This is the final race of the NASCAR regular season and there are two playoff spots on the line. Tyler Reddick is up big and Alex Bowman is basically in but could be knocked out if a driver that has not won this season takes the checkered flag. Here is the team and manufacturer news.
Four Ford NASCAR Cup Series drivers have clinched spots in the playoffs, but can a fifth join them this weekend in the final regular season event at Daytona International Speedway? The remaining drivers on the roster need a win on Saturday night in order to make the field, something Harrison Burton did a year ago when he captured the 100th all-time win for Wood Brothers Racing.
WOOD BROTHERS GOING FOR REPEATA year ago, Harrison Burton stunned the NASCAR world when he survived an overtime restart to win his first Cup Series race and the 100th for Wood Brothers Racing. Burton led only one lap on the night, but it was the one that counted as he outlasted Kyle Busch to the finish line by 0.47 seconds. The race featured 40 lead changes, but Ford drivers were a fixture at the front as 10 different drivers combined to lead 131 of the 164 laps. That capped a weekend in which Ford swept the top eight spots in qualifying, including an all-Front Row Motorsports front row with Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland.
ON THE BUBBLEEven though there is a bubble for the final playoff berth this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the eight Ford drivers currently below the cutline all need a win in order to make the field. RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher is 60 points below the cut line after Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway. Currently, all three Team Penske drivers have qualified (defending champion Joey Logan, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric), along with Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing. BLANEY RUNS TOP 10 STREAK TO FIVESpeaking of Blaney, his third place run on Saturday in Richmond marked his fifth straight Top-5 finish, a streak that began when he ran eighth at Dover last month. Since then, he’s racked up a seventh at Indianapolis, fourth at Iowa, and a pole to go with his sixth place effort at Watkins Glen. Blaney won this event in 2021, but has crashed out of three of the last four races at Daytona International Speedway. That wasn’t the case earlier this year when he ran seventh in the Daytona 500.
What is different to you about the Playoffs this year compared to the last two?
“Really not a ton for me. I think the main thing for us is that we’ve really connected a lot of the dots on maybe the prior struggles we’ve had so far and got a lot of things to improve in the Playoffs still regardless as far as keeping that going or keeping the momentum going. I feel like for me, there was some struggle areas last year that kind of lingered throughout the year and we never quite got past that. But we were able to hone in on that in the offseason and sort of clear those up as far as maybe some packages that we brought to specific race tracks that didn’t work, and maybe some pit road stuff. My personal development as far as my driving style at some places. I feel like just within my 11 team and within TRICON and Toyota, we’ve done a great job of just honing in on the things that maybe didn’t work throughout the year and lingered and just kind of fixing that for 2025 and hoping to extend that into the Playoffs as well.”
Is there anything that you look at as being a challenge for your team in the Playoffs?
“Yeah, I mean for the most part every race is a challenge. It’s never a layup by any means anywhere you go, especially if you look at the last round, you’ve got a lot of challenging races within the Round of 8. Talladega is kind of the one that sticks out like a sore thumb to everybody. It’s just such an unpredictable race. As far as the speed we’ve brought to the race track, I think most, if not all the Playoff tracks fit that for us but as far as strategizing – especially Talladega but also Martinsville, the Roval – that whole Round of 8. Strategizing that and also just planning for kind of what our plan of attack is for those last few races is going to be big. Of course, we’ve got the whole Round of 10 to get through as well, but that round specifically stands out to me as something that we need to really think about and how to attack that and make sure we’re in the right spot at the right time.”
.
Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet ZL1 in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.The names of two cancer heroes will be featured on Haley’s No. 7 Chevy this weekend as part of the Martin Truex, Jr., Foundation and NASCAR Foundation’s Honor A Cancer Hero campaign. Tabatha Guaglianone and Mary Rogers will ride on the driver’s- and passenger’s-side name rails, respectively.Tabatha Guaglianone was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in May 2021. She had a double mastectomy and went through 16 weeks of chemotherapy. She rang the bell in November 2021 and has been cancer free since. Her family is incredibly proud of her fight and the battle she won. “Tab” and her family are Justin Haley fans and travel to many NASCAR races across the country. Mary Rogers was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer in early 2025. She underwent surgery to have it removed in March, but during the routine procedure, doctors realized the cancer was more extensive than initially believed. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation to target the remaining cancer that wasn’t removed during the surgery and ensure it doesn’t spread. She is a mother of three: Gina, Ron, and Bryan; Grandmother to eight; and Great Grandmother to 10. She has been married to her husband, Dewey, for 66 years. There is nothing that she loves more than spending time with family. Her daughter-in-law, Tammy Rogers, is also battling cancer and is riding aboard Riley Herbst’s No. 35 car on Saturday.Haley secured his lone Cup Series win in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the “World Center of Racing.” He picked up both his and the team’s first win – an upset of practically unprecedented proportions – behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet. In 10 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at the “World Center of Racing,” Haley has notched one win, one top-10 and four top-20 finishes.
JG Racing
DENNY HAMLINNo. 11 King’s Hawaiian Toyota Camry XSE HAMLIN AT DAYTONA: Denny Hamlin is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Daytona International Speedway with all three victories coming in the Daytona 500. He leads all active drivers with 11 top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, and 682 laps led at the track. Earlier this year, Hamlin was side-by-side for the lead on the final lap before being collected in a multi-car accident that left him with a 24th-place result. RICHMOND RECAP: Hamlin finished 10th in last Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway. After starting fourth, he finished third in the opening stage. He was penalized for speeding on pit road and forced to start from the rear of the field to begin stage two. Hamlin methodically worked his way back into the top 15 before suffering damage in a multi-car accident on lap 198. Despite the damage, he was able to score his 13th top-10 finish of the season. SEASON SO FAR: With one race remaining in the regular season, Hamlin is currently third in the overall standings. He leads the series with four wins and 24 playoff points. He is also tied for the series lead in top-five finishes (11). Entering the regular season finale, Hamlin is five points behind second-place Chase Elliott and only 18 points ahead of sixth-place Christopher Bell. KING’S HAWAIIAN: Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota will feature King’s Hawaiian this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of King’s Hawaiian. While the company has grown since Robert Taira founded his first bakery in Hilo, HI in 1950, King’s Hawaiian has remained a family-owned business dedicated to making irresistible food that brings people together, sparking good times and inspiring joy in every bite. Today, they are best known for their best-selling Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, Slider Buns, and Hamburger Buns, as well as the newest addition to the snacking game, irresistibly sweet and salty Pretzel Bites! For more information, visit www.kingshawaiian.com.
CHASE BRISCOENo. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE BRISCOE AT DAYTONA: Chase Briscoe has scored a pair of top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway. Earlier this season, Briscoe started the year on a high note by winning the pole award and finishing fourth in the Daytona 500. He also scored two top-five finishes in five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the World Center of Racing. Additionally, Briscoe posted top-five results in his lone NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series starts at Daytona.RICHMOND RECAP: Chase Briscoe started 19th and finished 13th in last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway. After finding his way into the top 10, he was collected in a multi-car accident on lap 198 and suffered damage to his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota. Despite the setback, he continued on in the race and scored another top-15 result.ON A ROLL: The Mitchell, Indiana native has set career highs in nearly every statistical category this season. He has 10 top-five finishes (third most in 2025), 12 top-10s (tied for seventh most in 2025), and a series-leading six pole awards. His 10.4 average-starting position is the best in the series, and his 13.3 average-finishing position ranks third.JAMES SMALL: 2025 marks James Small’s sixth season as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief. The first five years of his tenure as crew chief were spent with Martin Truex Jr. as Small led the No. 19 team to eight wins, 46 top-five finishes, 86 top-10s, and four NASCAR playoff appearances. The Australia native led Truex to a runner-up finish in the 2021 championship and to the 2023 regular season championship. Small earned his ninth career win with Briscoe at Pocono Raceway earlier this year.BASS PRO SHOPS: Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Newsweek as “America’s Most Trusted Retailer for Outdoor Gear”. For more information or to shop online, visit www.basspro.com.
CHRISTOPHER BELLNo. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE BELL AT DAYTONA: Christopher Bell has recorded three third-place finishes in the last five NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway. Overall, he has made 11 Cup Series starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. In five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Daytona, Bell has earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s.SEASON TO DATE: Through 25 starts this season, Bell has earned three wins, nine top-five finishes and 14 top-10s in addition to a victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race in May. Entering the final race of the regular season, Bell is ranked sixth in the points standings, only 23 points out of second place.RICHMOND RECAP: Bell qualified eighth and raced his way up to sixth in stage one. Early in stage two, Bell was running as high as second before an extended pit stop dropped him down the running order. He rebounded back into contention during the final stage before a commitment line violation forced him to serve a pass-through penalty and ultimately left him with a 21st-place finish.RHEEM AT DAYTONA: Rheem will host more than 250 guests this weekend in Daytona. Executives will be on site from the Rheem Operations team and key members of the Rheem Marketing team in addition to customers from Rheem Middle East, HTPG, HD Supply, Gemaire, Hajoca, and Rheem customers of the Water Heater Division (WHD) Southeast / Spirit Group.
TY GIBBSNo. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE GIBBS AT DAYTONA: Ty Gibbs has started six NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway with a best finish of fifth last August. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, finished 11th and seventh, respectively. He also finished fourth in his only ARCA Menards Series start at Daytona.RICHMOND RECAP: Gibbs started 23rd and finished 18th in last Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway.2021 DAYTONA: In Gibbs’ Xfinity Series debut at the Daytona Road Course in February 2021, he led 14 of the 56 laps en route to his first career win.TYLER ALLEN: Crew chief Tyler Allen is in his first year leading Gibbs and the No. 54 team. While this is Allen’s first experience as a crew chief at the Cup Series level, he had a standout season in 2024 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Allen led JGR’s No. 20 Xfinity Series team to eight victories and a runner-up finish in the owner’s championship. Last August, Allen oversaw the Xfinity Series race-winning effort for Ryan Truex at Daytona.
WOOD BROTHERS GOING FOR REPEATA year ago, Harrison Burton stunned the NASCAR world when he survived an overtime restart to win his first Cup Series race and the 100th for Wood Brothers Racing. Burton led only one lap on the night, but it was the one that counted as he outlasted Kyle Busch to the finish line by 0.47 seconds. The race featured 40 lead changes, but Ford drivers were a fixture at the front as 10 different drivers combined to lead 131 of the 164 laps. That capped a weekend in which Ford swept the top eight spots in qualifying, including an all-Front Row Motorsports front row with Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland. 
