NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Cutoff Race Decides Two Spots at Daytona

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season concludes with the pivotal Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, where 22 drivers compete for the final two playoff spots. Fourteen of the sixteen playoff positions are already secured, but drivers like Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman remain on the playoff bubble, with Bowman seen as a potential dark horse to secure a spot. Superspeedway specialists such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Preece are among the notable contenders expected to perform well in this high-stakes event. The race is scheduled for Saturday night with live coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, featuring an expert broadcast team including Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett. The event serves as a dramatic season finale, where drivers’ championship dreams will either advance or end under the intense Daytona lights. Fans and teams alike await the outcome that will finalize the 2025 postseason lineup.