NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Daytona International Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series – Daytona

Next Race: Coke Zero Sugar 400
The Place: Daytona International Speedway
Track Length: 2.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, August 23
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $9,797,935
TV: NBC, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400 miles (160 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 95), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:

Friday, August 22

NXS Kennametal Pole Qualifying (CW App at 3 p.m. ET)

NCS Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)

NXS Race: Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (CW, MRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, August 23

NCS Race: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Daytona International Speedway Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend marks the 157th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, the most among all tracks in Cup history.
• The Summer Daytona winner got his first win of the season in five of the last seven years.
• William Byron, with three wins, is the only repeat winner in the last 12 Daytona races.
• Each of the last four races on drafting tracks ended with a last lap pass, the longest ever streak of last lap passes on drafting tracks.
• Tyler Reddick has a 29-point advantage over Alex Bowman as they battle to NOT be 16th in the Playoff Standings, the most points Reddick lost to Bowman in a race this season was 28 points, Richmond last race.
• Only twice in the elimination format has a driver won to make the Playoffs in the final race of the regular season who entered below the cutline (Austin Dillon in 2022 at Daytona and Chase Briscoe in 2024 at Darlington).
• Since the start of 2023, Team Penske led 1,123 of 3,392 laps raced on drafting tracks (33%), more than three times the laps led by any other team.
• Hendrick Motorsports leads all teams with seven wins on drafting tracks in the Nex Gen era.
• Team Penske is the only team with three different drivers to win a drafting track race in the Next Gen era.
• With Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega, Team Penske has won at least once on a drafting track in 12 straight seasons (2014-2025).
• Three of Kyle Larson’s four top-five finishes on drafting tracks came in the last five races but none at Daytona.
• Front Row Motorsports won the pole for six of the last nine races on drafting tracks, Michael McDowell won the pole for five of them.
• Ford drivers led 52% of the laps raced at Daytona in the Next Gen car.
• The eventual winner led 10 laps or less in eight of the last nine Daytona races.
• Teams finished 1-2 in three of the last six Daytona races including two of the last three Summer races (RFK in 2023 and RCR in 2022).
• The driver leading the most laps finished 22nd or worse in five of the last six Daytona races, and 17th or worse in each of the last eight Summer Daytona races.
• A stage winner has never gone on to win the Summer Daytona race.
• 12 of the last 17 Summer Daytona races ended in overtime.
• The final lead change came in the final three laps in each of the last eight Summer Daytona races including three last lap passes.
• Among the seven longest active winless droughts, five drivers have previously won at Daytona and four in the Summer race.
• Chris Buescher is the only driver to finish inside the top-10 in the last two Daytona Cup races.
• Chase Elliott has finished outside the top-10 in the last four races, his longest streak since the start of the 2024 season.
• Denny Hamlin’s average finish of 26.57 at Daytona since 2022 is his worst among all ovals in the Next Gen era.
• Four of the last seven Summer Daytona winners got their first Cup win: Erik Jones (2018), Justin Haley (2019), William Byron (2020) and Harrison Burton (2024).
• In 2024, the last two races of the regular season were won by drivers who needed to win to make the Playoffs.
• Four of the last six races on drafting tracks were won by drivers who were below the cutline.
• Four of the 11 summer races at Daytona were won by drivers who entered below the cutline including two of the last three.
• This weekend, 13 of the 71 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona International Speedway race winners are active.
• Five drivers have swept both NASCAR Cup Series races at Daytona in a single season, most recently Jimmie Johnson in 2013.
• William Byron clinched the Regular Season Championship at Richmond, one race to go in the regular season. In 2024, the top three drivers in the regular season standings entered the final race within 18 points of each other.
• Three times in the 11 years of elimination style Playoffs (2014-2024), the Summer Daytona winner entered the race outside of a Playoff position (Harrison Burton – 2024, Austin Dillon – 2022 and Aric Almirola – 2014).
• Five of the 11 winners at Daytona in elimination style Playoffs entered the Summer Daytona race 15^th or worse in Playoff standings: 2024 Harrison Burton (34^th), 2022 Austin Dillon (19^th), 2020 William Byron (16^th), 2018 Erik Jones (15^th) and 2014 Aric Almirola (24^th) (does not include Haley who was not eligible to make the Playoffs).

2025 Playoff Picture:

• All 14 race winners are locked in.
• 22 drivers can still win and make the Playoffs (includes Bowman and Reddick).
• Without a winner below the cutline, the Playoff field is set.
• Tyler Reddick can’t miss the Playoffs as long as he is within 28 points of Alex Bowman.
• Only way Alex Bowman controls his own destiny is by winning the race.

Who can race their way into the Playoffs and why:

• Tyler Reddick – finished runner-up at Daytona twice including the 2025 Daytona 500, won Talladega in 2024
• Alex Bowman – two-time runner up on drafting tracks including the 2024 Daytona 500
• Chris Buescher – won this race in 2023
• Ryan Preece – finished runner up at Talladega in April prior to DQ
• Kyle Busch – three-time drafting track winner including Daytona summer 2008, and Talladega in April 2023 with Richard Childress Racing
• Ty Gibbs – finished fifth in this race last year, led the most laps at Talladega in April
• AJ Allmendinger – three third place finishes at Daytona
• Brad Keselowski – seven drafting track wins, most among active drivers, including Daytona in July 2016
• Carson Hocevar – runner up at Atlanta in the Spring
• Michael McDowell – 2021 Daytona 500 Champion
• Erik Jones – first career win came in the summer race at Daytona in 2018, won the Clash in 2020
• John Hunter Nemechek – best average finish at Daytona among active drivers
• Zane Smith – two-time Daytona winner in trucks
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – all four Cup wins came on drafting tracks including two at Daytona
• Daniel Suarez – 2024 Atlanta winner
• Justin Haley – won 2019 Summer Daytona race, two-time Daytona NXS winner
• Todd Gilliland – over half of his career laps led came on drafting tracks
• Ty Dillon – six of his eight career top 10 finishes came on drafting tracks
• Noah Gragson – won at Daytona in NXS, all three Cup top-fives were on drafting tracks

NCS Clinch Scenarios Following Richmond Raceway (One Race To Go):

Already Clinched

• The following 14 drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Shane Van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon.

Can Clinch Via Points

• If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 3rd winless driver in the standings.  The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Tyler Reddick or Alex Bowman.
• Tyler Reddick: Would clinch regardless of finish
• Alex Bowman: Would clinch regardless of finish
• If there is a new winner from Chris Buescher or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the playoffs, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 2nd winless driver in the standings.
• Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 28 points
• Alex Bowman: Could only clinch with help

Can Clinch Via Win

• The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
• Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Zane Smith, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland, Ty Dillon, Noah Gragson, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Cody Ware

NASCAR & Daytona, Etc.

Historical and Significant Events at Daytona International Speedway:

• December 14, 1947 – Bill France Sr. organizes a meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., to discuss the future of stock car racing. NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, was born.
• November 14, 1958 – The plans for the 2.5-mile tri-oval circuit boasting 31 degree banking are put into motion as crews begin clearing what would become the 480-acre property of the “World Center of Racing.”
• February 22, 1959 – A crowd of over 41,000 was on hand to witness the first running of the DAYTONA 500. Lee Petty is declared the winner in a photo finish after conclusive evidence from a newsreel is reviewed by Bill France Sr.
• 1959 – In the fall of 1959, the track hosted several high school football games for the Father Lopez Green Wave in the first year of the school’s football program.
• 1961 – The DAYTONA 200 motorcycle classic is moved from the beach course to the 2.0-mile road course inside Daytona International Speedway. Roger Reiman won the inaugural race with an average speed of 69.26 mph.
• February 11, 1962 – The inaugural Daytona Continental sports car race, now known as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, is run counter-clockwise on the 3.8-mile road course in what was then the fastest sports car race ever run in the United States.
• 1974-1975 – The track hosted four college football games featuring the Daytona-based Bethune–Cookman Wildcats in 1974 and 1975.
• February 15, 1976 – David Pearson and Richard Petty crashed battling for position coming out of the final turn of the 1976 DAYTONA 500, with both cars coming to rest before crossing the start/finish line. Petty’s car would not start, but Pearson was able to keep the car in neutral and slowly cross the line to capture his only DAYTONA 500 victory.
• February 20, 1977 – Janet Guthrie became the first woman to compete in the DAYTONA 500 in 1977. She would qualify 39th and finish 12th.
• February 18, 1979 – CBS presented the first live flag-to-flag coverage of a 500-mile NASCAR event with the Daytona 500, a show not soon to be forgotten as Richard Petty avoids an incident between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison on the last lap to win the race. With Petty racing by to take the checkered flag, Yarborough, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison are involved in a fight in the infield grass, between Turns 3 and 4.
• July 4, 1984 – Richard Petty earned his 200th win in the July race at Daytona International Speedway, setting a mark that has yet to be challenged to this day. President Ronald Reagan was on hand to give the starting command, this first time in NASCAR history that a sitting President attended a race.
• February 9, 1987 – Dawsonville, Ga. driver Bill Elliott set the DAYTONA 500 qualifying record with a speed of 210.364 mph in the No. 9 Ford.
• October 17, 1998 – Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in the first race NASCAR Cup race run under the new lighting system at DAYTONA. The Independence Day holiday classic was delayed until October due to summer wildfires in the area.
• July 6, 2004 – A multi-million dollar renovation of the DAYTONA infield breaks ground in the summer of 2004, including new garages, a Turn 1 tunnel, the four-story DAYTONA 500 Club, a new Gatorade Victory Lane, and the UNOH Fanzone.
• July 12, 2010 – Darrell and Michael Waltrip, the only pair of brothers to win the DAYTONA 500, took a backhoe to the Turn 1 banking of Daytona International Speedway. The event served as the ceremonial groundbreaking of the historic repaving of the iconic high banks.
• February 17, 2013 – Danica Patrick made NASCAR history by winning the pole award for the 2013 Daytona 500, becoming the first female to win a pole in NASCAR premier series history.
• January 12, 2016 – The historic multi-year, $400 million reimagining of Daytona International Speedway is completed in time for the 2016 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA. The additions included five new “injector” gate entrances, 101,500 permanent seats, twice as many restrooms and over 60 climate-controlled suites.
• May 18, 2016 – Daytona International Speedway was named Sports Facility of the Year at Sports Business Journal’s 2016 Sports Business Awards in New York City.
• 2016-2018 – Daytona International Speedway has hosted an annual summer Country Music festival called the Country 500.
• 2021–Present – Starting in 2021, Daytona International Speedway started hosting ‘Welcome To Rockville’ an annual three-day Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Music festival.
• July 2-3, 2022 – The track hosted Daytona Soccer Fest, a 2 day event highlighted by a match between América de Cali and Deportivo Cali and a NWSL match between the Orlando and Louisville.

Historical Daytona International Speedway Information:

• In the early 1950s it became apparent that, due to growth on the beachside, the days of racing on the Beach and Road Course were numbered. Bill France Racing, Inc. was established in 1953 to secure the land and financing to build a new speedway in Daytona.
• Bill France worked tirelessly to raise the funds necessary to build a track to match his vision of a 2.5 mile superspeedway and to also locate a feasible location. The contract to secure land for construction of a speedway was signed on November 8, 1957 and the Daytona International Speedway was born.
• The mammoth project began on November 25, 1957 and dream became reality with the first Daytona 500 on February 22, 1959.
• Today the 483 acre complex, once swampland, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe, earning it the title of “World Center of Racing.”
• In addition to eight major weekends of racing activity rarely a week goes by that the Speedway grounds are not used for events that include civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo “shoots,” production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

Latest Track News at Daytona International Speedway:

• Daytona International Speedway announced this week that WWE Hall of Fame Wrestler Rey Mysterio has been named the grand marshal for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion and musician Flau’jae Johnson will serve as the honorary starter and wave the green flag for the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale.
• Daytona International Speedway announced recently that GRAMMY award-winning country music singer and songwriter Gretchen Wilson will perform prior to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 this August. Wilson adds to pre-race festivities as NASCAR Cup Series drivers prepare to battle under the lights at DAYTONA.