There are 10 — yes, 10 — NASCAR Cup Series drivers without a win so far in 2022 that have previously won in some capacity at Daytona International Speedway (six of whom have won the summer Cup race there) and 11 winless drivers in 2022 with a prior superspeedway win.
Guess where the final race of the regular season — and the final opportunity for these drivers to lock up a playoff spot — is?
Yep. Daytona.
While the choice to move the traditional Independence Day or Independence Day-adjacent race at Daytona away from that weekend to later in the summer as the final venue of the regular season was (and still is) a divisive one, it certainly means there’s the potential for a massive amount of chaos.
Thursday (Aug. 25) morning’s news that Kurt Busch won’t be in the playoffs means that two playoff berths are now up for grabs, meaning one driver will make it on points, but that doesn’t change the possibility of a walk-off win by someone far below the cutline.
So let’s run down the aforementioned Tenuous Ten or End-of-the-Line Eleven, or whatever NCAA Tournament-esque name one prefers to apply to these denizens of desperation, and dig into some stats.
Ryan Blaney
Previous wins at Daytona: 2 (Cup, summer 2021; non-points Duel #1, 2018)
Ryan Blaney is heading to Florida as both the defending winner of the summer race and the driver in the playoffs on the cutline, so he’s got double motivation to get out front early and stay there for a large portion of the race.
The Team Penske pilot has been a consistent threat despite just one win across any series at Daytona, leading double-digit laps in each of the past two Cup races there and notably leading 118 circuits in the 2018 Daytona 500.
He has multiple wins at Talladega Superspeedway as well and ranks among the most often-picked competitors at such tracks, despite his average finish at Daytona hovering just south of 18th. Not even 30, he already has 14 starts in points-paying Daytona oval races, and three of his past four Cup races there have resulted in finishes of sixth or better.
Blaney makes the playoffs if he wins, if Martin Truex Jr. wins or if a repeat winner visits victory lane. The only problem exists if a new winner comes forth and he falls behind Truex in points (25-point gap between the two prior to Daytona).
Martin Truex Jr.
Previous wins at Daytona: 1 (Xfinity, summer 2005)
Someone’s ears were burning. Even with a championship and more than 30 wins under his belt, Daytona has…
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