Creed gained 13 points on Sieg last weekend at Watkins Glen.