NASCAR Cup Series Regular-Season Finale Decides Playoff Spots at Daytona

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale took place at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race determining the final two playoff spots. Fourteen of the sixteen playoff positions were already clinched by drivers who had won earlier in the season, while Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman competed for the last two spots, with Reddick holding a points advantage. Ryan Blaney secured the pole position due to weather-related qualifying cancellations, with Bowman alongside him on the front row, and William Byron, despite winning the regular season championship, faced penalties after his team made an unapproved car adjustment. The race was broadcast live on NBC, with a special countdown starting at 6 pm CST and race coverage from 6:30 pm to 10 pm CST. Many drivers with multiple wins aimed to improve their playoff seeding ahead of the Round of 16, which begins next week. The final race was highly anticipated as it could feature a new winner earning a playoff spot or confirm the current provisional drivers' entry based on points.